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For nearly two decades, the Harlem Fine Arts Show has held a unique position in their industry at the intersection of innovation and culture. Their longevity and continued success as a premier showcase of African Diasporic art is a testament to their renaissance-inspired commitment to reclaiming intellectual ownership for the community by pushing the envelope.
So, this year, in their 18th annual installment, the forward-facing team at HFAS dared to venture into a timely yet often controversial discussion: Art and Technology.
Over the course of three days, creatives, thought leaders, and titans of industry alike gathered at The Glasshouse in New York City’s iconic Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood to share cultural ideas, discuss advances across the arts, education, economics, and healthcare, and honor those dedicated to uplifting their communities through work in these sectors.
Among those recognized was Jaye Watts, the visionary founder and CEO of COEXIST Gaming, a global and hybrid gamification agency looking to bridge culture, community, and technology. Before stepping into the largest media industry, she gained some experience as a world-traveled, award-winning recording artist and published songwriter.
While speaking to us, Watts emphasized the importance of continued support for institutions that uplift the diasporic community—organizations like the Harlem Fine Arts Show.
“What does it look like to make sure that more black people who create art know that this is here, know how to support it, how to celebrate it and how to be a part of it, so that it can continue to be amplified”, Watts told us just before heading onstage Sunday, Feb 22. “Everyone else is not us, and we need to be coming together more powerfully than we ever have…I want us to have more conversations around how we amplify it together and be more collaborative so that we can co-exist.”
The singer/songwriter further detailed her commitment to ensuring that people feel not just represented in the culture visually but included in the very fabric of the industry, a foundationally apparenttheme throughout the weekend. Several panels were led to discuss the importance of creatives taking ownership of their brands in the digital economy, not just as figureheads but as active participants in the business they claim to operate in.
Incidentally, the weekend capped off with closing reflections from Grammy-nominated recording artist and multi-platinum music producer Ryan Leslie, who emphasized the importance of creators building systems — not just content—to control narrative and generational wealth in the digital economy.
“Technology left a great impression on me; there is a different way of connectivity and discovery.
