BEYOND – 2020 
Works by Makayla Binter, Andrea Downs and Philip Cherry
We live in a new reality now. Often in times of darkness, we turn to artists for glimpses of light. Although this year’s BOOM Festival has been rescheduled for sometime in the future, visual artists in Charlotte still came together in April 2020 to demonstrate how we can use art to move BEYOND: Beyond these unprecedented times, beyond the current issues around the quality of life, beyond the racial and health inequities and beyond the cultural inequality that so many people in Charlotte and beyond are experiencing today. These artists are collectively working to push our creative culture forward and beyond. Join the movement!
BEYOND is organized by BOOM’s Visual Art curator Jessica Gaynelle Moss.
Malibu Ninjas
Established in 2017, Malibu Ninjas is a collective of visual artists who developed their skills within the graffiti subculture in the metropolis of Lisbon, Portugal. Their work has illustration qualities and takes on themes that fight the forces of evil. They have the ability to communicate ideas and cooperate with others during the creative process of their original concepts.
Contact: pedrobarodrigues@gmail.com
Malibu Ninjas at Work
Artist Group
Artists creating art to share the idea of unity through art in Charlotte. Live painting on 4'x12' non-stretch canvas over the street. Each participant will create an interactive art piece where visitors can be a part of the painting process using water-soluble paint (dyes) and brushes.
Contact: rahudifi@gmail.com
Artist Group - Rosa Linda Street Art
Melissa Wineman
Mo’s Art is illustrative, abstract while conveying whimsy and magic.
Contact: mos-art@hotmail.com
Podcast Fairy by Melissa Wineman
Dakotah Aiyanna - Mural
The art of Dakotah Aiyanna is an expression of love, freedom, and passion. It is driven by emotions that are conveyed through color.
Dakotah Aiyanna website »
Dakotah Aiyanna on Instagram »
Contact: dakotahaiyanna@gmail.com
Dakotah Aiyanna - Wonderland
Philip Cherry
The art of Philip Cherry is simple to understand. It is an expression of feelings with a message.
Contact: pomm89@gmail.com
Philip Cherry Work
Nelli Levental - Artist
Random Acts of Glamour is a collective that creates wearable art projects that bring awareness and open possibilities, and provide live performances that showcase the power of art. These performances create an intimate experience that inspires revelations about the uniqueness of inner beauty.
Nelli Levental website »
Nelli Levental on Instagram »
Contact: levental.nelli@gmail.com
Nelli Levental - Ascending
Andrea Downs
Andrea Downs is an artist and an activist. Relationships, connections, identity, and an openness to engage with one another are at the center of her artwork. Her art installation Airing Out the "Dirty" Laundry is an ongoing interactive community art movement that responds to the silencing of women by creating opportunities for cis women, trans women, women-identifying people to share experiences of strength, unity, and resistance of oppression, injustice, and exclusion through visual storytelling.
Andrea Downs website »
Andrea Downs on Instagram »
Contact: areneedowns@gmail.com
Airing Out the Dirty Laundry - Andrea Downs
Nico Amortegui - Artist
Nico Amortegui is a Charlotte-based artist born & raised in Bogotá, Colombia known for large-scale paintings and murals. Amortegui also sculpts with wood, metal, and hand-building with clay. Amortegui will create an installation that features a photo booth that will be an immersive experience. The booth will contain a playful background that creates a one of a kind memory.
Nico Amortegui website »
Nico Amortegui on Instagram »
Contact: nico.amortegui@gmail.com
Nico Amortegui - Rocking Horse in the Room
Ellie Loor is an artist that promotes DIY ethics with the intention of starting a DIY revolution among her teenage peers. Loor’s work explores what happens when we lose our morality.
Ellie Loor on Instagram »Contact: elell421@gmail.com
Ellie Loor - Art
Michael Foster - Artist
Michael Foster is a mixed media artist with a portfolio of varied painting styles. Foster’s art is a representation of spontaneous expression with the goal of allowing the viewer to use their own creativity and imagination to form their own interpretation of the artwork.
Contact: mfoster670@gmail.com
Michael Foster - Art
Ed Parks is an artist rediscovering his direction and creativity. His love of the interaction of vibrant colors is at the center of his work. It is abstract art with three-dimensional elements, vibrant colors, and a high gloss finish.
Contact: edwardaparks@aol.com
Edward Parks - Art
Jessica Gaynelle Moss has led the BOOM Visual Arts Production team as the Visual Arts Curator for the past three years. From 2017's 'the hue + shade lounge' Pop Up Gallery at The International House and 'The Queen’s Cusp' community Vision Board presented in partnership with the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, to 2018's 'La Raza Cósmica' activating multiple storefronts as a neighborhood Gallery Crawl, the 2019 BOOM 'BOX SHOW' will bridge local and international artists with small businesses throughout the Plaza Midwood community.
Jessica Moss, Photo by Carey J King
As an ardent advocate for artists, communities of color and accessible arts education, Jessica is the Founder and Director of The Roll Up, a national network of art incubators embedded in neighborhoods mired in persistent poverty and concentrated disadvantage.
In addition to her projects that engage art and real property as a strategy of community revival, Jessica is a legal scholar, educator and arts consultant. As a fervent arts administrator, Jessica has served in many local leadership roles at The Harvey B. Gantt Center, McColl Center for Arts + Innovation, The New Gallery of Modern Art, The Light Factory and Queens University of Charlotte.
Jessica received a bachelors in Painting, Drawing and Printmaking from Carnegie Mellon University; a masters in Arts Administration, Policy and Management from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and a masters in Studies of the Law from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Her interests in innovation, activism and collaboration continue to influence her projects today.
