05/28/2024
Join us as we partner with Wilmington Alliance for their next book talk out in the neighborhood!! Wednesday, June 5th, we will be at the Art O Mat with author Joél Leon in conversation with artist Shefon Taylor discussing his collection of thought provoking essays.
Crafted like an album, each essay is a single that stands alone yet reverberates throughout the entire collection.
Pieces like “How to Make a Black Friend” consider challenging, delightful and absurd moments in relationships, while others like “Sensitive Thugs All Need Hugs” and “All Gold Everything” ponder the collective harms of society’s lens.
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BIO’s
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Joel Leon, also known as Joel L. Daniels, is a performer and storyteller from the Bronx. Currently, he’s a creative director at the New York Times’ T Brand Studio.
Joél specializes in leading conversations surrounding race, masculinity, mental health, and the performing arts. His TED Talk on healthy co-parenting has been viewed more than 1.6 million times. His essays have been featured in the New York Times, Ebony, the Independent, and more.
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Shefon N. Taylor is an interdisciplinary artist interrogating themes of memory, the shaping of interiority, and the intimate pursuit of belonging. Shefon, a recent alumnus of both the Art-O-Mat Artist & Residence Program & the ARC Artist-in-Residence program with the Delaware Contemporary Museum in Wilmington, Delaware.
She cites artists such as Betye Saar, Romare Bearden, and Steve Ashby as influences on her work.
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Art-O-Mat
Located on the corner of 7th and Washington St., this former liquor store and laundromat is now a multi-use space, benefitting the residents of West Center City and Greater Wilmington & beyond. The Art O Mat owned by Wilmington Alliance , focuses on community joy & healing through artist programming, an Artist in Residence program, Community meetings, & Community focused workshops.
