By Hailey Stangebye

Photos by Marshall Shorts

On Valentines Day, the Gateway Film Center will host a special screening of “My Great Day in Harlem” for children from Columbus City Schools.

The documentary, which follows five local artists on a landmark journey to Harlem, was originally released at the Gateway Film Center on Nov. 30, 2018. On Thursday, it returns to the big screen to inspire the young minds of Columbus. After the film, these lucky kids will have an opportunity to ask each of the featured artists questions about their experiences and the realities of being a creative in this city.

“My Great Day in Harlem” is more than a documentary. It’s an opportunity for kids in our community to connect with and relate to passionate creatives. The people featured in this film are our contemporary trailblazers. They’re our role models for the next generation.

Meet the stars of “My Great Day in Harlem”

TRIPP FONTANE

“Art is not a right. It is a necessity by virtue of the people… I believe that art is the translation of the cosmos.”

Originally from the small town of Xenia, Ohio, Tripp Fontane moved to Columbus to find new opportunities in the realm of poetry. Before breaking into the spoken-word scene, Tripp focused primarily on rap. That all changed when he went to an open mic and decided to perform a song without the beat. People started calling him a poet, and Tripp says he still hasn’t corrected them. Today, he boasts international acclaim.

SAMARA TILLMAN

“We have so many talented people here. I think that the vision for the future of fashion in Columbus is bright.”

Samara was born and raised in Columbus. She left for college, but after graduating from Kentucky State with her degree in fashion merchandising and business management, Samara returned to Columbus where she ultimately opened a fashion boutique in 2005. For the next five years, she ran boutiques all around the Columbus area. Today, she runs a dance studio and continues to design. She plans to release her next clothing line in fall of 2019.

JAY SWIFA

“Whether I affect one person, or five people, or a million people, I just feel like I have insight to add on the world today.”

Jay is a musician who hails from the north side Columbus, but he feels close to every corner of the city. He grew up surrounded by creative energy — his father was a musician and his mother was a dancer. With all of those influences, Jay developed a witty, creative sound from a young age. After lots of success with his former group, Fly Union, Jay set out to work on his solo sound.

PERCY KING

“The older I get, the more I understand what it means to celebrate your heroes. My work celebrates heroes.”

Percy is a Columbus native who was raised on the south side of the city. He says that he’s always been an artist and a creative, but he didn’t think of pursuing art as a career until recently. Instead, Percy devoted most of his time to his football career. His creative outlet over the years became woodwork and home improvement. Today, he’s transitioned that passion for woodwork into fine art portraits carved out of layers of wood.

LORI LINDSEY

“Whenever I am honored to dance in front of other people, my goal — my intent — is to move them. Whether it’s to think a different thought, to take action on something, maybe it’s just to brighten their day or to  give them hope. It’s more than steps to a song.”

Lori has lived across the globe, from Dublin to L.A., but she’s originally from Columbus. Her passion is dance, which she started at only 3 or 4 years old. In high school, Lori briefly stopped dancing after hearing hurtful gossip from the dance community. Today, she’s proud to say that she doesn’t let someone else’s opinion define her or determine her future. Now, Lori inspires young dancers at Elite Performance Academy.

By Hailey Stangebye

Photos courtesy of April Sunami

April Sunami knows that culture is a form of power.

She says it’s not laws or heavy-handed rules. It’s the way we influence people. It’s the way we instill values and show love. Culture is a soft power.

And the best way to influence culture and harness that power, April says, is through art.

“Artists come in all types, but I’m a visual artist and a cultural producer,” April says. “By cultural producer, I mean somebody who is in the conversation about culture. Somebody who contributes to the larger culture. I think all artists are cultural producers, really. We produce content that people talk about and discuss and consume.”

“By cultural producer, I mean somebody who is in the conversation about culture. Somebody who contributes to the larger culture. I think all artists are cultural producers, really. We produce content that people talk about and discuss and consume.” 

April has created art for as long as she can remember — it was her favorite thing to do from elementary school through graduate school. She still remembers one of her first picture books. It was about a girl named Sam who wore a leather jacket and had flower curls.

Today, April continues to gravitate toward art that shows African women in positions of power and action.

“It’s just a way of celebrating a history that a lot of people don’t know about. As a person who studied history, I always felt that African history was excluded from the picture,” April says. “Anytime anybody talked about the broader trajectory of world history, Africa was always excluded. Then, of course, women were always excluded from the broader trajectory of history.

“So African women and their role as these powerful figures, be it if they existed in real life or as mythologies from tradition, is what I hope to highlight and bring forth and represent in my work.”

“So African women and their role as these powerful figures, be it if they existed in real life or as mythologies from tradition, is what I hope to highlight and bring forth and represent in my work.”

April created a mural in the Short North for the Harlem Renaissance Experience at Gallery Hop that does just that. The piece, which is called “Dziva, 2017,” depicts a powerful African woman looking up in hope.

Her mural brings forgotten history to life. That’s why the piece is so perfect for the Harlem Renaissance campaign.

“The Harlem Renaissance wasn’t necessarily a re-birth, as the name suggests. It’s always been there. It was really an awareness that there’s this culture that is happening in Harlem. And really across the United States. What’s interesting about the Harlem Renaissance, to me, is there’ve been many points in history, and specifically within black art and black popular culture, where it’s been more visible at some times than others,” April says. “But, the thing about it is that it’s always being created. It never goes away. There’s always artists and people working continually. There were people before the Harlem Renaissance and there were plenty of wonderful cultural producers afterwords.”

“What’s interesting about the Harlem Renaissance, to me, is there’ve been many points in history, and specifically within black art and black popular culture, where it’s been more visible at some times than others. But, the thing about it is that it’s always being created. It never goes away. There’s always artists and people working continually.”

For April, this celebration shines a light on the phenomenal artists and cultural producers who were already creating in this space. It also creates an opportunity for communities to have a dialogue.

“These different movements, these different points of awareness, they always happen in communities. They never happen with just one person,” April says. “The case is usually that you have a community of people, a circle of artists and intellectuals, people who generally know each other, and they’re in conversation with each other. That makes this movement.”

April is a part of the August 4 Gallery Hop. Her work will be featured in Sherrie Gallerie and her mural will be located at 772 N. High St. Here is where you can find more information.

April’s Work