Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning has announced the opening of You Feel Me?, the second exhibition in its three-year initiative, Visual Voices, focused on BIPOC curators.

Conceived and curated by Queens-based artist Juliet James, the exhibition will open in the Miller and Community galleries at JCAL (161-04 Jamaica Avenue) on Saturday, September 16th, with a 5pm opening reception that is free to the public. Featuring 25 emerging and established contemporary artists—mostly Queens-based, predominantly BIPOC—You Feel Me? will remain on view until Saturday, November 4th.

The theme of You Feel Me? is artwork that can be explored through touch. The work will move beyond the canvas, adding dimension to the visual experience. You Feel Me? follows the much-celebrated inaugural Visual Voices exhibition Free Your Mind, curated by Shenna Vaughn.

Participating Artists

Allison Esannason, Amari Hines, Andrea Gordon, Buki Mariam, Carlos Vargas, China Lamont, Christine Sloan Stoddard, Delali Haligah, Hyunju Kim, Eirené Arholekas, Janetta Williams, Jennifer Wade, Jocelyn Lewis, Juliana Castaneda, Lee Jensen, Lenore Solmo, Maya Nicole, Pia Love, Sadieann Bassaragh, Samantha Felix, Shanice Figeroux, SIRA, DARKRECONSTRUCTION, TEDF, Traci Johnson

About the Curator

Juliet James is a self-taught artist and curator based in Queens. She began drawing around the age of four and has explored different media, from colored pencils to pastels to watercolors. In 2016, Juliet began to delve into acrylic painting, now her main focus. While experimenting with various styles, Juliet creates for the preservation of Black culture and Black love in its many forms, whether it be romantic, familial, sisterhood, or self. Her inspiration is drawn and painted from the relationships around her as she incorporates them into classic, modern, and abstract scenes. In 2021, Juliet began working at Allure Art Studio in Hollis, Queens, where she has since curated nine art showcases.

About Visual Voices

The five members of the Visual Voices cohort (Adrian Bermeo, Wanda Best, Seema Shakti Choudhary, Juliet James, Shenna Vaughn) were selected through a competitive application process. They receive three years of fiscal, strategic and institutional support from JCAL to propose and mount exhibitions in its galleries and partner spaces across Queens, exploring themes that reflect the BIIPOC (Black, Immigrant, Indigenous, People of Color) experience. As part of their work, the cohort cultivates and elevates emerging artistic talent, designs open calls, produces artist talks, collaborates with local collectives, and runs arts workshops and demonstrations in connection with each exhibition.