Featured Artists!
Part of our mission at the Collective is to use our platform to elevate the voices of those who have been marginalized in our society. We are currently working with local artists in the BIPOC community to help bring awareness to the amazing work they create! If you are or know someone who would like to display in our clinic, please feel free to drop us an email at info@whcollective.com
Our featured artist is Maya James!
My name is Maya Sophia Ananda James, a multidisciplinary social practice multimedia artist, graphic novelist, author, writer, arts educator, journalist, and recipient of the Vanguard Award in ArtPrize 2023. My work thrives in collaboration with communities and organizations serving undervalued groups, including but not limited to black women and black LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Art is the weapon of choice in my family against white supremacy. In 1955, the Snoddy family fled Texas in the dead of night, eventually settling in sunny Los Angeles. After our family was driven off our land and out of the state, my father found freedom within his dream to escape a lot of the evils of Jim Crow. Breaking barriers, my dad became the first in his family to attend college, earning a master's degree in Fine Arts and becoming one of the most prolific black artists of his time. While he resisted being categorized as a "black" artist, I embrace the responsibility of claiming our identity as "black" artists. It may be hard to understand to many people around the world why someone who looks like me might claim blackness as their identity, but my father was not the last in our family to experience racial violence in the backwoods of rural America. My nuance is that I am a byproduct of the unpleasant intersections that the children of our world sometimes represent or result from. My work is dedicated to portraying the resilience of black people and creating art that challenges harmful assumptions through untold stories that are essential for our future.
My career started in journalism while pursuing a Political Science degree when I was a teenager in college, the pivotal moment occurring at a Collegiate Associated Press Conference with my community college newspaper, where I pitched an idea to YR media despite their initial lack of interest. This led to my first work as a youth correspondent, mainly focusing on controversial subjects, race relations, and racist violence in northern Michigan. My writings were featured in the New York Times Race/Related Column, USA Today, USA Today College, and on the YR Media.
Responses to my literary work stimulated my decision to leave my predominantly white hometown which was a source of trauma which led me to pursue a career in art centered around black femme identity. Becoming a full-time artist required significant sacrifice, especially because it was less traditional compared to my father's experiences in the '60s and '70s in his burgeoning art career. With the publication of "LUKUMI," I became the first black woman to participate in the National Arab American Museum Artist Residency at the City Hall ArtSpace Lofts, housed in the same city hall that once hosted the reign of segregationist Orville L. Hubbard.
My artistic pursuits go hand in hand with my commitment to community engagement and social justice. My work is based in strategic social practice initiatives such as “Come As You Are,” an upscale art auction celebrating black LGBTQIA+ leaders. This event was not just about art but also a way to support the community, with half of the funds raised donated to Legacy House, an LGBTQIA+ youth housing facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan, run by Outfront Kalamazoo. My dedication is to make a positive impact and support marginalized voices through both art and action.
WEBSITE: https://mayamjjames.weebly.com/
Our featured artist is Robyn Elaine King!
My paintings are right at the intersection of landscape and abstract. My emotions rule my hand when I paint. I love doing the pour method that lets you create something so unexpected and beautiful. I also love to paint beautiful scenery that makes you feel as if you are stepping right into the painting and on the beach.
Most of my life was working in the medical administration field and I never knew that I could paint and create beautiful pictures. I was recuperating from a debilitating illness when I discovered this new talent. It appears that sometimes you must be still to realize the gift God has given you. One day I decided I wanted to do something with my granddaughter and decided to pick up some canvas and paints. We sat and painted for hours, and it brought me so much joy and contentment that I haven’t put the paintbrush down since that day. So now at the age of 56, I have found what I love to do in life.
I want to create visual plains with geometric shapes, colorful paints, gold, and silver leaf, and even scrapbook paper in my paintings. Whatever it takes to bring that painting to life. I use real white sand and paint to make my white beaches. It gives the painting a more organic feeling. I hope that my painting brings you as much joy as it does me and can bring a smile to your face.
Our featured artist is Reyna Garcia!
Reyna is specializing in art that expresses deep passion, with a focus on the causes of those under-represented, using art to represent the needs and the plight of Latinos and immigrants, both through the art itself and also through the forums through which her art allows her to speak and give voice to those causes.
WEBSITE: Reyna Garcia (reynasgallery.com)
EMAIL: reynasgallery@gmail.com
FACEBOOK: @reynasgallery
Our featured artist is Carly Van Eck!
Carly Van Eck is a creative, colorful abstract acrylic artist based in Grandville, MI. Although she always thought of herself as artistic, she didn’t really plan on having an art business until 2014. After finishing grad school for a social work degree, chronic illness made it difficult for her to work a “normal” job, so she pivoted toward artwork. Although she felt discouraged by her health and its interference with her professional goals, she found peace in creating. She started out doing a variety of crafts and home décor, but has since focused solely on her abstract painting. She uses a lot of bright colors and detailed brush strokes. Her goal is to express joy through color and painting to inspire others during times when it can be difficult to feel joyful. She finds happiness in color and hopes that is reflected in her artwork!
WEBSITE: www.carlyvaneckart.com
SOCIAL MEDIA: @carlyvaneckart
Our featured artist is Esmerelda Perez!
Esmerelda Perez is a brilliant and talented artist whose work heavily features her Mexican heritage and draws on themes of women empowerment, goddesses, education, and the history of the Latinx community in Michigan. We are so grateful to her for her thoughtfulness in her work and for taking the time to educate us.
EMAIL: lamichicana@gmail.com
Our featured artist is Megan Childress!
Megan is currently a college student working on finishing her degree at Southern Oregon University. Living in Oregon for the past 5 years has inspired so much of her landscape work. She moved there from Michigan when she was 17 to chase her dreams of being a photographer. Nature is her muse and largest source of creativity; She hopes to inspire others to get outdoors more and appreciate the magic of everyday life and the beauty of the natural world. Nature is where she feels the most connected, it provides balance to the busy modern world. She believes there is something special about freezing a moment in time and transporting the viewer to that space and emotion. Her work will be displayed permanently in some of our exam rooms. Here is how you can contact her if you would like to purchase one of her pieces:
WEBSITE: https://www.megswonderland.com/
CONTACT FORM: https://www.megswonderland.com/contact
Our featured artist is Angelea Torralva!
Angelea Torralva is a self taught artist consisting of many different styles and techniques. Angelea’s art started with painting portraits of famous musicians and selling them to her friends right after high school in 2008. Her style then evolved into a more geometric and psychedelic feel, painting live at concerts and festivals. She has also dabbled into body painting and has competed in a few competitions. Angelea has been drawn to the arts since she was a young child and has been learning throughout her life using videos, practice and experiments with different mediums. Her inspiration is drawn from her Native American, Mexican, and Spanish roots along with nature, music, life experience, and also mental illness. Angelea’s most recent collection of pieces is based on flow and feeling verses planning and thinking. Angelea was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) roughly two years ago and has used her struggle and healing process as a tool for her art. Her most recent collection is a reflection of her healing process, as art is a very important and therapeutic outlet in Angelea’s life. Angelea is a mother of two and aspires to be a stay at home mom while making a living creating beautiful art. Here is how you can contact her to inquire or purchase any of her pieces:
FACEBOOK: Angelea Torralva -Live Artist (type in search bar)
EMAIL: Cosmiccolorsbyang@gmail.com
PHONE: 616-581-5282
