Artist(s) bright touch

Artists’ bright touch

By Ciera Campbell, FAMU Intern

      The Urban League of Broward County (ULBC) held an art gallery exhibition July 28, entitled “Save Our Cities”. The  exhibition was a brain child of nationally known artist Cey Adams, founding creative director of Russell Simmons Def Jam Records. Additionally, Ed King, award winning neo-pop artist, presented his artwork.

National Urban League (NUL) President, Marc Morial, welcomed the audience to the art gallery and encouraged the importance of human creativity.

“Let me say how important it is to empower communities and Save our Cities through art. This is a gallery opening and my dream is that every child is exposed to art,” states NUL President Marc Morial.

Ed King has won awards since 2003 for his dynamic display of neo-pop artistry. King embraced the motto of the Urban League, which is to empower the community. His works reaches out to clients all over the world. He uses vivid color and lines his work in black, which catches the eyes of on-lookers. His well known stitching has won over people, around the country.

“I like to see smiles upon people’s faces and to see joy, pure joy, coming from people. There is a thrill from working on a body of art for years and years, exploring imagination and just to arrive to a movement and someone sees your work and says, ‘I have to have it.’

The Urban League turned art gallery displayed conjoined work from Adams, King and the selected young local emerging artists Vanessa Philpot, 16 and Margeaux Philpot, 15.

“Working with Ed and Cey was amazing if I could do it all over again, I would. We contributed to the mural of the Urban League symbol, it was “awesome” states Marceau Philpot.

Philpot continues, “The mural represented a feeling or emotion. [Cey] He states when people are happy they do movements. So in this painting we used many movements. I love painting and for me I use art as an outlet.”

Germaine Smith-Baugh, Ed.D., ULBC president and CEO, expressed how critical it is to have an artistic touch on the ULBC building.

“When we built the center we had a desire to make art a part of the center, we wanted art to be seen as an aspect as Saving our Cities. “

The Urban League mural crafted by Adams, King and local emerging artists is now on exhibition position at the ULBC.