From Harlem To The Hamptons: African Diasporic Culture Met Hamptons Luxury At Harlem Fine Arts Show Over Weekend
By Stephen Mandel Joseph Photo: Stephen Mandel Joseph: (New York-based sculptor Barbara Townsend and Visual Artist Mark Anthony) Stepping into the tent of New York-based sculptor Barbara Townsend (Townsend Creation and Townsend Custom Gifts), a retired Department of Education teacher, felt like entering a realm of vivid, vibrant artistry. Known for her breathtaking portraits of embroidery and richly textured tapestries in mixed media, Townsend’s work proves that cultural expression and ingenuity can act as a painter’s canvas. Townsend, known for creating art using fiber and doll-making, illustrates imagery of family, community, and urbanity with visual mastery that places her in a show of her own. Townsend shared the spotlight with several standout artists, including Mark Anthony, an artist who can rival neo-expressionist figures like Jean-Michel Basquiat; Don Bannon, a Dallas-based, self-taught visual artist who runs O’Bannon Studios and whose oil paintings evoke the African American experience, jazz, and cultural history; and the well-known Trinidadian-born mixed-media artist Stuart McClean, known for his vibrant, textured paintings that blend African heritage, jazz culture, and Caribbean Carnival spirit. These virtuoso visionaries were just four out of many pioneering artists who graced the Harlem Fine Arts Show (HFAS) Summer Festival at Duck Walk Vineyards in Water Mill last weekend. Under the air-conditioned tents at Duck Walk Vineyards, the gathering was eye-catching. The trailing vineyard gave way to incredible contemporary works. Patrons sipped signature wines from Duck Walk Vineyards as they took in vibrant diasporic pieces spanning the Caribbean, Latin America, and African roots. It was a true celebration of Black creativity, seamlessly blending into the affluent Hamptons landscape. The exhibition arrived amid a national push to diversify institutional collections and challenge the underrepresentation of Black figures in fine arts history, while highlighting the partnership between the Creole Food Festival, local community recipients, and the Alzheimer’s Association.
Black News 
By Stephen Mandel Joseph
Photo: Stephen Mandel Joseph: (New York-based sculptor Barbara Townsend and Visual Artist Mark Anthony)
Stepping into the tent of New York-based sculptor Barbara Townsend (Townsend Creation and Townsend Custom Gifts), a retired Department of Education teacher, felt like entering a realm of vivid, vibrant artistry. Known for her breathtaking portraits of embroidery and richly textured tapestries in mixed media, Townsend’s work proves that cultural expression and ingenuity can act as a painter’s canvas.
Townsend, known for creating art using fiber and doll-making, illustrates imagery of family, community, and urbanity with visual mastery that places her in a show of her own.
Townsend shared the spotlight with several standout artists, including Mark Anthony, an artist who can rival neo-expressionist figures like Jean-Michel Basquiat; Don Bannon, a Dallas-based, self-taught visual artist who runs O’Bannon Studios and whose oil paintings evoke the African American experience, jazz, and cultural history; and the well-known Trinidadian-born mixed-media artist Stuart McClean, known for his vibrant, textured paintings that blend African heritage, jazz culture, and Caribbean Carnival spirit.
These virtuoso visionaries were just four out of many pioneering artists who graced the Harlem Fine Arts Show (HFAS) Summer Festival at Duck Walk Vineyards in Water Mill last weekend.
Under the air-conditioned tents at Duck Walk Vineyards, the gathering was eye-catching. The trailing vineyard gave way to incredible contemporary works. Patrons sipped signature wines from Duck Walk Vineyards as they took in vibrant diasporic pieces spanning the Caribbean, Latin America, and African roots. It was a true celebration of Black creativity, seamlessly blending into the affluent Hamptons landscape.
The exhibition arrived amid a national push to diversify institutional collections and challenge the underrepresentation of Black figures in fine arts history, while highlighting the partnership between the Creole Food Festival, local community recipients, and the Alzheimer’s Association.
