Cheriss May and Zsudayka Nzinga @ BZB Holiday Gala Fine Art Show

 Cheriss May and Zsudayka Nzinga @ BZB Holiday Gala Fine Art Show

Cheriss May

"Cheriss May is a lauded portrait and editorial photographer based in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the Board of Directors — Focus on the Story, the immediate past president — Women Photojournalists of Washington (WPOW), co-chair of photography — The National Press Club, an Adobe Education Leader, and an adjunct professor at Howard University, her Alma Mater. She is often commissioned to speak about inclusive storytelling, and trains and speaks to organizations, and educators around the world, including: Spotify, Adobe, Leica, The Financial Times, the Center for Creative Photography, and the International Center of Photography.

Cheriss has been published in The New York Times, O Magazine, The White House website, People magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, ABC News, The Today Show, and other international publications. She has a traveling exhibit and forthcoming book, "Cheriss May Soul Connection". Cheriss has images in a BET social justice campaign: ‘Content for Change’, and her work is in the permanent collection at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY. 

Originally from Kansas City, Mo., Cheriss's passion radiates through her aptitude to connect to the soul of those she photographs. She is available for commissions, assignments, and unit stills for TV/film."

Zsudayka Nzinga

"Zsudayka Nzinga is a multi-disciplinary fine artist, curator and arts educator from Aurora, CO living in Washington, DC. She considers her work cultural anthropology, largely focusing on mixed media portraiture and interior design installations that reflect American culture.  Her pieces explore mixing patterns and textures to create collages using acrylic, oil, decorative and hand dyed paper, fabric, thread, linocut stamp and ink on canvas.   She also makes metal jewelry and builds, and reupholsters found furniture. 

 

Nzinga started out as a spoken word artist and performer.  While attending Hampton University and Metropolitan State College of Denver she pursued a journalism degree and self-published 3 books of her work.  She spent several years touring the country performing, hosting and curating spoken word and special arts events before focusing on her own art. She has shown her work and performed in galleries and museums all over the country and been featured internationally in blogs and reviews.  She has curated multiple exhibitions, received a curatorial grant with the DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities.  She served on the board for Freedom School Arts and Entrepreneurship, served as Vice President of Black Artists of DC and participates with the exhibition committee Women’s Caucus for Art DC. She is a proud mother of 3 children and wife to artist, James Terrell with whom she runs their family business selling and exhibiting their art, managing their merchandise line, and assisting teachers and homeschool families with arts integrated education.

 

Her interest in fabric and textiles is why her subjects are clothed in intricately designed patterns.  The designs mimic the history and style of African Ankara fabric and introduces bright color and patterns to high end clothing designs.  She has recently begun recreating the designs for a clothing and home décor line using textile designs created from the artwork of her and her husband.  Her pieces are to create a narrative and archive of Black American history, identity and culture."

30th Annual BZB Shop til Ya Drop!

NOV 25-26th Black Friday & Saturday

SATURDAYS

Dec 3rd

Dec 10th

Dec 17th

Friday & Sat (Christmas Eve)

Dec 23-24

Shiloh Baptist Church

1510 9th Street NW(9th & P Sts)

Washington DC 20001

https://bzbinternational.com/