Voices of the Diaspora: The Artisans Behind the Canvas

Reginald O’Neal (L.E.O.) (1992- ) is an American painter. O'Neal typically utilizes a dark, muted palette in his portraits. Much of his work features his family, community, and experiences. They are his personal experiences but lend themselves to a broader Black experience. O'Neal sometimes mediates on themes of death and decay as an unfortunate point of life. Currently, his work focuses on his community and beliefs. 

Renell Medrano (1992- ) is a Dominican-American commercial and artistic photographer and director. Medrano seeks to get to the "truth" of her subjects. Past subjects include Kendell Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Kendrick Lamar, and the Venus sisters. She has been creating images since she was a teenager. In addition to her work with musical artists, she creates work exploring her Dominican heritage.  Medrano received her BFA in Photography at Parsons The New York School for Design. 

René Peña (1957- ) is a Cuban photographer. Peña has been taking photographs since he was a child. He shoots primarily in black and white is focused on duality duality between human inability to escape institutionalization and human desire for individualism. Individuals all exist within systems -- family, religion, class, etc. despite a belief that individuals possess boundless freedom.  René Peña graduated from the University of Havana with a specialization in English.

René Tavares (1983-  ) is a São Tomean multidisplinary artist working across photography, video, painting, drawing, and installation. Grounded in a rigorous research practice, Tavares focuses on social and political issues experience in African countries. He questions forgotten and neglected heritages hallenging the rigidity of categories and prejudices through abstract, gestural, and figuration works.  Tavares holds a Bachelor's in Fine Arts and Visual Arts from the Dakar School of Fine Arts, Senegal, a postgraduate degree in Visual Arts, Painting and Photography from the Rennes School of Fine Arts, France, and a Master's in Art and Heritage Sciences from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Lisbon Portugal.

Rick Lowe (1961- ) is an American artist known for his social-practice art. Lowe has worked both inside and outside institutions to create community art projects.  Lowe's practice has focused primarily on creatively transforming neighborhoods and communities, This led him to found Project Row Houses, an arts and community center in Hoston, Texas. Lowe's artistic practice includes painting and installation art and later "social" sculpture. ⁠ Lowe received a degree from Columbus State University in 1982 and studied at Texas Southern University between 1990 and 1992.  

Rita Mawuena Benissan (1995- ) is a Ghanaian-American multidisciplinary artist working across textiles, photography, painting, sculpture, and installation. A large focus of her work is on the Royal Umbrella as a symbol of Ghanaian cultural heritage. She strives to communicate the beauty and power of her people.  Benissan received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Apparel and Textile Design from Michigan State University in 2017 and her Master of Fine Arts in photography and an African Studies Program Certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2021.

Rodney Ewing (1964- ) is an American multidisciplinary artist working through installation, drawings, and mixed media. Ewing's work intersects body and place, memory and fact, and re-examines human histories, cultural conditions, and trauma. He is interested in the understudied historical objects, individuals, spaces, and events of the Black Diaspora. Ewing strives to create works that invite the viewers in for careful contemplation and observation.  Ewing received his Master of Fine Art: Printmaking, from West Virginia University in 1992 and his Bachelor of Fine Art: Printmaking from Louisiana State University in 1989. 

Romare Bearden (1911-1988) was a multimedia artist best known for his use of collage. Taking inspiration from artists such as Giotto, Picasso, Cezanne, and African art, Bearden is known for combining a variety of artistic styles and elements into his own pieces. Much of his work considers the contemporary Black American experience and represents Black culture.

Romuald Hazoumè (1962- ) is a Beninese sculptor who only uses recycled materials in his work. Through the manipulation of material, he communicates his stance against slavery, corruption, trafficking, and current abuses. He sees his role in two ways, a protector of Yoruba cultural values and someone is improving Beninese attitudes around art. 

Ronald Cyrille (1984- ) is a Dominican and Guadeloupean artist. He works in painting, drawing, and sculpture. Cyrille questions social and power dynamics through surreal landscapes.