Two people, a man and a woman, wearing headphones, looking at a black exhibit with small screens in an indoor gallery or exhibit space. The woman is holding a cup and drinking.

artworks

A six-month fellowship focused on career sustainability for emerging, underrepresented visual artists in New York City.

ARTWorks Fellows receive practical knowledge to navigate the aesthetic and socioeconomic complexities and substructures of the New York art world. Through fiscal and technical support, Fellows develop a creative vision and practice, expand their professional network through in-person meetings with art world luminaries, gain knowledge from lectures on diverse topics related to their field, and exhibit their work in the Community and Miller galleries at JCAL. Fellows are also regularly mentored by an appointed “master artist,” whose experience and insight will provide guidance to the cohort.

Group of nine diverse individuals posing on a stage with black background, some seated and some standing, in casual attire.

PROGRAM MANAGER

Sherwin Banfield

A Queens, NY based mixed-media artist with recent work attempting to explore journeys of identity and ancestry, Sherwin's creative practice tends to deconstruct the imaginative and physical journey of identity within his preferred subject matter, the human experience. While exploring the journey of his subject, he seeks to draw a connection between their personal stories and established culture, frequently imposing mythological and imaginative ideas as accessories within his sculptures. His portrait busts and figurative works are expressions of mood meant to draw out the inner identity of his subjects. Accompanying each sculptured identity are accessories of light, sound and/or cultural references that hyper realize this identity to complement the organic design of their facial, skull and anatomical structure. The goal is to create a projection of attitude, aura and lived experience within his sculpted figures.

A man with dark skin, a beard, and wearing a baseball cap backwards, a denim jacket, and black pants, sitting with his legs crossed against a black background.

ARTWorks represents a sample of why JCAL continues to be relevant and critical in our beautiful Jamaica Queens. It alerts, invites, and introduces potential to grow roots and provide shade through the worst and best of times.

Artistic Director Courtney Ffrench