Cultures United
“The Intersection of Contemporary Visual Art and Modern Jazz in the Immigrant Community”
A program designed to feature culturally diverse music, art and food from the corners of Brooklyn communities. As the most diverse community in the US, Brooklyn residents represent people from around the world, making it an ideal setting for cultural exchange. Workshops are scheduled for Friday May 8,2026; May 15,2026 and May 22,2026 from 2pm to 6pm respectively, at 1368 Fulton Street, Restoration Plaza Community room. Facilitators will reflect on their personal and communal identities, to express their narratives and share their journeys. All communities will converge at the culminating event weekend on June 12, 13, 14, 2026 @ My Gallery, 587 Franklin Ave., Brooklyn, NY 4pm to 8pm.
Excerpt from Visual Artist “Gina Samson” with CBJC Executive Director Charles Dougherty.
“My work continues the conversation between music and visual art. I listen to jazz as I work to explore styles and techniques. By doing this I hope it resonates with viewers and captures the essence of jazz in a visual form with energy, bold colors and dynamic composition with the influence of jazz’s improvisational style and rhythms.
Specific jazz movements, particularly bebop and free jazz, have influenced contemporary visual artists by encouraging spontaneity, improvisation, and non-traditional forms of expression. It influenced Cubism, Abstract expressionism, surrealism by encouraging and allowing artists to explore emotional and conceptual depth through visual media.”