This fair in Miami’s Overtown challenged its artists to present art that promotes humanity
The vibrant colors pop on Solomon Adufah’s paintings.
In one painting, there are four children dressed in outfits in bold primary colors with two wearing sunglasses. In another, a mother wearing a crimson dress with white polka dots holds her daughter.
The scenes are set in Adufah’s native Accra, Ghana, depicting people outside of church congregating in their Sunday best and taking pictures with family and friends – something he’s experienced in Ghana and has seen in Chicago, where he now lives.
“I wanted to kind of like highlight and project that as a form of a space in which people of color are able to be in a state of rest and as they are being themselves, having to form community with themselves, and that’s kind of like what the series sparked from, and what it evolved around,” Adufah told the Miami Herald.
Adufah, whose series is called Sunday Funday, is one of several featured artists during the Hampton Art Lovers Point Comfort Fair at Historic Ward Rooming House and Gardens. This year’s festivities feature a plethora of artists, musical events and panel discussions.
This year’s theme, “Ubuntu: I Am Because We Are,” focuses on humanity. Hampton Art Lovers co-founder Chris Norwood said the theme is in part out of his concern for the increase in hate crimes in the United States in 2023, according to the FBI. Norwood said he felt it best to counter those narratives is by reflecting on humanity within the African diaspora.
“I wanted this to be our theme, to invite our artists to reflect their art that promotes humanity,” Norwood said. “I believe that when you reflect these things in your own culture, these are universal themes that all people can appreciate and understand. So we’re hoping that this philosophy sort of shines through the art that we display. It shines through the programming that we have. We have several installations that I think will reflect this.”
One such piece is photographer Greg Clark’s One Night Stand series which features photos of performers and headliners who performed at famed nightclubs in Overtown such as The Knight Beat and the Harlem Square Club, where Sam Cooke recorded his infamous live album, Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963, a year before his death. The live album was intended to be released as One Night Stand but was shelved by his label shortly after he recorded it after they deemed it too gritty. The album was eventually released in 1985.
Clark began the project twelve years ago originally a part of a series called I Played Here with the Overtown Music Project and includes singer Bobby Stringer and saxophonist George Lane. Clark hopes that people think more about Miami’s Black musical legacy after viewing the exhibit.
“I didn’t even realize, initially, that there was such a rich and important black music history in this town, and how many really important artists came out of this town,” Clark said. ”I hope that when you see these pictures, you ask questions and you want to learn more and understand this history.”
Norwood echoed those sentiments, adding that Overtown has a musical legacy and it wasn’t by coincidence that Cooke chose to do this historic live album in Overtown.”
“We wanted to showcase that. We talk a lot about the clubs, the nightclubs, the bars, the things in Overtown. We talk a lot about it, but most people don’t know the specifics,” Norwood said.
Norwood also hopes this year’s events provide a bit of levity for Black Americans attending this year’s fair.
“We try to create an experience. When you come to our fair, it is not just about art. It’s not just about having a good time,” Norwood said. “We have a series of talks to express the cultural aesthetics that we believe are important for us to talk about. Culture is a currency that we want to harness for the benefit of our community.”
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Hampton Art Lovers Point Comfort Fair
WHEN: Dec. 5-8
WHERE: Historic Ward Rooming House and Gardens, 249 NW Ninth St, Miami, FL 33136
PRICE: Free
INFO: https://www.hamptonartlovers.com/
