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Harlem Fine Arts Show Announces 15th Anniversary

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Harlem Fine Arts Show (HFAS) will celebrate their 15th year of being the largest traveling arts show featuring Artists from the African Diaspora. This show will feature up to 100 artists of African, Caribbean, and Black descent over a monumental three-day cultural experience and festival at the end of Black History Month, 2023, in New York City.

Andrew Nichols, “Feeling Good”

The 15th Anniversary Celebration: Celebrating Art and Culture in America is inspired by the Harlem Renaissance; the 2023 curator for the three-day experience will be Debra Vanderburg Spencer, the award-winning and museum-trained Curator and Art Historian who has worked with: U.S. Congress, Architect of the Capitol, National Endowment for the Arts, William J. Clinton Foundation and The Romanian Cultural Institute in Bucharest, Romania. Ms. Spencer has guided numerous art initiatives for institutions such as Harlem’s 125th Street Improvement District, New York Foundation for the Arts and the Harlem Arts Alliance. She holds a graduate degree from Harvard University.

HFAS provides a platform for African Diasporic Artists and American Visual Artists to exhibit and sell their works. The weekend will salute esteemed illustrator Brenda Joysmith all weekend. This three-day event serves as an economic platform for the multi-cultural, general market, and arts communities to empower and increase market share in numerous regions throughout the United States and around the world. For the first time, the Harlem Fine Arts Show will take place in Midtown Manhattan at The Glass House, 660 12th Avenue (between 49th & 50th), New York City.

The 15th Anniversary Celebration will take place in an expansive new venue, opening up endless possibilities for HFAS as we look to intensify our efforts toward amplifying the voices of Artists from the African Diaspora to a global audience. Remaining true to our community, we will be sourcing as many vendors, caterers, and activations as possible from Harlem-based businesses, restaurants, and cultural centers.

“HFAS prides itself on a sole tenet: creating economic empowerment, educational opportunities, and professional recognition for the artists in our shows. These artists have been forced to make hard pivots in how they showcase and sell their work in the new-normal of a Post-COVID-19 economy. However, the poignancy of their individual works is more important now than ever. This work, created by African Diaspora, will tell the story of this unprecedented moment in history: the choices we made in this moment of historical change, and most importantly: how we felt,” says Dion Clarke, Founder, Harlem Fine Arts Show.

Harlem Fine Arts Show 15th Anniversary highlights include:

Friday, February 24 | 10am – 1pm
Community Day – HFAS will invite community members including: NYC students, seniors and other community based organizations to preview the art show for FREE. The early program will include select panel discussions and other special engagements. The community members will be the first to see 2022 cavalcade of participating contemporary, fine and visual arts including from:

Artists: Frank Frazier, Dr. Myrah Brown Green, Anthony Lucas, Woodrow Nash, Andrew Nichols, Dane Tilghman and more to announce.

Galleries: Band of Vices, LLCE&S Gallery, Inc.Soweto Fine Art GalleryWaterkolours Fine Art Gallery and more to announce.

Friday, February 24 | 6 – 10pm
Red Dot VIP Opening Night – HFAS will host a VIP reception for art collectors, media, corporate sponsors, and NYC notables – elected officials, celebrities and more for a red-carpet evening including a cocktail reception with live music performances hosted by NYC television personality to preview and purchase art during the evening.

The VIP evening will be a ticketed event that will benefit four special organizations – Harlem Arts Alliance, Touch: The Black Breast Cancer Alliance, The Links, and Tau Omega – NYC Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Saturday, February 25 | 10am – 5pm
General admission

Sunday, February 26 | 10am – 6pm
General admission

Harlem Fine Arts Show 2023: The 15th Anniversary Celebration: Celebrating Art and Culture in America

General admission tickets (single day pass) $35
General admission tickets (two-day pass) $50
Red Dot Opening Night VIP Ticket, $100

Tickets on sale at now: www.harlemfineartsshow.org

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BET MEDIA GROUP HONORED BLACK LGBTQ+ TRAILBLAZER WITH A POWERFUL NIGHT OF CELEBRATION, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY

FROM BOB THE DRAG QUEEN’S GROUNDBREAKING RECOGNITION TO HOPE GISELLES’S INSPIRING REMARKS– THE 3RD ANNUAL BET BLACK + ICONIC SOIREE HIGHLIGHTED THE BRILLIANCE AND IMPACT OF BLACK LGBTQ+ LEADERS

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(New York, NY)– May 28, 2025 – The 3rd Annual BET Black + Iconic Soirée made its Washington, D.C debut with inspiring evening celebrating the past, present, and future of black LGBTQ+ excellence. The 2025 theme, “Excellence Ascending,” paid tribute to cultural change makers leading with authenticity, courage and purpose.

Hosted by entertainment journalist and Access Hollywood anchor Scott Evans, the Soirée gathered trailblazers across activism, arts, business, and media for a powerful evening of storytelling , performance, and legacy-building.

Highlights from the BET Black + Iconic Soriée Included:
  • Ashlee Davis, J.D. received the Executive Realness Award for her trailblazing work in civil rights leadership, including her legacy of impact across government and corporate sectors.
  • Hope Giselle, a powerful advocate and author was named Emerging leader for her unrelenting work championing visibility and inclusion for Black trans communities.
  • Kierra Johnson, Executive Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force, was honored as Active Advocate for her decades of leadership advancing reproductive justice and LGBTQ+ rights.
  • Ashlee Marie Preston, a nationally recognized activist and media strategist, accepted the Creative Visionary Award, saluted for using her voice to shift narratives and build intergenerational coalitions.
  • Bob the Drag Queen, Emmy-winning entertainer and global icon, received the Culture Trailblazer Award, closing the evening with a heartfelt speech about identity, freedom, legacy.
  • The Center for Black Equity and the Take Resource Center each received $5,000 through the BET Thrive Fund Recognition, honored for their work advancing Black LGBTQ+ wellness, equity and community organizing.

The night also featured a soul-stirring medley performance by Broadway powerhouse Avery Wilson, fresh off stage from The Wiz revival. Presenters included Eva Marcille (All The Queen’s Men, BET+), Carter The Body (All The Queen’s Men, BET+), Bryan Terrell Clark (Diarra from Detroit, BET+), and Arrington Foster (The Family Business, BET+), each bringing star power and heartfelt tributes to the evening’s honorees.

“From the very beginning, we knew this couldn’t be just another event,” said Tiyale Hayes, EVP of Insights and Multiplatform Analytics and Co-Lead of Social Impact at BET, During his opening remarks. “It had to an intentional space to uplift stories too often silenced and celebrate contributions that have shaped the world in powerful ways.”

The evening also spotlighted Gilead Sciences, a long standing partner of the BET Black + Iconic Soirée. Gilead’s Rashad Burgess, Vice President of U.S. Advocacy and Health Equity, emphasized and the importance of equitable healthcare access, visibility, and long-term impact for Black LGBTQ+ communities.

Additionally, the event welcomed Truth Initiative as a new partner of the BET Black + Iconic Soirée. Dr. Kendrick Dartis, Vice president of Outreach and Engagement, addressed the urgent issue of tobacco use in Black and LGBTQ+ communities and emphasized the need for culturally relevant cessation support. He also announced a $5,000 BET Thrive Fund donation, sponsored by Truth Initiative, to Us Helping Us– a D.C.- based non profit dedicated to advancing health equity.

BET Black + Iconic Soirée stands as defining moment in the 45th anniversary year of the media group– underscoring its mission to center Black culture, honor its LGBTQ+ communities, and drive meaningful, measurable impact.

Join the conversation using #BlackAndIconic and relieve the nights most powerful moments on BET’s official social channels. The Televised premiere date and time will be announced at a later date.

ABOUT BET MEDIA GROUP

The BET Media Group, a unit of Paramount (NASDAQ:PARAA;PARA), is the worlds largest media company dedicated too entertaining, engaging, and empowering the Black community and championing Black culture. Connecting Back audiences through a portfolio of brands including BET, BET+, BET Gospel, BET HER, BET International, BET Jams, BET Soul, BET Studios, and VH1, the BET Media Group is thriving media ecosystem of leading interconnected platforms across cable TV, streaming, digital, studios, live events and international. For more information about BET, visit www.bet.com and follow @BET on social platforms. For more BET news announcements visit bet pressroom.com.

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