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Hello everyone,
I would like to thank you for your support and attendance. The Atlanta and Friends Fine Art Exhibition was a great opportunity for us to experience the power of intention.
Building a cultural movement requires vision, resources, skills, and a great team to move the needle forward. When we decide to be intentional about building an arts community that is focused on helping artists thrive and not just exist, then we will see positive changes within our community.
For those of you who purchased art, we greatly appreciate it. Like we said during our introduction, gallery owners and artists have to shoulder all of the front-end expenses to produce these exhibitions. Your support is needed on all levels.
Please feel free to share your personal photos and use our hashtag, #ATLANTAFAE. Gaining organic digital traction is important to our movement as well. If you would like to learn more about how you can partner with us to bring #ATLANTAFAE to your community, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We are enough, and we are looking forward to hosting you in North Charleston for The Global Art Fair. More details are coming soon.
Rushia Brown
Executive Director of PR
TheAtlantaExhibition.com
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PART 2
The Atlanta Fine Art Exhibition held its opening reception on January 28 at the Emma Darnell Museum and Conference Center in partnership with Fulton County. The exhibit will be open to the public until February 25 to display and sell the artwork created by 44 incredibly gifted artists.
The opening night of the Atlanta Fine Art Exhibition was an absolute success. The Executive Digital Director of NobleSol Art Group, Johnny Clarkson, gave an opening speech that set the tone for the night. Clarkson shared his sentiments on the importance of the Atlanta Fine Art Exhibition and financially supporting the artists and their work.
“The language of art can solve so many things in our world. But artists have to survive. We don’t tell football players to tackle players for free. We don't tell basketball players to shoot three-pointers for free. We don’t tell boxers to get punched in the face for free. But we expect artists to deliver gripping, shattering, emotional work every time they create it, out of their pockets with no idea of when they will recoup [their funds].” Clarkson continued his speech about why NobleSol Art Group has been so successful in the creative arts industry for the last 27 years.
“[NobleSol Art Group] came into this industry to crush, recreate, and bring a new. That’s what we’ve done with the Okeeba Jubalo Fine Art Gallery and with the Atlanta & Friends Fine Art Exhibition,” Clarkson said. “Our artists are put on stage to produce a profit so that they can continue to make the art that speaks to the world and so that the conversation can change things, whether political, economical, or just within their community.”
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As guests continued to pour into the gallery, the entrance was like a revolving doorway, as people came in non-stop, ready for the most anticipated event of 2023.
Everyone received the celebrity treatment as NobleSol Art Group rolled out the red carpet for people to capture their photos and post them on their social media pages. An event of luxury, there was wine, light refreshments, and jazz playing in the background as everyone meticulously observed the art.
In an effort to patronize Black-owned businesses and support Black creatives purposefully ahead of Black History Month, NobleSol Art Group and Fulton County Arts Center hand-picked Black-owned wine vendor, Geselle Wine, to serve the drinks while guests mingled.
The seventh installment of the Atlanta Fine Art Exhibition was officially underway, and spectators and artists were blown away by the carefully constructed installation art by the NobleSol Art Group team and Tisha Smith.
The Atlanta Fine Art Exhibition founder and curator, Okeeba Jubalo, worked tirelessly to ensure every art piece received shine and equal recognition. Guest curator and Fulton County Arts and Culture employee Tisha Smith represented in full Fulton County fashion.
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Among the featured artists at the exhibit was Charleston native Aleena Feaster, who stared proudly at her artwork and new personal achievement: stepping out of her comfort zone and walking confidently in her artistry.
“This is an opportunity to explore and tap into my creativity, and I thank Okeeba for pushing me into this space because I wouldn’t have done it last year,” Feaster said. “So I am very excited that he asked me to join the exhibit.”
Midway through the event, Jubalo and Smith addressed the crowd with their testimonies. They discussed the impact of art on their lives and those around them and why it’s paramount for artists to be acknowledged for their hard work.
With all the exhibited artists standing to Jubalo’s left and right side, he explained to an overflowing audience that stretched beyond the gallery doors why artists must come together to help one another thrive collectively.
“So what we have right here is a sample of what Atlanta and Charleston have to offer. So imagine this and multiply it by ten,” Jubalo said about the featured artists.
“Everyone is familiar with our value, right? We are familiar with the idea that we are always on the outskirts, right? But guess what's going to happen? We are going to have our own Art Basel, and we will be in the center. Everyone will be included, but we will be in the center in North Charleston.” Jubalo said, which started a rippled applause from the crowd as people recorded and photographed him speaking.
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“I am going to be reliving this night for the rest of my life. I mean, just to exist and be in a room full of creatives and their creations fed my soul,” said Charleston Ambassador Stephanie Hale. “Moments like these are what I live for! Moments where you know you are in the right place at the right time.”
Social media was in a frenzy on the evening of the opening reception as spectators and art buyers made sure to tell their friends and family about their experience at the event in real-time.
Charleston Ambassador and successful business owner, Toi Crawford, live-streamed the exhibit on her Facebook account to show her followers “what they were missing.” While filming in the gallery, one buyer stopped Crawford to find out how they could purchase an art piece.
Many of the Facebook comments that Crawford received were from people who were upset they missed such a fantastic event and those who couldn’t wait for NobleSol Art Group to announce the date and location for The Global Art Fair in 2024.
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Along with the top-notch artwork being displayed, there was also a feature film trailer titled, A Tree Story – Gullah/Geechee Roots and Resilience. The film is produced by Tony Bell, who is
also the cinematographer and colorist. His colleague, Jessica Marcy, also co-produced, wrote, and directed the film.
“This film was the brainchild of my co-producer, Jessica Marcy, who also directed the film,” said Bell, who spoke highly of his co-producer. “Initially, I was hired as a cinematographer. We discovered that we had chemistry between us and worked well together and eventually decided to partner and complete [the film] together.”
A Tree Story – Gullah/Geechee Roots and Resilience is about the indigenous people of Johns Island, eminently known as the Gullah Geechee people, and how they are being impacted by overdevelopment and gentrification. The film also highlights the importance of the Angel Oak Tree for Charleston residents and showcases the preservation efforts of the tree.
A native of Charleston, South Carolina, and owner of Bell Digital Media, Bell expressed his gratitude for being selected as the first featured filmmaker at the Atlanta Fine Art Exhibition.
“It’s awesome to be invited to come here. Anything that Okeeba Jubalo touches turns to gold, as we all know. It’s great just to be affiliated with the group,” Bell said in reference to working with NobleSol Art Group. “When they (NobleSol Art Group) do something, they do it right; they don’t half-step. So, it’s an honor to be included in this.”
“This is a new film, which only premiered in Charleston last November. It’s interesting to be able to gauge a different audience and to see how people respond to it,” Bell said about previewing his film in Atlanta, Georgia, for the first time. “It’s definitely a low-country story about Charleston and the surrounding areas. But it seems to have gotten a positive reception in Atlanta as well.”
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For those new to the art world, the opening reception allowed them to have an intimate one-on-one chat with the artists. The event was laden with significance as guests admired the creativity between the two adjacent gallery rooms.
“This evening has been absolutely amazing in support of the artists and culture and the movement, and to see so many people come out and support the Atlanta Fine Art Exhibition, it's been such a heartwarming success,” said Rushia Brown, the Executive Director of Public Relations for NobleSol Art Group and retired WNBA player as she soaked in every moment of the event. “You see so many people enjoying the evening, and you see the pieces fly off the wall, the energy in the room, and the pride in the artists.”
One of the key players on the leadership team, Brown, has rolled up her sleeves countless times to do the hard work to get the Atlanta Fine Art Exhibition to where it is today.
“For me to be on this leadership team gives me an opportunity to be a part of the success and a part of the movement and impacting lives,” said Brown, in awe of the many attendees and
first-time featured artists who shared their experiences about the event with her. “So that people can see that they have an opportunity to do something special as far as the artists and the
people patronizing the arts to understand their means of giving back and contributing to the artists.”
Atlanta Ambassador, founder, and community partner of From Afros to Shelltoes, Dr. Ed Garnes, has known Okeeba Jubalo for over 20 years. Dr. Garnes is a featured guest on Okeeba Jubalo’s relationship podcast, Roses & Brass Knuckles Podcast, where he discussed Black men and mental health. Additionally, Dr. Garnes is the hosting producer of the Reclamation Point Podcast, where he primarily talks about Black men and mental health, including the current political and social climate.
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I have to give all the praise to my mother. I grew up with visual art. My mother was friends with visual artists like Tom Feelings, Jerry Pinkney, and also one of my mentors Amiri Baraka who I had the chance to open for, said, ‘Walls have to speak.’ We get our energy from the art; it feeds our souls and heals our spirits,” said Dr. Garnes. “So when Okeeba asked me to be an ambassador, it was a natural yes for me because I understand our liberation is tied to our cultural productions.”
Dr. Garnes is cognizant of how artists have been stifled in the past regarding compensation for their creative pieces. As an Atlanta Ambassador for the Atlanta Fine Art Exhibition, Dr. Garnes wants to ensure that artists are equitably paid for their work.
“It is important for people to support artists financially because they have given so much to us. As Okeeba often talks about, fine art and visual art are one of the few disciplines where they give it to us for free, hoping that we pay. I think when you invest in artists, you are actually investing in yourself,” said Dr. Garnes. “So the model of the Okeeba Jubalo Fine Art Gallery is to really promote the fine arts that Black people do. It’s like for us by us art. It’s important to support financially because you wouldn’t go to a department store and get your eggs and bananas without paying. We have to change the expectation that artists deserve compensation. So in this model, it's all about financial viability to artists who have given so much to us.”
Jubalo is shifting the narrative for all artists across the globe. Individuals and businesses who have partnered with him on other projects understand his business mindset and no-frills attitude when it comes to artists being treated fairly financially.
The opening reception showed that influential leaders, big-league businesses, and the Charleston community fully support Jubalo, his NobleSol Art Group team, and the featured artists.
The attendees were wall-to-wall, and the rooms were filled with artists, buyers, collectors, and art enthusiasts. Numerous art collectors travel nationwide to attend the yearly Atlanta Fine Art Exhibition because they look forward to purchasing captivating pieces and making them collector’s items.
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“I went to Atlanta with the mind to go support my sister Stephanie Hale and Okeeba Jubalo in the Atlanta Fine Art Exhibition, which was beyond words! The experience I had made me long for more,” said Charleston icon Ashley Hale. “What I did not expect was an art piece in the exhibit of myself from the Gladys Knight tribute by Katrina Crawford and Okeeba Jubalo. I am blown away!”
As art continues to be a vessel for inspiration for many, the Atlanta Fine Art Exhibition will forever be of significance to attend each year. The high-caliber artwork, the ethically sound curators, and the networking opportunities make the Atlanta Fine Art Exhibition second to none.
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