Come experience the birthplace of Brazil and you will go home with more than just a tan!
Diga Brazil delivers a fun, safe, authentic Brazilian vacation using Bed and Breakfast style accommodations.
Carnaval 2009, February 19th – 24th,
Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, Calendar of Events
Calendar of Events
Classes & Seminars
Art classes, health product seminars, Portuguese & Capoeira classes, Samba & more.
Ella Joyce performs Rosa Parks at Expo 23. October Gallery Art Expo
“A ROSE AMONG THORNS”
was presented by the
Rosa Parks Museum with Troy University Â
on the beautiful and  prestigious  Alabama Shakespeare Festival Stage (ASF)
in honor of Mrs. Parks’ 95th birthday on Feb. 4th, 2008.Â
*************************************************************Â Â
Nominated by NAACP !! (Los Angeles-Hollywood Branch)
Over 70 Performances delivered since Feb. 4, 2007 !
This play has Traveled to over 28 cities…
” …thoroughly fantastic, energetic and powerful.Â
It is like sitting and watching Rosa Parks…”
–Vice Mayor Carlton B. Moore, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
“Joyce Channels Rosa Parks…” The Chronicle, Winston-Salem NBTFÂ
” ‘A Rose Among Thorns’ is a well-crafted play on Rosa Parks“.
        –Jack Zink, South Florida Sun-Sentinel (1/23/08)
More REVIEWSÂ :
“…It becomes hard to remember that it is Joyce, not Parks,
who is holding court, educating and entertaining the audience”.
           –WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL
“Ella Joyce is spellbinding.” -Ed Bumgardner, Winston-Salem Journal
“…Joyce transformed herself completely….” Â
           –Mary E. Montoro, Los Angeles Sentinel
“refreshingly intimate. …Ella Joyce’s writing deeply echoed
the love for Rosa Parks…”                                                      Â
           –Nicole Zaza, Houston Arts
A Big THANK YOU !Â
to all  Presenters & Sponsors of   Â
“A Rose Among Thorns”
  WHERE THIS SHOW performed  (over 5 years, 28 cities):   Â
RACCA’s Seaport Salon-Richard Allen Center, Shirley Radcliffe, Imani – New York City first public ReadingÂ
Lucy Florence Cultural Center, Solo Sundays – Los Angeles, CA PreviewsÂ
The Black Academy of Arts & Letters (TBAAL)Â –Â Mr. Curtis King – Dallas, TX –Â “world premiere” !Â
Black Spectrums Theater – Mr. Carl Clay – Jamaica Queens, New York   Â
Raytheon Aerospace Corporation –Â El Segundo, CAÂ Â Â Â
Black Student Union of California –Â Burbank, CAÂ Â Â Â Â Â
Stage 52 Playhouse – Los Angeles – (nominated by  NAACP- Hollywood Branch)
Transforming Life Ministries – JB Productions – Saginaw, Michigan       Â
NATIONAL BLACK THEATER FESTIVALÂ – Winston-Salem, NCÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Communities In School (CIS) – Detroit, MIÂ Â Â Â
OMEGA PSI PHI Fraternity-Zeta Rho Chapter -Nate Holden Theater – Los Angeles, CA
THANK YOU ROSA PARKS– Dorthula Green –New Haven, CT                       Â
The Shadow Theatre Company at The Newman Center– Jeffrey Nickelson – Denver, CO  Â
St. Paul AME Church – JEBAÂ — Coconut Grove, FLÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Parkway Middle School for Performing Arts–JEBA –Â Ft. Lauderdale, FLÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Concerned African Women – JEBA– Miami Gardens, FL     Â
Lou Rawls Center-Florida Memorial University – JEBA – Miami Gardens, FL Â
JEBA – Ed Haynes & Julia Brown –  Miami, FL  (Awarded by  Concerned African Women .
OMEGA PSI PHIÂ Fraternity – LA Southwest College – Los Angeles, CAÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
The ROSA PARKS Museum, Troy University (ASF Stage) – Montgomery, AL Â
Georgette Norman – Rosa Parks Library & Museum – Montgomery, ALÂ Â Â Â
Don Williams –Â Rainbow Theater – Univ. of California Santa Cruz – Santa Cruz, CAÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
Woodie King, Jr. – Harlem School of the Arts – Harlem, NYCÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
National Black Touring Circuit in assoc. with Castillo Theatre – Harlem, NY     Â
Laces (Los Angeles School for Enriched Studies)- Black Parent Assoc. – Los Angeles, CA
BeeBe Smith Johnson & Sharmaine Grier – Los Angeles, CAÂ Â Â
Terrence Ivory-Ivory Arts — Mt. Calvary Baptist Church – Fairfield, CAÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Rust College — Prof. John House & Patricia Pegues – Holly Springs, MS     Â
Saginaw High School-Transforming Life Ministries Church –Saginaw, MI  Â
Urban Theatre Festival 2008 – JEBAÂ —Â Miami, FLÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Alabama State Council On The Arts — Barbara Edwards/Yvette Daniel – Montgomery, AL
Camden Middle School/Paramount Jr. H.S./Lowndes County Middle School – ALABAMA Â
CA Chapter Stillman College Alumni/Lula Golden-Lacy–Fairfax H.S. – Los Angeles, CA
October Gallery/23rd Philadelphia International Art Expo -Mercer Redcross – Philadelphia, PA
Ella Joyce (3rd from the right) Â at October Gallery Philadelphia International Art Expo
Dorthula Green, Thank You Rosa Parks/Hill Regional Career H.S. Auditorium-New Haven,CT Â
Cox Communications-TVOne-Fairfax County Government-Nelfred Blanding Fairfax, VAÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
Tabia African American Theatre Ensemble/Mexican Heritage Theatre-Viere Whye San Jose,CAÂ
The Houston Ensemble Theatre at The Wortham (Cullen Auditorium) – Eileen Morris Houston, TX
TCA TRavel Club – Greg Tarver Lansing, MI
A Circle Of 12 – The Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, Dr. Jan Berlin  Hollywood, CA
The Billie Holiday Theatre Ensemble Theatre-Marjorie Moon – Brooklyn, New York
The Jamaica Branch NAACP–Black Spectrum Theatre – Carl Clay Jamaica Queens, NY Â
Yale African American Affinity Group-TYRP-Dottie Green -Debbie Pierce New Haven, CT
Delta Sigma Theta Grand Rapids Alumumae, Rosa Parks Sculptor Project  Grand Rapids, MI
Muslim Journal, Galt Hotel –Â Louisville, KYÂ Â Â
JUDGE MABLEAN EPHRIAM FOUNDATION – West Angeles Christian Church –Â Los Angeles
Stage Aurora -Black Arts Festival – Jacksonville, Florida
United Methodist Church – Washington, DC
Renaissance High School – Liberty Temple Baptist Church – Detroit, MIÂ
Ice T..world famous actor and rapper receiving his award from the city of Philadelphia at Art Expo
At Expo 23 Ella Joyce, Clifton Davis, Ice T and Darrin Henson.
Center In The Park at October Gallery Art Expo 2008
Mercer A. Redcross III and Ann Northrup at Expo 2008
2008 Art Without Boundaries Show
Center in the ParkÂ’s (CIP) Annual Art Without Boundaries Show, in recognition of the CenterÂ’s 40th Anniversary this year, moved to a larger and exciting venue, the October GalleryÂ’s International Art Expo at the Liacouras Center the second weekend in November. CIP thanks the sponsors and community partners who support CIPÂ’s arts programming through participation in the annual Art Without Boundaries Show. Following scenes from the Show:
Mercer Redcross, VP, October Gallery with CIPÂ’s 2008 Art Without Boundaries Honoree, Ann Northrup, artist, muralist.
Pottery, artwork, mixed media installations created by older adults attending CIP classes.
Blacks In Media, Clifton Davis, Ice-T, Bernadette Stanis -October Gallery Expo Part. 1
Blacks In Media, Clifton Davis, Ice-T, Ralph Carter, Bernadette Stanis, Ella Joyce, Darrin Henson -October Gallery. Part One
This was part of the 23rd Annual Philadelphia International Art Expo 2008.
African American Art Expo.
Swan Auction House Gets Record Price – CHARLES WHITE “Frederick Douglass Lives Again” for client of October Gallery.
Sale 2156 Lot 26
October 7, 2008
CHARLES WHITE (1918 – 1979)
Frederick Douglass Lives Again (The Ghost of Frederick Douglass).
Pen and ink over pencil on illustration board, 1949. 508×762 mm; 20×30 inches. Signed and dated in ink, lower left. Gedeon D54.
Provenance: ACA Gallery, New York; private collection, New York, 1950; private collection, Philadelphia, 1988. This drawing’s location was recorded as unknown in 1980 at the time of Lucinda Gedeon’s catalogue raisonné.
A close variant of this drawing is in the collection of the New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ. The same size and year,Frederick Douglass has in the lower left a tighter, smaller group of figures, all men in suits, likely a group of lawyers involved in Jim Crow cases.
Exhibited: ACA Gallery, New York, February 12 – 25, 1950.
Illustrated: Daily Worker, New York, Sunday, February 12, 1950; Sidney Finkelstein, Charles White: Ein Künstler Amerikas, pl. 16;Jewish Currents, February 1963, cover.
An extraordinary example of Charles White’s early drawing,Frederick Douglass Lives Again is one of a series of the pen and ink drawings recording the celebrated trials of African-Americans victimized during the Jim Crow era. White shows a mastery of cross-hatching in each expressive face of this dynamic composition. The towering figure of Douglass and the compressed space reflect techniques used in his mural painting, particularly his The Contribution of the Negro to Democracy in American at Hampton University, 1933. White was also translating the African-American experience through the earlier model of the great Mexican muralists Orozco, Rivera and Siqueiros.
In Frederick Douglass Lives Again, White continues his depiction of ordinary people on a heroic scale. Along with The Trenton Six,The Ingram Case and Open Gate (Liberation), White chronicled the legal plights of African-Americans, and the greater cause for justice and equality. White was particularly politically active at this point in his career. Reproductions of these drawings appeared in portfolios published by the Workshop for Graphic Art in New York, and in such progressive periodicals as The Daily Worker. White had his first exhibition at ACA Gallery in 1947, and was now regularly exhibiting in New York with other socially and politically conscious artists such as Philip Evergood, William Gropper and Robert Gwathmey.
Estimate $100,000-150,000
Price Realized (with Buyer’s Premium) $204,000
Charles White Image “Frederick Douglass Lives Again”
was the poster image for October Gallery’s 1988 Art Expo
Page from the October Gallery 1991 catalog.
October Gallery’s Mercer A. Redcross III standing in front of
Charles White’s “Frederick Douglass Lives Again” at an
October Gallery Art Show and Sale 2007
October Gallery’s First Location 3805 Lancaster Ave. Philadelphia, PA
Mercer A. Redcross III outside and Evelyn Redcross inside
the first location for the gallery.
October Gallery 3805 Lancaster Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Year 1986.
October Gallery Donates 170 Pieces of Art to Cheyney University 2008
African American art in all its variety – Little Rock Nine
Nine African American students stand against a brilliantly colored backdrop. Courage is emblazoned at their feet. Clutching their books, they appear determined and ready to learn in an integrated environment.
The scene, a serigraph by artist Charly Palmer, is titled Little Rock Nine – 50 Years, a piece commissioned to commemorate the enrollment of nine African American students at an Arkansas high school after the Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools offered inherently unequal education.
The piece will be unveiled at 6:30 tonight during October Gallery’s 22d annual Philadelphia International Art Expo, held this weekend at Temple University’s Liacouras Center. Ernest Green, one of the nine Little Rock students, is scheduled to attend the unveiling ceremony.
Described as the nation’s largest African American Art Expo, the show is projected to draw more than 50,000 people, organizers said. About 150 artists from 45 states and eight countries will exhibit paintings, sculptures, jewelry and crafts.
“Connecting People With Art,” this year’s theme, will resonate during the three-day expo with art auctions, seminars, poetry and other art demonstrations.
Chess tournaments will be offered from 1 to 5:30 p.m. all three days. An art contest, with youth and adult divisions, will be open to entries from the public. A Latin American/Caribbean Art Pavilion and a Health Pavilion with health screenings are planned.
Expo organizers encourage all art lovers to attend. Stephanie Daniel, October Gallery’s spokeswoman, said that 40 percent of this year’s artists are newcomers, many hailing from Canada, the Caribbean, Brazil, Africa and Europe.
David Lawrence, executive associate for October Gallery, said the expo also is an effort to help support artists financially.
“It’s one thing to be admired for your work, but that doesn’t help pay the bills,” said Lawrence, a mixed-media artist. By attending the expo and buying artwork, he said, patrons can “help the survival of the artist and their commitment to bringing the greatest art that they can to the community.”
Daniel echoed his sentiments. “This is the only way you’re going to see what all the popular African American artists are doing. Take a few hours and go down there,” she said, “even if you don’t purchase a thing.”
The Philadelphia International Art Expo 2007, “Connecting People With Art,” is open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. today and Saturday and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday at the Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St. Admission is free. Information: 215-629-3939 or www.octobergallery.com.
Contact Venuri Siriwardane at 215-854-4193 or vsiriwardane@phillynews.com.
October Gallery’s Paint Magzine
African American art in all its variety
By Venuri Siriwardane FOR THE INQUIRER
POSTED: November 09, 2007
Nine African American students stand against a brilliantly colored backdrop. Courage is emblazoned at their feet. Clutching their books, they appear determined and ready to learn in an integrated environment.
The scene, a serigraph by artist Charly Palmer, is titled Little Rock Nine – 50 Years, a piece commissioned to commemorate the enrollment of nine African American students at an Arkansas high school after the Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools offered inherently unequal education.
The piece will be unveiled at 6:30 tonight during October Gallery’s 22d annual Philadelphia International Art Expo, held this weekend at Temple University’s Liacouras Center. Ernest Green, one of the nine Little Rock students, is scheduled to attend the unveiling ceremony.
Described as the nation’s largest African American Art Expo, the show is projected to draw more than 50,000 people, organizers said. About 150 artists from 45 states and eight countries will exhibit paintings, sculptures, jewelry and crafts.
“Connecting People With Art,” this year’s theme, will resonate during the three-day expo with art auctions, seminars, poetry and other art demonstrations.
Chess tournaments will be offered from 1 to 5:30 p.m. all three days. An art contest, with youth and adult divisions, will be open to entries from the public. A Latin American/Caribbean Art Pavilion and a Health Pavilion with health screenings are planned.
Expo organizers encourage all art lovers to attend. Stephanie Daniel, October Gallery’s spokeswoman, said that 40 percent of this year’s artists are newcomers, many hailing from Canada, the Caribbean, Brazil, Africa and Europe.
David Lawrence, executive associate for October Gallery, said the expo also is an effort to help support artists financially.
“It’s one thing to be admired for your work, but that doesn’t help pay the bills,” said Lawrence, a mixed-media artist. By attending the expo and buying artwork, he said, patrons can “help the survival of the artist and their commitment to bringing the greatest art that they can to the community.”
Daniel echoed his sentiments. “This is the only way you’re going to see what all the popular African American artists are doing. Take a few hours and go down there,” she said, “even if you don’t purchase a thing.”
The Philadelphia International Art Expo 2007, “Connecting People With Art,” is open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. today and Saturday and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday at the Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St. Admission is free. Information: 215-629-3939 or www.octobergallery.com.
Chess Meet at October Gallery Art Expo 2007.
With artists from over 40 states and 6 countries, this year’s 22nd Annual Philadelphia Art Expoheld at Temple University’s Liacouras Center, proved to be a treat. This event did not disappoint. Such artists as Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Cal Massey, and William Tolliver  made the trek to Philly to show their works to over 40,000 enthusiastic attendees.
To keep you occupied , this Expo had everything from body painting, a fashion show, art auction, live music and poetry, as well as a holistic center for the healthy. With an event such as this , it’s no wonder such luminaries like Isaac Hayes and Billy Dee Williams have demonstrated their works here in the past.
What makes this exciting for chessplayers, is for the first time a chess tournament was included with $6000 in prizes guaranteed. This was enough to attract strong players likeIM Alex Lenderman from New York, IM Bryan Smith, FM William Morrison from Maryland and NM Elvin Wilson.
This tournament was unique in the fact that, it was actually three separate unrated events. Each day consisted of four G/30 games with separate prizes for high scoring unrated players. IM Bryan Smith seemed to have his game face on all weekend, sharing 1st place each day he played.
First place was shared on Friday by IM Bryan Smith, NM Elvin Wilson and David Apelo  from New York. Saturday’s 1st place prize was split by IM Bryan Smith and FM William Morrison. Sunday’s prize was split between Bryan Smith and David Apelo.
Philly locals like Larry Pugh and Jeffrey Johnson also played but found out that everyone came to play and there would be no cakewalks.
Overall, the event was a nice addition to an already creative environment. This being the first year, low attendance was somewhat understandable. I anticipate this event will grow is size over the years.
“Pete” Honored!
On Saturday evening, Norman “Pete” Rogers was presented with an award from the city as well as a painting donated by October Gallery. This was a lifetime achievement award for over 30 years of dedication to this city and our game.
Michael Williams (at podium) helps in awarding Norman “Pete” Rogers with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Also presenting were Glenn Bady and Elvin Wilson. Photo courtesy of Michael Williams
I would personally like to thank Mercer Redcross and his family for sponsoring this event. I would also like to thank those who came out and supported. Next year’s event promises to be just as exciting and entertaining. Hope to see everyone there!
Some of these pictures were allowed to be taken due the courtesy of jtrollinschesstables.com and Amaze Art Gallery.
~ Michael L Williams
Panoramic Poetry – Taalam – at Cheyney University
Panoramic Poetry Event Taalam – October Gallery, Panoramic Poetry
