Medium: Collage on Canvas

Year Created: 2023

Dimensions: 36" X 36"

Description: Proof of Life is a visual metaphor for emerging from a creative block. As an artist who has been creating intentionally for the past 15 years, I've experienced the highs and lows of inspiration and discipline. In this piece, I’ve turned artwork featured in my yearly calendars into a collage of a flower blooming surrounded by symbols that speak to the energy needed to endure the creative cycles of rebirth.

Medium: Mixed Media on Canvas

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 36" X 48"

Description: Triumph celebrates personal and collective victories with dynamic forms and bright colors to convey resilience and joy. It features an abstracted person riding atop an abstracted elephant into new and uncharted territory. The trunk of the elephant is upturned, symbolizing celebration and victory, even in unfamiliar circumstances.

Medium: Mixed Media on Canvas

Year Created: 2023

Dimensions: 36" X 48"

Description: Worlds Collide is an abstract representation of what it feels like to hold various realities and ways of knowing from multiple disciplines. The piece explores the intersection of different knowledge systems, capturing moments of cognitive dissonance and the cross-pollination of ideas, creating entirely new combinations of realities.

Medium: Acrylic on Wood Panel

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 24" X 24"

Description: The Vivid Grain Collection explores the interplay between natural wood grain and abstract designs, celebrating the harmony between the natural and the man-made. Vibrant colors and dynamic forms highlight the beauty of natural materials, inviting viewers to reflect on the relationship between nature and creativity.

Medium: Acrylic on Wood Panel

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 24" X 24"

Description: Similar to Vivid Grain I, this piece continues the exploration of the harmony between natural and human-made elements, celebrating the beauty and form of natural materials with abstract, vibrant colors.

Medium: Acrylic on Wood Panel

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" X 18"

Description: This piece from the Vivid Grain Collection highlights abstract designs against the natural wood grain, inviting viewers to reflect on the synergy between the natural and human-made worlds.

Medium: Acrylic on Wood Panel

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 16" X 20"

Description: The Vivid Grain Collection’s exploration of harmony between natural materials and creative design continues in this piece, featuring vibrant colors and abstract forms layered over natural wood grain.

Medium: Acrylic on Wood Panel

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 16" X 20"

Description: Vivid Grain V continues the series' celebration of the harmony between natural and human-made elements, using vibrant colors and abstract designs to enhance the beauty of natural materials.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: The first idea to greet me when I walked into the REDD Experience 2 was the idea that color, fashion and decor can communicate messages in visceral ways. REDD's incorporation of mannequins has always felt intentional to me, but this one spoke to me immediately and said something to the effect of "Never forget that you have the freedom to express yourself and what you see through as many mediums as possible."

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: Shooting REDD at his reception for his show I curated at The Congregation was a divinely random and perfect experience. Reality Creators reflects on the idea of artists creating realities they want to see, sometimes for themselves, and sometimes for others, capturing the beauty and healing in these creative processes.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: In Streets of Gold, I bring the clichéd metaphor to life by depicting one of the streets I grew up on, covered in gold leaf. The work reflects the unique feel of Detroit, capturing the memories and emotions tied to the city’s streets.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: Inspired by REDD’s shoes during the REDD Experience, this piece captures the defiance and power in their fashion choices, celebrating the boldness and pressure of movement and self-expression.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: Shine reflects on self-expression and the metaphor of light, symbolizing the choice to share, shine, and change the spaces we enter. The use of red lighting at the REDD Experience event inspired this piece, which explores the subtle intensity of self-expression and freedom.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 16" X 20"

Description: Capturing a moment between REDD and his partner, this piece reflects the care and love in their relationship, symbolizing the fragile art of caring for our community members with gentleness and intention.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: How I See Me reflects on self-possession and the beauty of being authentically oneself, inspired by witnessing REDD and the larger REDD Movement. The red tones symbolize the Root Chakra, grounding the piece in themes of presence and self-awareness.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: Drum Factory celebrates the role of drums and music in community-building and African culture, inspired by DJ Jungle and the AmaDetroit trio. The piece reflects the sacred, familial energy that music, and especially drums, bring to the community.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: This piece captures the strategic care facilitated by community leaders Kalisha Davis and Tanya Stephens through a game of chess, symbolizing the long-term vision they bring to their community advocacy and support.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: Baba Speaks honors Dr. Yusef Bunchy Shakur, a profound thinker and activist, celebrating his personal and academic journey, as well as his deep investment in his community. The portrait captures the wisdom and resilience he embodies.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: Trendsetter showcases individuals who set cultural trends, blending tradition with innovation. This piece captures the dynamic interplay between past and present, illustrating how cultural roots inspire modern identities. It reflects the energy and influence of cultural pioneers, celebrating those who boldly merge the old with the new, and aligning with the exhibition’s exploration of evolving identity and cultural expression.

Pictured: Ashley Ballard is a proud resident of Detroit, Michigan by way of Los Angeles, California. Ms. Ballard commits herself to serving communities by strengthening the lives of individuals and families. Currently managing family preservation programs in contract between a well known Detroit non-profit and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. She additionally, provides treatment to parents who reside in Wayne County, MI through an evidence based structured intervention for enhanced parenting skills. .

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: Capturing an interaction between community builder Gabby Knox and a budding entrepreneur at the BabaQue, this piece symbolizes the exchange of knowledge and values between generations, highlighting the process of sustaining community identity.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: Andrew Wilson is seen here nourishing the vibes at the BabaQue, reflecting his creative energy and constant support to the community.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description:

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description:

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: Recognition & Reconciliation reflects the process of acknowledging past injustices and working towards healing, using symbolic forms and calming colors. This piece invites reflection on the importance of recognition and reconciliation in fostering collective healing and community resilience.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: Remembrance honors ancestral memories and cultural practices, using soft tones to evoke reflection and reverence. This piece emphasizes the importance of remembering and honoring those who came before us, highlighting the role of memory in shaping identity and heritage.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: Restoration focuses on healing and renewal, using earthy tones to symbolize the process of regrowth and rejuvenation. This piece captures the themes of restoration and recovery, reflecting on the power of nature and community to heal and renew.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description:

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description:

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: Celestial Canopy reflects on the infinite possibilities that lie above us. The branches reach out, stretching towards the heavens, inviting thoughts of what could be and the endless potential that surrounds us.

Medium: Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas Print

Year Created: 2024

Dimensions: 18" x 24"

Description: Moving Back to Detroit as an adult in 2019 gave me a whole new view of my city. Fenced Illumination represents the sense of unknown possibility I felt standing there that day. The abstract markings on this photo represent the sense of unknown possibility I felt standing there.