ArtCrawl Tour in Harlem

Art

Popular Trolley Bus Tour of Historic District Features Local Artists, Gallery Receptions

A variety of fine-art experiences comprise the latest installment of ArtCrawl Harlem™, Harlem’s premier guided trolley bus tour, taking place Saturday August 7 and Sunday, August 8 in Central Harlem.

A cultural initiative spearheaded by Jacqueline Orange, owner of Taste Harlem Food and Cultural Tours, and Averlyn Archer,  founder and director of Canvas Paper & Stone Gallery, ArtCrawl Harlem™ “drops in” on a number of local art galleries, museums and arts spaces, with many offering free wine and other refreshments.  A catered reception follows the tour.

Knowledgeable tour guides, as well as local artists, and owners and directors of the various art spaces are always on hand to offer history and context, and trolley buses run between locations, allowing participants to also survey the plethora of outdoor art throughout the area.

“Harlem is a part of the city that’s always been rich in art history, but not typically identified with the classical or contemporary art scene,” says Orange . “ArtCrawl Harlem™ was created to give visitors and locals alike the chance to experience art throughout the area, meet gallery owners, artists and collectors, see new spaces and experience several lively events.”

Highlights this year include a three-part series at Renaissance Fine Arts Gallery titled “Art Is: Visual, Functional, Wearable,” featuring stunning collaborations between visual artists and fashion designers.  Elsewhere, ArtCrawl participants will have a bird’s eye view of works created by the winners in a banner design competition sponsored by the 125^th Street Business Improvement District.  These pieces, hanging high across the avenue known as “ Harlem ’s Main Street ,” are based on a number of musical themes.

“Our event aims to support local, national and emerging artists in Harlem, and to inspire art enthusiasts and new visitors to explore innovative art spaces and enjoy every aspect of the fantastic art scene here in Harlem ,” says Archer.

TICKETS AND INFORMATION
Additional venues are being added to the ArtCrawl Harlem™ lineup. Tickets start at $40 per person.  For updates, tickets and further information, please visit www.artcrawlharlem.com or call (212) 866-7427.

TOUR DETAILS

ArtCrawl Harlem™ taking place August 7 and 8 will include:

Casa Frela Gallery

“Einstein, Epherma & Crank,” created by Fearless Explorers in Alternative Surfaces, Glazes and Installations highlights the ceramic installations of four sculptors, Liz Surbeck Biddle, Jackie Welsh, Tomoko Amaki Abe and Ellen Hackl Fagan.  A creative brew results when these four artists work together using painted slips, photographic processes, printmaking, transfers, decals and drawing.

Dwyer Cultural Center

“Weusi Revisited: 2010” features the work of the Weusi Artist Collective. Founded in 1965, the Harlem-based Weusi (”way-oo-see,” which means Blackness in Swahili) are considered progenitors of the Black Arts Movement and were among the first artists to make African imagery a central part of their work.

Renaissance Fine Art Gallery

“Art is: Visual, Functional, and Wearable” is a three-part s eries featuring the collaborations of visual artists and fashion designers. Part 2, now on display, features fashion designer/visual illustrator Donna Dove and visual artist/designer Anton.  Artists participating in the series explore art as a part of everyday life produced as drawings and paintings on canvas, paper, clothing and home accessories.

Rio II Gallery

“Masks” by Wyrbel Familia recreates the different masks spectators use in their daily lives. The artist shows us with master strokes a fabulous visual representation of our egos and how we disguise the imperfections that characterize us.

Studio Museum in Harlem

The first New York museum exhibition of South African photographer Zwelethu Mthethwa brings together three compelling series: “Interiors” and “Empty Beds” document the domestic lives of migrant workers in and near Johannesburg, South Africa, while photographs in “Common Ground” focus on shared experiences of natural disaster in urban areas, featuring houses in post-Hurricane-Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana and on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa, after wildfires.

Taste of Harlem Food and Cultural Tours was created to showcase Harlem through its food, history and culture.  A food, culture and Harlem Renaissance enthusiast, founder and NYC tour guide Jacqueline Orange leads tour groups on fun filled excursions through Harlem .  Visit www.tasteharlem.com for more information.

Canvas Paper and Stone Gallery is a contemporary fine art venue located in Harlem and focused on emerging and established artists in all visual media.  One of its core values is educating existing and potential clients about contemporary visual art.  Visit www.CanvasPaperandStone.com for more information.