Creative Journeys: Voices of Color in the Arts
May 8, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Artwork by Prieta.
The final program in the Historic Geneva Spring 2024 Program Series will be held in collaboration with The Dove Block and will feature two historic and three contemporary area artists of color. Historic Geneva staff will briefly speak about the artists Clyde Mathis and Robert S. Duncanson, both African-American men who lived in the Geneva area respectively in the 19th and 20th centuries. Contemporary artists Jeanette Hernandez, Ralph Fryer, and Rosa Vargas will then speak about their work, how they became artists, what inspires them, and why they do what they do.
Jeanette Hernandez is an art educator and community activist. She graduated from Lyons High School and earned a BA in Art and Education from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an MA in Art Education from Nazareth College. She taught art at St. Francis-St. Stephen's School in Geneva, at St. Michael’s in Newark, and retired from Marion Central School due to the pandemic in 2022. She was named one of the top five art teachers of New York State in 2013. Jeanette has done community work in Geneva with the Geneva Theater Guild, the Smith Opera House, and Geneva Night Out. She worked part time at the Cobblestone Arts Center in Farmington, teaching art and doing theater art. She is the Community Engagement Coordinator and a Board Member at the Dove Block Project in Geneva. She is pleased to be a part of the Dove Block Project and hopes to bring great art experiences to Geneva.
Rosa Vargas (Prieta) is an Afro-Caribbean artist based in Rochester NY. Her creations are inspired by her African and Indigenous ancestors. The vibrant colors in her art pieces depict messages of pride for family and community and celebrate her lineage through art. Prieta's artwork has been displayed in The Rochester Contemporary Art Center, The Dove Block Project, The Irondequoit Public Library, and The Henrietta Public Library. She is a visual artist and fashion designer whose creations incorporate both mediums. Her art depicts visions of her multicultural background and makes social commentary on the economic disparities we face today. You can view Prieta's work and store, Art of Guakete, on her website Prietaart.com.
Ralph Fryer has been expressing himself with many different forms of art since the age of three. He won a statewide art contest in high school and went on to paint murals while serving in the military. Although he's worked in pencil, charcoal, and paint, he currently does most work in tattoo ink and has worked as a tattoo artist for over thirteen years. This pursuit started when he was a teenager and drew flash (a pre-made design that can usually be tattooed in one sitting) for the tattoo shops in his area, never knowing where it would lead him. Ralph collaborates with his clients to come up with the perfect piece for them, then brings it to life with his own unique style. He has tattooed people across the United States, including in St. Louis, Florida and Puerto Rico and takes great pride in his work. Ralph Fryer is the owner of Octopus Ink on Hamilton Street in Geneva.
The program will be held on Wednesday, May 8 at 7 p.m. at the Dove Block at 465 Exchange Street.
The Spring Program Series is presented in conjunction with the Historic Geneva exhibit, Lift Every Voice: Geneva's Black Community Since 1966.
The spring program series is supported in part by the Samuel B. Williams fund for programs in the Humanities and is free and open to the public. For more information about this program, call the Historic Geneva office at 315-789-5151 or visit historicgeneva.org.
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