Graffiti

Teresa Vazquez is an artist, writer, dream midwife, and educator of Afro Cuban heritage whose art practice is integrally linked to her dream work. She works primarily in painting, drawing, mixed media collage, and digital media.

Her most recent body of work, #Antibody, an Emerging Series, is a collection of works on paper produced in spring & summer, 2020. These pieces are dreams on the scale of antibodies that attempt to answer the question, “What is the experience of the antibodies as they confront the CoVid19 virus?” They all use liquid media with various resist and hand-coloring techniques. Some pieces feature one antibody figure, while others depict fields of antibodies in dynamic encounters evoking physical battles, ecstatic dance, and unity in diversity.

Teresa has an MFA in Studio Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BA in Creative Writing from Oberlin College. Currently, she teaches Visual Art and Spanish at the Fort Wayne Virtual Academy and was the former Community Programs Manager and a Painting & Drawing Instructor at the Indianapolis Art Center. She has received 2022 On Ramp Fellowship from the Indiana Arts Commission. Teresa is a mother and grandmother. Her She-Shed Studio is out behind her eldest daughter’s house.

Justin Brown is a multidisciplinary artist and curator from Indianapolis, IN. He is the founder and director of Hoy Polloy art gallery, located at 3125 e. 10th street, Indianapolis, IN. Justin’s work is research based; ranging from public- private experiments, to government and corporate surveillance programs to archival photographs. Justin paints with data and paper.

His series “Intelligence Countered” highlights FBI surveillance files of persons of interest from the Rabble Rouser Index, Cointelpro, and modern intelligence operations. He collages casework and redacts the papers further with abstract painting techniques to draw the viewers’ eye to the text. Justin’s “Cubist Maps” series is centered around the historic development of neighborhoods, cities, and interstate infrastructures. He collages archive images of landmarks and residents in geometric “maps” to honor a regions history. Justin has installed permanent murals in Milktooth, Rabble Coffee, Beholder, the MLK Multi-service Center in Indianapolis, Fraser Colorado, and the Adams County board of Commissioners in Colorado. His work has been exhibited at Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, Big Car’s Listen Hear, and Hoy Polloy.

ess mcKee (Sylvia Payne Rivers) is a multimedia visual artist native to Arizona, based in Indianapolis, IN. Ess has been involved in the Indy arts scene as a muralist, designer, studio manager, organizer, instructor and curator for nearly a decade. Inspired by an appreciation for graffiti art and hip hop culture, her artistic expression manifests in the form of abstract paintings, character illustrations, digital design, and the combination of all three within murals. She is a current member of The Eighteen, an art collective of 18 artists that created the Black Lives Matter Mural in Indianapolis, IN. Ess is also a resident artist at The Harrison Center for the Arts.

Hailing from Indianapolis, “Wavy” Blayne (Blayne McCrary) is a mid-career artist focused on mixed-media and music production. His love for the arts is simply the thing that drives his passion. Pulling influence from Japanese culture and street art, he creates a unique Afrofuturism style that he calls, “Wavy”. Learning through practical experiences of trial and error, and studying the works of Akira Toriyama and Jim Lee , Blayne has worked as a freelance artist since 2010.

Robert Bentley, a Broad Ripple High School graduate and Indianapolis native, started writing graffiti in High School around 2005-06. Later, Robert Bentley went on to attend college at Herron School of Art & Design for Printmaking & Drawing.

Robert Bentley is employed as a full-time printmaker. Robert Bentley is also a part-time self-employed muralist and fine artist, who also accepts commissions for graphic design work and apparel printing.

Queenie P is a painter and graffiti artists. Art has has been a passion for her all of her life. She started sketching at a very young age. Queenie grew up in a family that didn’t see art as a real career, but she thought otherwise. She originally went into a medical field but she never stopped creating. A lot of her inspiration comes from her everyday experiences.

Queenie mostly enjoys working on graffiti, pop art, cartoons, collages and Afrocentric art. She mostly uses acrylic for her paintings, but she also uses a variety of mixed media. In addition, she also specializes in 3D work.

Art is something she enjoys doing and will always give her peace of mind. Pursuing an art career is very important to her, as she is able to follow her dreams and create. Queenie P says she is hungry to share her work.