Exhibition Presents Front Cover Artist Watson Mere & Sneak Preview of Issue Honoring Harry Belafonte
NEW YORK, NY, July 16, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- On Sat., July 26, 2025, African Voices magazine will host an opening exhibition for Brooklyn artist Watson Mere and a launch celebration for our special issue honoring the art and activism of Harry Belafonte! Mere's art graces the front cover of our Summer/Fall 2025 issue. We invite you to enjoy an afternoon of art and celebration. Contributors from the issue will share their poems and stories, including writer Gia Anasi-Shakur who will share her work. The event is free and open to the public. Donations are welcomed.
"We're proud to showcase Watson Mere's art and celebrate the legacy of actor and activist Harry Belafonte whose film Beat Street helped defined New York City as the capital of Hip Hop culture and art. He was one of the first 'Artvists' who leveraged his influence as a world-class actor to fight for justice during the Civil Rights era," said publisher Carolyn A. Butts. "Our issue, guest edited by award-winning poet Keisha-Gaye Anderson, is timely as we are continuing the struggle to preserve our cultural institutions and access to jobs, education and affordable housing."
African Voices is celebrating 33 years of publishing art and literature by artists of color. The event is also a fundraiser in support of the magazine, which recently received the news that it was defunded by the National Endowment for the Arts. African Voices is encouraging supporters to make donations and become members. Longtime supporters are invited to attend the event and share testimonials on how African Voices has impacted their lives.
Spelman College, one of the nation's oldest HCBUs, is archiving the organization's art collection making it accessible for future generations. African Voices is renowned for publishing top artists on its front cover. Past front cover artists include Faith Ringgold, Verna Hart, Patrick Dougher, Kimberly M. Becoat, Sadikisha Saundra Collier, Malik Seneferu, Danny Simmons and Elizabeth Catlett.
Mere was commissioned by African Voices to design the iconic front cover for our issue dedicated to Belafonte.
"This portrait of Harry Belafonte honors him in his regality, while capturing the depth, compassion and intensity of his unmistakable gaze. The stars surrounding him symbolize his presence in the ancestral realm, ever-watchful and guiding, just as he did in life. His pose is balanced with a quiet tenderness, reflecting his lifelong commitment to the care and upliftment of the Black diaspora. The piece celebrates not just the man, but the legacy and light he continues to cast over us," said Mere.
Limited copies of our Spring 2025 digital issue will be available. You can reserve copies of our Harry Belafonte issue when you RSVP: LINEAGE. The issue will be released in August.
Artist Bio:
Watson Mere is an award-winning visual and performance artist who has been exhibiting his work for the past eight years. Mere's work has been shown in galleries, museums and venues, which include the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY; Venice Art Gallery, Venice, Italy; The Oculus at the World Trade Center, New York, NY; Gracie Mansion Conservatory, New York, NY; Norman Rea Gallery, York, United Kingdom, and The Africa Center, Harlem, New York. He has earned various awards including the 2024 Artist in Residence for the Haiti Cultural Exchange, the 2022 Elizabeth Foundation For The Arts Studio Program, a 2023 recipient of the Frederieke Sanders Taylor Studio Projects Fund, and the 2018 Citation of Honor (Arts) from the District Attorney of Kings County. Mere and his work has been featured in publications and television networks such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vogue Magazine, Hyperallergic, Esquire Magazine, Artsy, NPR, News 12 New York, Philly Magazine, Broadway World, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Colossal, GlobeNewswire, Nylon, C- Suite Quarterly, and more.
Guest Editor Bio:
Keisha-Gaye Anderson is a Jamaican-born poet, creative writer, visual artist, educator and media strategist living in Brooklyn, NY. She is the author of the poetry collections Gathering the Waters (Jamii Publishing 2014), Everything Is Necessary (Willow Books 2019), and A Spell for Living (Agape Editions 2019), which received the Editors' Choice recognition for Agape's 2017 Numinous Orisons, Luminous Origin Literary Award. A Spell for Living is a multimedia e-book, that includes music and Keisha's original art work. She is a past participant of the VONA Voices and Callaloo writing workshops, and was short-listed for the Small Axe Literary Competition. In 2018, Keisha was named a Brooklyn Public Library Artist in Residence. Her art has been featured in exhibitions throughout the greater New York City area. Keisha is a graduate of the Syracuse University Newhouse School and holds an MFA in creative writing from The City College, CUNY.
Supporter acknowledgment:
African Voices is supported, in part, by Council members Farah Louis (35 C.D.) and Crystal Hudson (45 C.D.), New York State Council on the Arts, NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs, Amazon Literary Partnership-CLMP (Community of Literary Magazines and Presses) and private donors.
About African Voices:
Founded in 1992, African Voices is a nonprofit arts organization devoted to showcasing art, literature, and films by artists of color. African Voices publishes a literary magazine and presents literary readings, art exhibitions, and artistic workshops throughout NYC. The organization sponsors Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series, the first Oscar-qualifying film festival in the nation devoted to women of color (www.reelsisters.org). Reel Sisters will be held from Oct. 25-26, 2025.
The gallery is located at 325 Lafayette Ave, C.F. Suite. Gallery hours are Tuesdays, 11 am to 6 pm; Thursdays, 1 pm to 7 pm; and Fridays, 1 pm to 7 pm. You can also call 212-865-2982 to make an appointment to view the exhibition.
Related Link:
https://africanvoices.com/african-voices-celebrates-harry-belafonte-with-new-issue/
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