Categories: Events,
Free outdoor exhibition returns August 29 during the 34th annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, bringing contemporary art, art-making and community to the heart of Harlem
Twenty-eight contemporary artists will transform the Northwest Lawn of Marcus Garvey Park into an open-air gallery on Saturday, August 29, as the fourth annual We’re Outside returns to Harlem during the 34th annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival.
Presented by the Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association (MMPCIA) in partnership with Heath Gallery, We’re Outside began four years ago with 10 artists and has grown to feature 28 artists working across a broad range of contemporary styles.
The free exhibition is designed to bring contemporary art beyond traditional gallery walls, giving artists an opportunity to put their work in front of people who may not ordinarily walk into a gallery—as well as a new audience of New Yorkers coming from across the city for the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival.
“I love the natural relationship between art and jazz. So many artists create with jazz playing in the background,” said Saundra Heath, curator of We’re Outside and co-founder/director of Heath Gallery. “We’re Outside gives us an opportunity to bring those two creative forms together in the park. Someone may come for the jazz and discover an artist whose work speaks to them. Someone else may come for the art and stay for the jazz. . For one afternoon, all of it is happening outside together.”
From 2 to 7 p.m., visitors can move among 14 artist canopies, meet the artists and see their work up close. The afternoon will also include a free Contemporary Self-Portrait Workshop led by master teaching artist Élan Cadiz. Inspired by portraits from Cadiz’s SCAFFOLD: Equity of Treatment project, participants of all experience levels are invited to create a one-of-a-kind mixed-media self-portrait using a variety of art-making materials. No experience is necessary, and all materials are provided.
Visitors can also take part in Strike a Pose, an interactive selfie installation. Early arrivals can receive a complimentary full-color We’re Outside exhibition catalog, featuring the participating artists and their work, while supplies last, and visitors who complete the exhibition survey can receive a free collectible art sticker.
We’re Outside takes place on the Northwest Lawn while the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival fills the nearby Marcus Garvey Park amphitheater with music, giving visitors an opportunity to make an afternoon of contemporary art and jazz in the park
