Voices of the Diaspora: The Artisans Behind the Canvas

Samuel Levi Jones (1978- ) is an artist based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jone's work investigates systems of power and oppression through painting and assemblage. A material he uses as part of his part is law books. These allow him to engage directly with primary source material and documentary practices, as vestibules of political and social power.  Jones investigates themes of manipulation and the rejection of authority through his work.  Jones received a BA in communications studies from Taylor University and a BFA in photography from Herron School of Art and Design in 2009. He also received an MFA in Studio Art from Mills College in 2012.

Sanford Biggers (1970- ) is an American visual artist based in Harlem, New York. Biggers' work incorporates found objects, vintage fabrics, and historical artifacts, adding layers of meaning and symbolism to his creations. Additionally, he works in print, film, and sculpture. He frequently repurposes these materials to challenge conventional narratives and provide new perspectives on complex issues. Always topical, he focuses on contemporary social, political, and racial discourse. His references can be as varied as Underground Railroad to police brutality.  Biggers received a BA from Morehouse College and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1998. 

Sasha Huber (1975- ) is a visual artist of Swiss-Haitian heritage based in Helsinki, Finland. One of the significant influences on her artistic practice has been her collaboration with the Swiss-Haitian historian and activist Jean Casimir, who has researched the history of Josephine Bonaparte and her connection to Haiti. This collaboration led to the "Demounting Louis Agassiz" project, which explores the legacy of the Swiss naturalist, glaciologist and Louis Agassiz, a Harvard University Professor, known as a racist and proponent of scientific racism that advanced the false theory of hierarchy of intelligence existed among different racial groups, which emboldened the resolve of many pro-slavery white Americans to maintain slavery. Though photography, film, performance work Huber explores the lasting effects of colonialism on society. Colonialism's effect on the environment is of particular interest to her.  She has her MA in visual culture from Aalto University in Helsinki and is currently pursuing a practice-based PhD in artistic research at Zurich University of the Arts

Sekai Machache (1989- ) is a Zimbabwean-Scottish photographer and performer. She also creates works on paper. Machache is interested in imagination and dreams. Her work teases out the role of the artist in developing liminal experiences for healing.  She received a degree from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee, Scotland, in 2012. 

Selma Burke (1900-1995) is an American sculptor. She discovered her love of the medium as a young child, feeling clay from riverbeds flow through her fingers. In the 1920s she moved to New York city from North Carolina where she became part of the Harlem Renaissance. She traveled to Europe twice, once in 1933 on a Rosenwald Fellowship and again in 1936. While in Paris, she met Henri Matisse who expressed enthusiasm for her work. She is probably most known for a Burke is best known for a bust portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, completed in 1944.  She took art classes at Sarah Lawerence College in New York Burke completed a Master of Fine Arts degree at Columbia University in 1941. 

Shanequa Gay (1978- ) is an American multidisciplinary artist working across painting, installation, and photography. Gay is interested in counter-narratives, mythology, and an expansion of Black imagery. At the center of her work sits multiple universes that expand narratives around Black women.  Gay received her BA in Painting from Savannah College of Art and Design, AA in Graphic Design and Fashion Marketing from the Art Institute of Atlanta, and an MFA from Georgia State University.

Shani Crowe is an American photographer. Her work focuses on Black hair, its adornment and beauty rituals, and how they can foster connection. She is most known for creating intricate corn-rowed hairstyles, and then capturing them as large photographic portraits. Crowe received her BFA in film production from Howard University’s John H. Johnson School of Communications in 2011.

Shannon Bono (1995- ) is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, and cultural writer. She often uses oils, acrylics, and spray paints in her work. Bono is interested in centering Black womanhood and asserting it as a source of knowledge. Common reference points include African spirituality, Christian iconography, and renaissance art. Her various mediums mix meld  Bono received her MA in Art & Science from Central Saint Martins University, her Associate Fellowship in higher education from the University of the Arts London and an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art.

Shinique Smith (1971- ) is an American artist known for expansive practice including fabric sculptures and abstract paintings incorporating calligraphy and collage. Pulling from personal histories, her work is a documentation of "things".  Smith received a BFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art, She earned a MA in education from Tufts University in 2000 and a MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2003.

Simphiwe Mbunyuza (1989- ) is a South African ceramicist and sculptor. His sculptures draw heavily from his Xhosa heritage. He uses the coiling technique used for generations by the Xhosa people. Mbunyuza uses all of the sculptures’ surface to recreate cultural scenes, mimic landscapes, and add appendages that represent animal, human, or decorative flourishes.  Mbunyuza received his Masters of Fine Art from The University of Oklahoma and a Fine Art degree from Walter Sisulu University in South Africa.