Derick Gaston began art as a child. Drawing was always fun and decided he wanted to become an artist. As the youngest of two brothers, he strove to follow in their footsteps. As he grew, however, Derick was diagnosed with epilepsy and became frustrated with the limitations placed on him by others.
As a teenager, ignoring the naysayers he started using charcoal or pencil for portraits. As an adult, however, Derick's productivity in drawing slowed and he asked God for help. One day, a friend saw his drawings and encouraged him to sell his art. Derick toyed with the idea until he met an art teacher that helped refine his skill and he worked with this instructor for seven years. Eventually developing his own style and began working with acrylic and oil paints.
Later, Derick was introduced to the Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club, a local meetup for artists, collectors and patrons. Seeing the work of other artists helped him improve the quality of his work and proved to himself, he can accomplish anything.
Art not only excites the senses and beautifies your environment, but it shares history, tells stories, captures moments and even relates culture. We see art, specifically black art, as an opportunity to reclaim and pass down historical perspectives; and cherish what's on our walls.
“Art is not a luxury as many people think – it is a necessity. It documents history – it helps educate people and stores knowledge for generations to come.” – Dr. Samella Lewis
"The acquisition and accumulation of art is a vehicle for building generational wealth." - Henry Harper
Ida Hawkins is a visual artist, art educator and a creative expressionist artist. She has a great love and passion for art. Ida has dedicated her life to living creatively and believes creativity is about living with an open mind, to accept ideas and then implement them. Ida has worked as an art educator for 45 years and is now retired from teaching. "I am emerging into a new chapter in my life that will allow me the opportunity to explore and discover new ways to create."
Izaiah Ford is a self-taught artist born and raised in Detroit Michigan. Ford grew to have a love for using his imagination, his art uses Black American history to evoke a sense of ethical agency amongst Black Americans. Ford's style of art is a blend between different periods of art history (Op Art, Futurism, and Impressionism). His works depict the minor thoughts and emotions of how people feel in everyday life and aim to center his works around peace and joy to give an evolution away from America's racist, sexist, and ableist way of life.
Beauty4Ashes is Lynette's method of sharing a message through various art forms. Her message is that there is undeniable worth in everyone. Where someone may see ashes, she sees beauty. These forms include drawing, painting and jewelry.
Beauty4Ashes...something beautiful born from ashes. Lynette creates beautiful, handcrafted jewelry. Each piece is designed to be one-of-a-kind, using semi-precious gemstones, handmade beads, and other unique natural elements. Lynette has discovered how jewelry can accent the beauty that already exists in our soul. As part of her practice, she often uses vintage components and combines them with new materials to form a cohesive piece where one cannot distinguish the old from the new.
As a Fine Artist. she uses paint, pencils, and pastels, to produce a portrait likeness, a landscape or a cityscape, most often with a message, sometimes written in poetry or symbols incorporated into the piece.
Lynette is a lover of art and has worked in art her entire career. She graduated with a BFA degree in graphic design and drawing from Wayne State University and has 40+ years of experience in the creation of art. Her art has been displayed at galleries, art fairs, exhibitions and private collections.
Melinda Ruth Rushing is a sketch artist and print maker who uses mixed media to create pieces that comment on the black experience. Rushing believes art can heal, encourage, and expose. With each piece, she aims to evoke emotion, so the viewer is able to connect with the subject matter. Rushing completed a minor in Studio Art at the University of Houston during her undergraduate studies in 2010 and in 2020, Rushing began her art career in her native state, Texas, as she completed her doctorate in public health from the University of Texas Health Science Center. In 2020, Rushing displayed for the first time in the Black Excellence Expo Group Exhibition curated my Britt Cherell, was commissioned to create an original piece for the Black Wall Street Board Game Collectors’ Edition, was commissioned to create the art used in the short film Ama, and was 1 of the 3 finalists in Chicago based Gallery 19 Meed4: Power of Identity competition. Following the competition, Rushing’s piece, Ankara Body: Uncovering, was selected to be in Gallery 19’s Best of the Year Group Exhibition curated by Gallery 19 owner Tony Reyes in 2021.
In August 2021, Rushing relocated to Detroit Michigan after being recruited for a Public Health Postdoctoral position at the University of Michigan. While working full time as a research fellow, Rushing continued to pursue her art career and displayed the piece Ankara Body: Uncovering in the 2022 Still Bonded Group Exhibition curated by Jonathan Harris, a nationally recognized visual artist. In August of 2021, Rushing joined the Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club. Since joining, Rushing’s work has been added to several established and emerging art collections that include Henry Harper, Edward and Karen Ogul, Harold Braggs, Misha McGlown, Paul and Daphne Curtis, Jonathan Harris, Tracey Williams, Morgan Smith, George Briggs, and David Mays. Additionally, her first linocut print, Coming of Age, is on display at MAC Galleries owned by James E. McKissic. Currently, Rushing’s piece Don’t Run is being displayed in the Swords into Plowshares Gallery’s The World We Need Group Exhibition. Rushing is also working with Munson Steed in partnership with Irwin Gallery on a commission project to create original linocut designs and prints for the honorees of the Women with Superpowers Award Gala.
Reggie Singleton was born and raised in Detroit, MI. He began drawing at an early age and majored in Fine Arts at Wayne State University from 1999-2002. His major influences are Albert Durer, Al Loving, Elizabeth Catlett, and Norman Lewis. Reggie’s primary mediums were Inks and Acrylics until Charles McGee encouraged him to pursue Wood Sculpture in 2010. This medium has been his primary focus from 2010 until now.
Through his framed wood reliefs, Singleton developed a technique that combined sculpting and framing called “Surongajii”, ‘SOO-RON-GAA-JEE’. In 2017, this technique earned Singleton a permanent installation in WSU’s Bio-Engineering Building. His pen and ink realist drawings have also been shown in galleries throughout Michigan, this year earning him 3rd Place in the Scarab Club’s 108th Gold Medal Exhibition, selected by world renowned artist and educator Shirley Woodson. Through his art, Singleton continues to push the boundaries of form, color and composition.
aCRYLIC Fusion aRTs Medium™ founder and innovator Walter A. Bailey worked well over fifty years, Doing aRT. He has experiences spanning two centuries and over five decades as a multi-disciplined aRTisan. In 1971 he discovered the quality of synthetic (Plexiglas) as aRT™. By 1977 His revolutionary Reverse aRT Technique pioneered an innovative award-winning aRTform titled aCRYLIC Fusion aRTs Medium™. Fusion aRT techniques apply and amplify color to durable acrylic polymer surfaces. The result is an aRTwork with high-resolution imagery, highly reflective and innovative advanced color applications that stimulates the observer's eye and imagination.
After moving to Detroit in 1994, his aRTistic achievements, awards, exhibitions, and public aRT installations include two book covers, the Bombay Sapphire 2014Finalist, Charles H. Wright’s 2008 Legacy Award, and the International Institutes of Metropolitan Detroit 2019. His aRT has appeared in shows and exhibitions from the East Coast to the Midwest. Walters Black History supplements, The Whole Story, have been used by Detroit Public Schools and the University of Hartford, Connecticut, School of Education. Finally, his works include private collections, museum exhibits, the City of Detroit municipal office installation, city parks, and a police precinct. Today he seeks to pass aRTlife experiences to emerging Next-Gen Visionary aRTists of this century and the next.
