African Voices magazine will host an opening exhibition for Brooklyn artist Watson Mere and a launch celebration for its special issue honoring the art and activism of Harry Belafonte on Saturday, July 26, 2025. The event, titled LINEAGE, will take place at the gallery located at 325 Lafayette Ave, C.F. Suite, and is free and open to the public. Donations are welcomed.
Mere's art graces the front cover of the Summer/Fall 2025 issue. The afternoon will feature contributions from writers and poets, including Gia Anasi-Shakur, who will share her work. Publisher Carolyn A. Butts stated, "We're proud to showcase Watson Mere's art and celebrate the legacy of actor and activist Harry Belafonte whose film 'Beat Street' helped defined New York City as the capital of Hip Hop culture and art. He was one of the first 'Artvists' who leveraged his influence as a world-class actor to fight for justice during the Civil Rights era." The issue, guest edited by award-winning poet Keisha-Gaye Anderson, is described as timely amid ongoing struggles to preserve cultural institutions and access to jobs, education, and affordable housing.
African Voices is celebrating 33 years of publishing art and literature by artists of color. The event also serves as a fundraiser after the magazine was defunded by the National Endowment for the Arts. African Voices is encouraging supporters to make donations and become members. Spelman College, one of the nation's oldest HBCUs, is archiving the organization's art collection, making it accessible for future generations. Past front cover artists include Faith Ringgold, Verna Hart, Patrick Dougher, and Elizabeth Catlett.
Mere was commissioned to design the cover for the Belafonte issue. He described the portrait: "This portrait of Harry Belafonte honors him in his regality, while capturing the depth, compassion and intensity of his unmistakable gaze. The stars surrounding him symbolize his presence in the ancestral realm, ever-watchful and guiding, just as he did in life." Limited copies of the digital issue will be available, and the issue will be released in August. RSVP is available through the African Voices website.
Watson Mere is an award-winning visual and performance artist whose work has been shown at venues including the Barclays Center, Venice Art Gallery, and The Africa Center. His awards include the 2024 Artist in Residence for the Haiti Cultural Exchange and the 2018 Citation of Honor from the District Attorney of Kings County. Guest editor Keisha-Gaye Anderson is a Jamaican-born poet and author of collections including 'Gathering the Waters' and 'A Spell for Living,' which received Editors' Choice recognition.
African Voices is supported by Council members Farah Louis and Crystal Hudson, the New York State Council on the Arts, NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs, and private donors. The organization also sponsors the Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series, the first Oscar-qualifying film festival for women of color. Gallery hours are Tuesdays 11 am to 6 pm, Thursdays 1 pm to 7 pm, and Fridays 1 pm to 7 pm. Appointments can be made by calling 212-865-2982.
