Visual Artists

Take a visit to the Congo Square Art Pavilion, produced by the African American Museum of Philadelphia, while you’re in the heart of the West Oak Lane Jazz & Arts Festival. We are featuring a talented mix of artists with unique backgrounds & intriguing stories to tell.

Bring the family to participate in craft workshops, and other interactive activities led by these groundbreaking artists.

Michelle Angela Ortiz: 2010 Featured Visual Artist

Michelle Angela Ortiz is a mixed-media artist that believes in the constant journey of self-reflection and the connections that exist among family and society. Her household flourished with her Latin American and Caribbean cultures and these issues of identity evolve in her work. She focuses on the importance of time and existence and the connections it has to spirituality and community. Ortiz has designed and created over 30 large scale public works nationally and internationally (Ecuador & Costa Rica) displaying her talents as a skilled muralist. Her studio does not fall behind, she is a recent recipient of the Leeway Foundation Art & Change grant and she has exhibited her paintings and prints in numerous galleries such as: The Painted Bride, Fox Gallery & The Kelly Writer's House (University of Pennsylvania), Stedman Gallery (Rutgers University), Goldey Paley Gallery (Moore College), Lorenzo Homar Gallery (Taller Puertorriqueño), Art Forms Gallery, Community College & City Hall of Philadelphia, Permanent and private collections abroad such as Galeria Tonatzin (San Juan Bautista, CA) and Xicanoindio Gallery (Mesa, AZ). Besides producing her studio work, Ortiz is also involved a multi-disciplinary artist collective called "LAS GALLAS". For over eight years she has been an active educator in using the arts as a tool for communication to bridge communities. Ortiz has worked with various nonprofit organizations such as Taller Puertorriqueño, Network Arts, Mural Arts Program, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Art for Change, The Village of Arts and Humanities, AMLA, The Please Touch Museum, Raices Culturales Latinoamericanas and Fleisher Art Memorial. Learn more about our 2010 featured visual artist at www.michelleangela.com.

Frenchy: New Orleans' own Visual Artist

Creativity. Passion. Energy. Flair.
Those are just a few of the many words that spring to mind when describing the brush strokes that come from the palette of world-renowned artist Frenchy. Of course those words also fit Frenchy’s vibrant personality, which makes sense, because that persona is reflected in every piece of work the artist creates.

Who is Frenchy?
Born to a boxer and a saint on August 16th, 1970 , in the industrial New England town of Lowell , Mass. , Randy Leo Frechette -– a.k.a. Frenchy –- has been drawing since he could grip a pencil. In grade school he impressed friends with caricatures of teachers and classmates, but he did not realize his true calling until The Boston Horns approached him in Orlando and persuaded him to paint their performance live.
From that point forward, Frenchy has led a colorful and dynamic ride with stops at concert venues and sports stadiums all over the globe. Based in the talent-rich city of New Orleans , Frenchy is an ambassador to the arts and a bastion of creativity.

His presence fills venues both large and small with an explosion of creative spirit. Frenchy captivates onlookers with his artistry in motion –- painting events in real-time as they unfold before him. His performance is captivating and its end-result is awe-inspiring.

Since 1997, Frenchy has called New Orleans his home and his muse. The vibrant local music scene pushes the artist’s creativity and expressiveness to new limits. And he has branched out further by tapping into the city’s sporting events -– ranging from weekly Saints game as the “official team artist” to Super Bowls and NCAA Championships. During Mardi Gras season he can be seen marching in parades, painting onto to canvas while other toss beads.

He is as “ New Orleans ” as red beans and rice on Monday, yet he doesn’t limit himself to the Crescent City . Frenchy aggressively tours the country, painting events in order to quench his creative thirst. He hits music festivals and sporting events across the globe, while also pausing for commissions and studio pieces. All the while he bounces along with a care-free step and creative smile.

Visit Frenchy's web-site at www.frenchylive.com / http://www.facebook.com/l/91a5d / www.kingofoakstreet.com

Brenda Scott

Bernard Collins

Mlanjeni
Magic, music, comedy and puppetry are all part of the Mlanjeni Magical Theatre experience. Join Mlanjeni and the Amazing Mr Q. for a fun presentation of songs, stories, sleight of hand and—of course—balloon animals!

Martina Johnson-Allen
Born in 1947 in Philadelphia, Martina Johnson-Allen received her BA in Elementary Education at The Pennsylvania State University and her MFA in Art Education with an emphasis in Printmaking at The University of the Arts. She also received training at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University and the Abington Art Center, all in Pennsylvania. She attended master classes in bookbinding at The Center for The Book Arts in New York.

Martina Johnson-Allen has exhibited her prints, artist books, box constructions, graphite drawings, soft sculptures and mixed media three dimensional assemblages and dress facades in many U. S. shows, including at The African American Museum in Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the Renwick and National Museum of American Art, both of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

Ms Johnson has conducted workshops and art residencies in book and box construction in museum and school settings. Her everlasting motto is: Teach Artfully!

Michelle Ortiz

Michelle Angela Ortiz is a mixed-media artist that believes in the constant journey of self-reflection and the connections that exist among family and society. Her household flourished with her Latin American and Caribbean cultures and these issues of identity evolve in her work. She focuses on the importance of time and existence and the connections it has to spirituality and community. Ortiz has has designed and created over 30 large scale public works nationally and internationally (Ecuador & Costa Rica) displaying her talents as a skilled muralist.

Leroy Johnson
Leroy Johnson’s work is an exploration of African-American vernacular art and modernism using found objects, clay, and mixed media.

He is inspired and provoked by the life experience and cultural tradition of African-Americans. His pieces are both map and metaphor for the urban landscape and the scope of the unconscious.

In his art, Leroy attempts to express not only aesthetic issues, but social, moral, and spiritual ones as well. His influences are many; the ceramic, tradition, naïve art, cubism, collage, combine painting, improvisational jazz, and blues music.

Leroy’s work is concerned with life and existence in the inner city. He notes and is impressed by the makeshift shelters he comes across in the urban environment; temporary shelters made of cardboard, tin, and/or wood, made by people without tools or homes, structures shaped by necessity, with available tools and improvisation.

Stephanie “Amma” Young

Amma is a talented arts and crafts instructor, traditional African and Colonial-era dance instructor and performer, and historic costume designer. She will teach the art of making New Orleans-inspired festive masks.