At the August IAA Members Meeting on Tuesday, August 23rd, the artist Justin O’Keith Higgs will make a presentation on his own art genre that he calls “Selcouth+Meraki.” https://irvingartassociation.org/august-23rd-iaa-members-meeting-featured-artist-justin-okeith-higgs/
Doors open at 6:30 pm. Business meeting and announcements start at 7:00 pm, followed by the art demonstration. Visitors are welcome.
Location: Jaycee Park Center for the Arts, 1975 Puritan Dr., Irving TX 75061
Note: Each month members should bring one of their recent artworks by 6:45 p.m. to participate in the “Artist of the Month” competition. The winning artist is awarded a prize and artwork is displayed in the Gallery until the next monthly meeting.
As always all gatherings are better with food! Please bring a snack to share (optional).
About the Art and the Artist – Justin O’Keith Higgs
Justin’s solo exhibition will be on view through August 26th in the East Gallery at Jaycee Park Center for the Arts. He won 1st in Show at this year’s Photography Show with his work “Word Up.”
“Selcouth+Meraki”
“Selcouth is defined as unfamiliar, rare, strange, yet marvelous. Meraki is called the soul, creativity, or love put into something; the essence of yourself that is put into your work. I have taken the genres, photography, creative makeup, body art, costume design and styling and have combined them into something groundbreaking. Instead of having a large team doing all these items, I am a one man show.
“I use humans as my canvas and apply my paint to create them into living, unique pieces of art. Once washed away, it will never exist again. Each piece is custom tailored to tell the story of my model or to make a very strategic societal or political statement. The mission of my work is to start conversations on very sensitive topics. I want my audience to understand that while we as a society focus on the things that make us different, in the end we are a lot more alike than we wish to admit. I use my work to platform the adversities faced by people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community and other groups that are typically marginalized and not given a voice.
“My work brings a glimpse into our world and the challenges we face as people living in America. My mission is legacy building. To create pieces that long after I am gone, they will continue to live throughout time and inspire generations to come. My motto always has been and always will be “Unapologetically Provocative.”
–Justin O’Keith Higgs
