Erika Alexander is an actress, trailblazing activist, entrepreneur, creator, producer, director, and one of the country's boldest, most daring, and powerful voices. Recognizing the power of storytelling, Erika believes that though content must be entertaining, stories have tremendous capacity to create impact and meaningful social change. As co-founder of Color Farm Media, she is on a mission to bring greater equity, inclusion, and diverse representation to both media and electoral politics.
Erika is beloved for her iconic acting roles including:
Erika recently stepped boldly into the arena of film director, with her debut film "The Big Payback," co-directed with Whitney Dow. The film debuted at Tribeca Festival and premiered on PBS on MLK Day 2023. The documentary chronicles the story of the first reparations bill for African Americans in U.S. history.
In 2023, Erika also played Coraline in the acclaimed film "American Fiction," directed by Cord Jefferson with Jeffrey Wright, Tracy Ross, Sterling K. Williams, and Issa Rae. The film was named one of the year's top 10 films by the American Film Institute and earned five nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Erika is also creator/writer/producer of 2022 Audible Original's Best True Crime Series and DuPont Columbia award-nominee, "Finding Tamika," and producer of the three-time, Emmy-nominated Best Documentary and winner, NAACP Best Documentary, "John Lewis: Good Trouble."
A critical thought leader on racial and gender equity and leadership, Erika serves as a board member for One Fair Wage and is highly involved with social and racial justice organizations including The Poor People's Campaign, Color of Change, NAACP, UNCF, among others.
Alicia Brown is a Jamaican contemporary realist painter living and working in Sarasota, Florida. Renowned for her captivating work that seamlessly blends skillful technique with profound story telling. Her art goes beyond Aesthetics, expanding the conversation around cultural identity, space and belonging. Referencing historical and present regimes' influences on the "other", Brown invites the viewer to engage with the complexities of identity, offering a though-provoking exploration that transcends artistic and cultural boundaries.
Brown holds a BFA in Painting and a diploma in Art Education from Edna Manley College of the Visual Performing Arts (2003), (2009) and an MFA in Painting from the New York Academy of Art (2014)
Brown works primarily with painting, and her multidisciplinary practice extends to drawings, sculptures and installation.
Alicia has earned recognition through various accolades, including the Dawn Scott Memorial award from the Jamaica Biennial 2017, two Elizabeth Foundation Grants in 2019 and 2021, and grants from the Joan Brady Foundation and LCU Foundation. Her dedication to her craft has led her to participate in renowned residencies such as the Leipzig International Art Program in Germany, Cuttyhunk Island Artists' residency in Massachusetts and Elsewhere artists' residency in Colorado.
Her extensive exhibition history includes participation in the Jamaica Biennial in 2021 and 2017, Prizm Art Fair in Miami, the Victoria Gallery and Museum in London, the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art and the Springfield Museum of Art in the USA. Noteworthy solo exhibitions include shows at Winston Wachter Gallery in New York (2023), UUU Art Collective in Rochester, NY (2022), Virago Gallery in Seattle Washington (2019), and Studio 174 in Kingston, Jamaica (2016)
Alicia Brown's artistic journey has been documented in prestigious publications such as New American Paintings, International Artists Magazine, American Art Collector, Colossal, Painting the Figure Now magazine, ArtIT Voice of Artists Magazine, Caribbean Quarterly Journal, The Jamaica Observer newspaper, and more.
Beyond exhibitions and publications, Alicia's art finds a place of distinction in notable collections, including the Bennet Collection of Women Realists, The New Diversity Museum of Art and Culture, Pittsburgh, Jamaica: Making the Theresa Roberts Collection, London, England, LIA International Art Program Collection, Leipzig, Germany and various private collections.
My name is Lance Johnson, and I'm a visual artist who is inspired by words. The foundation of each piece I create is the layering of words throughout each canvas. I feel that words of inspiration are the soul of my work. Words have power and my goal as an artist is to create art that will resonate positively and evolve with each viewing.
For me, the most amazing thing about art isn't the final piece, it's the creative process that is unleashed when you look at a blank canvas. I'm most passionate about the journey. The process is always most satisfying. For me it's all about layers and textures. I look at a canvas like it's a wall on say the lower east side. I try to create layers of history. The way old graffiti is covers by with new graffiti and urban decay and torn posters create textures.
I was born and raised in NY and it has had a profound effect on my art. the energy, vibrance and movement of the city are so inspiring to me. The diversity and soul of the city are celebrated in my work. I'm also inspired by community. Collaborations have always been inspiring to me. When I was 14, my mom showed me a PBS documentary of the Harlem Renaissance that completely changed my life. It was like a seed was planted when I saw all these artists (Musicians, Writers, Visual artists, Singers, Dancers) that looked like me all coming together celebrating each other, supporting each other's art and building an amazing community that became legendary. From that moment, I knew I wanted to be an artist and be a part of a community like that. That has always been a motivation for me. To celebrate community and collaborate with artists and communities whenever I can.
Art has the power to connect people from all walks of life. Across cultures, languages and religions. To me art has always been a us over me pursuit. I believe wholeheartedly in the importance of collaboration between creatives. The inspiration that can come from blending styles is immense.
Community and the collective is such a key part of my artistic practice. I feel that art is therapy. Not only for the artist but also for those who see the art. I always think of young people that may see my work and I want it to inspire them to dream big and see words that resonate with them. I want to immerse myself in the local community and collaborate through workshops with the public.
Artlife.
bryant terry is a multidisciplinary artist, James Beard Award-winning chef, publisher, and author of six books. he has been a tireless activist for food justice for close to three decades. From 2015 to 2022, he served as the inaugural Chef-in-Residence at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco, where he curated innovative public programming blending food, farming, health, activism, art, and culture.
terry is currently pursuing a degree in the MFA Program in Art at UC Berkeley. His studio practice investigates cycles of resilience, transformation, and liberation through an interdisciplinary approach that bridges cooking, sculpture, sound, mixed media, video, and social practice. At its core is an exploration of how art can catalyze individual and collective change while reckoning with historical legacies and systemic challenges.
By blending conceptual rigor with material experimentation, he creates work that interrogates power structures, fosters dialogue, and imagines futures of shared empowerment and renewal.
terry has spoken at, exhibited his work at, and collaborated with institutions including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, The Hammer Museum, The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Stanford d.school, Birmingham Museum of Art, The Museum of the African Diaspora, The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, and Worth.