HTBAF: Beauty is as Beauty Does
HTBAF: Beauty is as Beauty Does
When: Friday, July 26, 7pm
Where: Open Source Gallery (306 17th St, Brooklyn)
Mirror, mirror on the wall …
What do you see when you look at yourself? Do you see your shine, your cleverness, your empathetic heart? Do you see your crooked nose, the scar at your hairline from the fall out of your grandmother’s front yard maple? What do others see when they look at you? Are those images anything like your self-perception?
This month for HTBAF, we’re in the gallery just after the close of Zé Kielwagen’s “BAFO! Beauty Temple,” and that rumination on queer labor, spirituality, world-building, and transformation has us doing some ruminating of our own, has us musing on our July theme: Beauty Is as Beauty Does. What value has beauty? What would our lives be without it? How do we find it in ourselves and share it with others? Join us on the 26th for some beautiful stories — some sharp, some gentle, some ephemeral, some feral. There’s no telling what we’ll get up to.
Storytellers:
Lynda Mauze is an Actor. Story Teller. Entrepreneur. Visionary. Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Lynda had a vision of traveling every corner of the world and circling back to one day share with the people the infinite possibility in creation. Her passion to foster diversity in Sports Broadcasting propelled her to Manager of CBS Sports Production, Client Services & Sponsorship Sales. Lynda is a Passionate integrated marketing & branding strategist with over 5yrs. in Network Television Broadcasting. Lynda has an intense background in the Division of CBS Television Broadcasting, Sports & Operations. After years of working in television broadcasting, Lynda’s passion for being an entrepreneur began to grow immensely. Her hunger to own and operate her own business led to her exodus from corporate America in 2014. She attended acting school for four years while taking online business courses. Lynda is currently the owner of De Lumiere boutique Agency, a coaching and events organization. In 2018, Lynda’s dream of being on the big screen manifested as she co-stared in the Steven Soderbergh film Unsane. Lynda has proven success in, sponsorship & sales obligations, sports production & operations with contract execution knowledge and keen a interest in business & programming development.
Jet Toomer is a writer, community organizer, and muse, who writes at the intersections of culture, belonging, and womanism. Her newsletter; Tiny Violences, was selected by Roxane Gay, and is a featured publication on Substack. She is a LAMBDA Literary Fellow. As an organizer, Jet co-founded The Josie Club, a roving social space dedicated to celebrating the lives of queer Black women and femmes. She’s a proud board member of The Free Black Women’s Library, where she teaches her “Queering the Narrative,” workshop series. Her writing has been featured in Inverse Magazine, Victory Journal, Full Bleed, The Massachusetts Review, among others and is forthcoming in Southern Cultures. Recently, Jet has moderated conversations with Emmy-nominated actress Laverne Cox & celebrated poet Jasmine Mans. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University. Jet is a native New Yorker, and currently working on her first book.
Alicia Grullón uses performance and self-portrait (re)composing popular histories as a critique on the politics of presence- an argument for the inclusion of marginalized communities in political and social spheres. Grullón has participated in exhibitions including The 8th Floor; Bronx Museum of the Arts; BRIC House for Arts and Media; El Museo del Barrio; and Columbia University. She has received grants from the Puffin Foundation; Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of New York; and Franklin Furnace Archives. Grullón has participated in residencies at the Hemispheric Institute for Politics and Performance at New York University; Center for Book Arts; and Bronx Museum of Arts AIM program. Her work has been reviewed in Hyperallergic, ArtNet News, New York Times and Women & Performance: A Journal of Feminist Theory. Grullón is a recipient of the 2019 Colene Brown Art Prize and 2020-2022 Walentas fellowship at Moore College of Art and Design. In 2021, Alicia was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in Fine Arts from Moore College of Art and Design.
Junny Ann Hibbert has established herself as a luminary in the world of fashion, as the distinguished 2023 James Weldon Johnson Art Fellow and the proud recipient of the 2024 Manhattan Arts Grant. Her acclaim as a finalist in the 2022 Rising Star Award (Women’s Wear) by Fashion Group International and her recognition by esteemed publications such as WWD underscore her burgeoning influence. Her journey through the fashion echelons includes being honored as a CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund 2022 Semi-Finalist and a transformative figure as the 2022 Visa She’s Next in Fashion Grant recipient, empowered by Visa. At the heart of JUNNY’s design philosophy lies a rich tapestry of Harlem vibrance intertwined with the spirited legacy of Jamaica. Her collections are a testament to inclusivity and bold creativity, reflecting a deep reverence for her African American and Jamaican heritage. This cultural alchemy informs her designs, rendering them as cross-cultural milestones that are at once glamorous, vibrantly colored, and emblematic of a broad multicultural dialogue. Drawing inspiration from the profound influence of her mother, a seamstress who crafted the family’s wardrobe with newspaper patterns, JUNNY has inherited a legacy of resilience and creativity. This foundational experience fueled her passion for fashion, empowering her to weave her own narrative through her distinctive collections.Beyond the aesthetic allure of her work, JUNNY’s mission transcends the boundaries of fashion. She is a beacon for black designers, creatives, and women entrepreneurs, particularly those who have courageously pivoted from corporate careers in mid-life to pursue their creative passions. JUNNY leverages her platform and clothing line as a vibrant canvas to celebrate the rich tapestry of Harlem and her Jamaican roots, aspiring to integrate black design and culture seamlessly into the mainstream.Her commitment extends to illuminating the contributions of fabric sellers, sewers, and artisans who are the unsung heroes of the industry. Through her clothing line, JUNNY pays homage to the artists, activists, designers, and key voices who are instrumental in driving cultural progression. In essence, JUNNY embodies the spirit of innovation and cultural homage, striving to be a cornerstone in the movement that elevates black design and culture to its deserved prominence. Her work is not just fashion; it is a movement, a tribute, and a bridge connecting the past, present, and future of cultural expression.
Denne Michele Norris is the editor-in-chief of Electric Literature, winner of the 2022 Whiting Literary Magazine Prize. She is the first Black, openly trans woman to helm a major literary publication. A 2021 Out100 Honoree, her writing has been supported by MacDowell, Tin House, and the Kimbilio Center for African American Fiction, and appears in McSweeney’s, American Short Fiction, and ZORA. She is co-host of the critically-acclaimed podcast Food 4 Thot, and her debut novel, When The Harvest Comes, is forthcoming from Random House.
