Jeffrey Hargrave is a North Carolina born, African-American artist based in New York. Hargrave deals with representations of African-Americans, often putting them in the context of art history, remaking works by artists such as Matisse to include black figures, with racially charged stereotypical imagery.
Tapping into his own memories of growing up in the midst of a sharply divided community, Hargrave translates his personal experiences into playful, yet biting images that mix art-history clichés and racial stereotypes. Ultimately, the artist seeks to engage viewers in a dialogue on class, religion, sexuality, racial identity and privilege based on a repertoire of familiar images.
Hargrave attended the University of the North Carolina School of the Arts, Rhode Island School of Design and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. His works have been exhibited at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and other prestigious venues.
Natacha Villamia Sochat was born in New York City. She grew up in La Habana, Cuba and in the south Bronx where she attended the Bronx HS of Science. She worked as a professional photographer in Berlin, Germany including freelance work for "Berlin Today" magazine. She is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Boston University (BA Biology with distinction, minor art history) and received her MD degree from Boston University School of Medicine. Her post-baccalaureate studies at Brandeis University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston included painting, printmaking, photography, and video. She received her MFA in Studio Arts from Tufts University/School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Her knowledge of the sciences has greatly contributed to her art. From 1995 to 1997 she learned how to see the light as an artist from Paul Ingbretson at his atelier that embodied the Boston Painters heritage and lineage in Framingham Massachusetts and later in Manchester NH. This knowledge contributed to her ability to create diverse work when she coupled it with her graduate work in the arts at the Museum School.
She has taught at numerous places including School fo the Museum of Fine Arts (painting), the New Hampshire Institute of Art (drawing and printmaking), and was Master Teacher in Studio Arts at the St. Paul's School Advanced Studies Program (Concord, NH). She is an interdisciplinary thinker, curator, and artist including painting, printmaking, bookmaking, performance, video, drawing, and photography. Her work has won numerous awards and has been in exhibitions throughout the United States. She was a member of the College Art Association and served on the Board of the Woman's Caucus for Art (NH), including President WCA NH, Vice- President, and webmaster.
LILIYA ZALEVSKAYAwas born in Kiev, Ukraine. As a young teenager, her parents immigrated to America, as the soviet union fell apart. This continues to inform her interest in how social structures are perceived versus how they are experienced by the individuals living within them. She currently lives and works in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband artist David Scott Sackett.
