His prints have been collected by celebrities such as Bill Cosby, and can be found in galleries from Baltimore to Brazil.
Yet Baltimore native Larry Poncho Brown is keenly aware of how in the rarified, often elitist, art world, commercially successful artists like himself are sometimes viewed with condescension.
"The commercial world and the fine art world have butted heads since the beginning of time," says Brown, a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. "All artists have to deal with that divide ... but I would rather have my work in 500,000 homes than be in one museum."
Brown creates upward of "200 original" images each year in his Baltimore-based studio and runs an art company, Melanin Graphics. He says his philosophy - that art should be accessible to the masses - is one reason he looks forward each February to meeting collectors and showcasing his work at the annual Black Heritage Art Show, now in its 13th year.
More than 100 visual, literary and performing artists - including musicians, poets, dancers and authors - are part of the three-day event, which began yesterday at the Baltimore Convention Center.
While foremost a show and sale of artwork, the event celebrates a wide range of artistic expression.
Fans of The Wire can look forward to an appearance by Jermaine Crawford, who plays "Duquan "Dukie" Weems on the HBO show. Baltimore icon Travis Winkey will stage a fashion show. And David "Davinch" Chance, who's one-half of the R&B; recording duo Ruff Endz, will deliver a gospel performance.
Attendees will also find health, wellness and financial seminars, a talent competition with a $500 prize and potential recording contract. Yesterday's events included a jazz soiree and a silent auction to benefit a scholarship fund for student artists who want to attend college.
And as if all that's not enough, there's a Children's Village where the kids can get creative, plus a marketplace where patrons will find everything from ethnic clothing to glass art and sculpture.
Glenda and Milton Boone, the husband-wife team behind the exhibition, have watched it evolve over the years. They first hosted six artists back in 1995 in the basement of New Psalmist Baptist Church, then located in downtown Baltimore. Today, the exhibition is regionally and nationally known, drawing as many as 46,000 attendees.
"We had a handful of artists our first year, and 300 people came out to see them," says Glenda Boone. "We knew we were on to something, and what we have today is an example of that."
Boone says, "With art being taken out of schools," and not enough emphasis on mentoring the next generation, there must be more outlets for black artistic expression. "There are so few venues for black artists to show their work," she says. "So this has become our mission."
While the couple now reside in Atlanta, their company - Visual Arts Marketing Corp. - is still headquartered in Baltimore, and their local ties remain strong, so they hope the show can promote homegrown talent.
Among that talent is visual artist Karen Y. Buster. The Baltimore native has taken part in the exhibition for the last seven years. "It's important that people, and children especially, see artists from their hometown so they can have role models," says Buster, an artist for three decades.
"I am self-taught," says Buster, who earned a business degree from Dillard University in New Orleans. While there, she ran her own T-shirt company, making silkscreen designs. Today, Buster creates black-and-white serigraphs (a type of hand-pulled print) and colorful, three-dimensional mixed-media.
The elongated images portray black women in regal fashion: dancing, praying, enjoying sisterhood. Men are equally dignified, as in her "New Orleans Necktie Series," inspired by her days in the Crescent City. Prices range from about $20 to more than $2,000.
The show will also spotlight young up-and-comers such as Eddie B. Tombs IV, 23, a photographer from Woodlawn. The 2006 MICA graduate has shot everything from high-fashion pictures to political portraits (including one of state comptroller Peter Franchot) to a CD cover for R&B; singer Substantial, whom Tombs says is widely known in Japan.
"I grew up painting and drawing, and eventually I got into photography," says Tombs, who has won acclaim for his "Black Boxing" series, a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the Baltimore gym where former boxing champion Hasim Rahman trained.
Tombs believes in pushing creative boundaries. For instance, his latest photos blend Japanese martial arts and fashion. "I like to use exaggerated colors," he says. "And I am experimenting with digital manipulation."
A 2004 recipient of a scholarship the Boones give annually to a promising student artist, Tombs has been part of the art show since he was a teen. He says he is grateful for the opportunity to express himself creatively.
"This is something that I love to do," he says.
Glenda Boone hopes people across the region will come out en masse to support the show and its artists, whom she believes are the cultural gatekeepers.
"I believe artists are the unsung heroes of black history and our heritage," she says. "We must value them."
Music, dance and other arts performances
The Black Heritage Art show runs from 11 a.m-7 p.m. today and tomorrow at the Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St. Admission is $5; children younger than 12 are free. Call 410-521-0660 or go to blackheritageartshow.com.
Today
11 a.m.:
B. P.V. - Gospel performance
11:30 a.m.:
International training - self-improvement through communication
Noon:
Flair models, featuring children and teenagers
12:30 p.m.:
Flair dancers, featuring Children and Teenagers
1 p.m.:
Wellness coach Zetha Woffard
1:30 p.m.:
Singer Jordan Kearney
1:45 p.m.:
The Wire actor Jermaine Crawford
2 p.m.:
R&B; artist Elbie
2:30 p.m.:
R&B; artist Joy Thompson
3 p.m.:
Gospel artist Carrone Grant
3:30 p.m.:
Gospel artist David Chance
4:30 p.m.:
Gospel group Immeasurable
5 p.m.:
Travis Winkey Fashion Show
5:45 p.m.:
Spoken-word artist Julian Marshburn
6 p.m.:
R&B; artists Howard Riley Jr. and Terrence Richburg
6:30 p.m.:
R&B; singer Kanika
Tomorrow
Noon:
Artist Spotlight Competition
2 p.m.:
Financial consultant Kenneth Martin
2:30 p.m.:
Dayvon's Expressions Hat Fashion Show
2:45 p.m.:
Namyanka Dance Group
3:15 p.m.:
Gospel poet Tafsha Richburg
3:30 p.m.:
Morton Street Dancers
4 p.m.:
The Wire actor Jermaine Crawford
4:30 p.m.:
Gospel singer Anthony Brown
5 p.m.:
The Original Little Ark Male Chorus, gospel group
5:30 p.m.:
Gospel singer Yvonne Marie Kane
6 p.m.:
Earl Bannister Couture Fashion Show
6:30 p.m.:
Gospel singer Beverly Dorsey
Seeking more art? Other venues beckon
Seeking to celebrate the works of African-American artists? Art enthusiasts have multiple options during Black History Month, at several venues in Baltimore and beyond.
Paintings, sculpture, mixed media and photography will be displayed in a monthlong exhibit at the World Trade Center, 401 E. Pratt St. $3-$5. Call 410-837-8439.
The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, 830 E. Pratt St., will display works by MICA student Phylicia Ghee and Eastern Shore native Patrick Henry. Free with museum admission. Call 443-263-1800.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, will host its 17th annual African Spirit Series, billed as a "soulful celebration of art, music, dance and film." Admission is free. Call 443-573-1700 or go to artbma.org.
Discover three African-American masters -- Edward M. Bannister, Mary Edmondia Lewis and Henry Tanner -- during an educational lecture series at the Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. The courses will be held on Fridays through the end of the month. $10 each. Call 410-547-9000 or go thewalters.org.
The Black History Showcase features a diverse mix of exhibits and activities. Black memorabilia and collectibles will be on sale. Hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. today and tomorrow at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th & Arch streets, Philadelphia. Free. Go blackhistoryshowcase.org.
[Donna Owens]