Tea with Myrtis
January 13, 2024
2:00–4:00 pm

Register for the Tea | artwork preview

Galerie Myrtis is excited to announce the return of “Tea with Myrtis.” Join us for an intimate and enlightening conversation with renowned artists Jerrell Gibbs, Fabiola Jean-Louis, Ya La’Ford, and Megan Lewis. In this engaging discussion, the artists will delve into the captivating and imaginative influences that drive their practice. Discover the unique stories and inspirations behind their artistry as they share their personal journeys and creative processes. “Tea with Myrtis” is a series of art salons where we engage in lively conversations with artists, art collectors and the nation’s leading arts professionals to discuss trends in the contemporary art movement. Share delectable treats and enjoy a selection of delicious teas.

At the event, guests will have the opportunity to taste the new line of teas by artist Delita Martin called Dema Tea. Each canister will feature an image of a vibrant multimedia print and prose from Martin. The line will debut with two flavors: “Papapaya Paradise,” a peach-flavored green tea with ginger notes and undertones of papaya, and “Cinnamon Sunrise,” a black tea with notes of blood orange, cinnamon, and apple. The official launch of the line will take place at the end of January so guests who attend “Tea with Myrtis” will be among the first to taste it.

Megan Lewis
Love Will Come Thru, 2023
Oil, acrylic and glitter on canvas, 48 x 48 ″

Opening Reception
Saturday, November 18, 2-6 pm

Featuring Jerrell Gibbs, Fabiola Jean-Louis,
Ya La’Ford, and Megan Lewis

| artwork preview | Tea with Myrtis is Back!

Galerie Myrtis is honored to introduce painter Jerrell Gibbs as the latest addition to its esteemed roster of artists. Gibbs is set to make his debut in the upcoming exhibition, “That Which Compels Me So…,” a survey and celebration of artists who have joined the gallery since 2021. Joining Gibbs in this exhibition are the exceptional talents of Fabiola Jean-Louis, Ya La’Ford, and Megan Lewis. Each artist brings their unique perspective and creative practice to the fore, resulting in a diverse and thought-provoking collection of works.

Through their respective creative practices, the artists in “That Which Compels Me So” invite viewers to contemplate the intricate interplay of memories, personal reflections, and the imaginative forces that fuel their artistic processes. This exhibition celebrates African American artistry and reflects the diverse and dynamic range of talent within Galerie Myrtis’s growing portfolio of artists.

Megan Lewis
Love Will Come Thru, 2023
Oil, acrylic and glitter on canvas, 48 x 48 ″

About the Artist’s

Jerrell Gibbs (b.1988, Baltimore, MD) is a painter committed to creating authentic and truthful work, and he reveals Black men as Godfearing husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons. His paintings highlight joy, beauty, and the mundane, all components within the vastness of Black life. The compositions, which are often taken from his family archive, focus on placement, size, and proportion as much as they do on mark-making and painterly gestures. His assertions of legacy highlight the performative nature of heritage and displacement of an audience unaccustomed to more extensive and wide-ranging portrayals of Black life.

In presenting a deeply personal and emotionally resonant collection of paintings, Gibbs delves into the intimate realm of family life. His canvases breathe with the spirit of kinship as he transforms family photographs into vibrant portraits. Through his masterful use of color, texture, and composition, Gibbs imbues these cherished family moments with new life and emotion. The artist invites us to share in his family’s joys, sorrows, and everyday experiences, making us feel like participants in his own familial journey.

Gibbs’ artistic endeavors are a compelling exploration of the vital processes of preserving and passing down traditions. His work conveys the significance of safeguarding cultural heritage, rituals, and practices to ensure continuity across generations. His work bridges the past, present, and future, emphasizing the enduring importance of traditions in shaping and enriching our cultural identity.

Fabiola Jean-Louis (b. 1978, Port Au Prince, Haiti) a photographer and conceptual artist, engages viewers in a critical dialogue on representation, race, and power dynamics. In her Rewriting History series, Jean-Louis skillfully reinterprets and reimagines the traditions of 15th to 19th-century portraiture in stunning tableaus as an exploration of Black women’s historical erasure and marginalization. She has adorned her subjects in ornate dresses and embellished slippers constructed of woven paper crafted entirely by her hands.

In the equally compelling Polaroids series, Jean-Louis’ sepia tone imagery serves as a visual commentary on the enduring strength and resilience of Black women throughout history, highlighting their agency in shaping their own narratives and identities.

Through her photography and storytelling, Jean-Louis effectively challenges historical narratives by centering Black women in her compositions while questioning the broader societal structures and systems perpetuating inequality.

Ya La’Ford (b. 1979, Bronx, NY) is a multidisciplinary artist who works across various artistic mediums, including painting, sculpture, installation, video, sound, and printmaking. One of her notable series is the “Ancestral Portals: Future of Human Civilization (3355 AD),” featured in this exhibition.

Ford’s prints aim to create a visual atmosphere as a conduit for spiritual reflection. She pursues an understanding of the relationship and symbolic trajectories of the human experience and pulls them towards the spiritually sublime. Employing intricate techniques and hand and machine-sown embellishments, she creates visually arresting prints that reflect her deep connection to her cultural heritage. Geometric shapes, abstract patterns, and symbolisms give viewers a glimpse into her rich artistic lineage and the cultural influences shaping her creative vision.

Megan Lewis (b. 1989, Baltimore, MD) is an accomplished painter known for using various mediums to create paintings that delve into critical perspectives on social, historical, and cultural issues related to Black life. Her recent body of work explores the Black male experience, particularly within the context of Baltimore.

Through her vivid and evocative compositions, Lewis provides viewers with thought-provoking portrayals of the daily lives of men in her community. Her artworks, whether based on real-life experiences or imagined scenarios, offer a window into the multifaceted ways men of the African diaspora navigate the world.

In her paintings, Lewis captures the universal truth of the shared concerns that Black men face in their lives, including the desire to assert their personhood, gain respect, and challenge the stereotypical beliefs and biases that often shape perceptions of who they are. Her work thus serves as a powerful reflection of the challenges and triumphs of Black men in their quest for dignity, recognition, and the dismantling of harmful stereotypes.

Galerie Myrtis announces our participation in CONTEXT Art Miami featuring new works from Tawny Chatmon, Morel Doucet, Monica Ikegwu, Megan Lewis, Delita Martin, and Felandus Thames at Booth A3.

Fair Hours
(VIP Preview) Tuesday, November 29 — 6:30pm – 10pm
Wednesday, November 30 — 11am – 7pm
Thursday, December 1 — 11am – 7pm
Friday, December 2 — 11am – 7pm
Saturday, December 3 — 11am – 7pm
Sunday, December 4 — 11am – 6pm
TICKETS & INFORMATION

Daily Orange, April 18, 2024
Megan Lewis’ ‘Chromatic Expressions’ captures Black introspection through paintings

Syracuse community members gathered for an intimate event in the main hall of the Community Folk Art Center (CFAC) to observe “Chromatic Expressions,” a 23-piece gallery by multidisciplinary illustrator Megan Lewis. The gallery celebrates the many facets and emotions of Black people. full article

ARTCENTRON, April 12, 2024
Megan Lewis: Portraying Black Masculinity and Life Through Art

…One artist who has particularly captured the attention of both art lovers and collectors is Megan Lewis. Her paintings are prominently on display at the Galerie Myrtis Booth 405. Despite this being the gallery’s inaugural participation in the event, the collection of works on display has made it a standout attraction. full article

CNN, March 13, 2024
Monica Ikegwu on ‘Art is Life’ segment

During the interview conducted by correspondent Victor Blackwell, Ikegwu discussed the sense of empowerment her subjects gain through modeling and the importance of visibility. Further, the interview uplifted Monica’s forthcoming solo exhibition with Galerie Myrtis, “Extensions,” opening in the Fall. Band of Vices coordinated the CNN segment. watch segment

WMAR, March 2022
Painting the Town with Megan Lewis by Kelly Swoope

You’ve probably seen Lewis’ work and didn’t realize it, while her studio on West Baltimore Street is filled with bright colorful paintings…it’s the city of Baltimore that’s her biggest canvas.. full article

Print Magazine, October, 2021
Megan Lewis Is A Masterful Multidisciplinary Artist With Her Sights Set On Growth by Charlotte Beach

Megan’s first-ever solo exhibition, “Language of the Soul,” was recently launched at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center in partnership with Galerie Myrtis, where her vibrant, pattern-filled paintings will be on display through November 20th. She imbues her subjects with bold colors and power-clashing patterns, with some of the pieces even embellished with textiles. full article

about the exhibition | view artwork

Lavett Ballard is a mixed media artist who describes her work as a re-imagined visual narrative of African descent people. Ballard’s use of imagery reflects social issues affecting primarily Black women.

Wesley Clark is a conceptual artist whose work challenges and draws parallels between historical and contemporary cultural issues. Clark’s primary focus surrounds blacks in America and the African Diaspora. He examines the young black male psyche and the feeling of being a target.

Alfred Conteh is a painter who presents visual explorations of how people from the African Diaspora societies living in the South are fighting social, economic, educational, and psychological wars from within and without to survive.

Susan Goldman is a printmaker whose “Squaring the Flower” series explores geometry and decorative form. Love of pattern and underlying passion for color and beauty informs playful layering and improvisation. The flower gets stripped away, covered up, and over-printed, yet it always finds a way back in, like a melodious refrain or a cherry blossom in springtime.

Michael Gross is a painter and printmaker whose intensely colorful works are frenetic studies of light and movement. For Gross, every piece attempts to capture a moment of equilibrium, a kind of elegant balance in time and space, and record it permanently.

Michael Gross
The Measure of a Man, 2018
Oil and acrylic on canvas, 72 x 48″


M. Scott Johnson is a photographer and sculptor. As a photographer, Johnson navigates and interprets light, space, and soul in his Landscape Astrophotography series, which represents a yearly pilgrimage to the dark sky of New York’s Adirondack Park, where he captures the rising of the planet Venus in the Northern Hemisphere. As a sculptor, Johnson’s aesthetic and philosophical explorations are shaped by the landscape of his atavistic memories.

Megan Lewis is a painter whose work is a visual series built on her curiosities, experiences, memories, and thought processes. Gathering what she has known to be true becomes the foundation and framework of her artistry. Lewis creates work to express and share her joys.

Delita Martin is a printmaker who portrays Black women as magical beings that possess the power to transcend their black skin and exist in a spiritual form. Through the weaving of history and storytelling, Martin’s work offers narratives on the power of women whose stories are not only layered in textures and techniques but also symbolism.

Arvie Smith is a painter who works transforms the history of oppressed and stereotyped segments of the American experience into lyrical two-dimensional masterworks. Smith’s work is commonly of psychological images revealing deep sympathy for the dispossessed and marginalized members of society in an unrelenting search for beauty, meaning, and equality.

Nelson Stevens is a painter and member of AfriCOBRA (African Commune for Bad Relevant Artists) whose aesthetic is rooted in activism and a commitment to create imagery that rails against racism through positive, powerful, and uplifting imagery.

Felandus Thames is a conceptual artist whose work transcends didacticisms that are typically associated with anachronistic understandings of representation and instead aligns itself with ideas around the taxonomy of human difference. Thames is also interested in the interplay between the personal narrative and the imagined, uses humor to allow the viewer to ease into disconcerting motifs.