Sankofa Arts Project
L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center’s Arts & Community Engagement Project
The #SankofaArtsProject is a L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center’s Community Arts & Engagement Project curated and programmed by Niki Lopez of Niki Lopez Creative & What’s Your Elephant. This project seeks to engage the community and use the arts incorporated into the new building to preserve and celebrate the rich history of this land on Sistrunk which also includes an installation by principal artist George Gadson.
Main hashtags to be used: #nikilopezpresents #sankofaartsproject #laleeymca #sistrunk
LA Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center
PROJECT OBJECTIVE:
Our mission is to preserve and celebrate the rich history and culture of this land in the Sistrunk community and the history of Provident Hospital, L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center, and people while amplifying community voices through innovative cultural programming that honors the past, present and future with artistic excellence.
Highlighting local, known and unknown heroes of Sistrunk – each wall will be dedicated and used to tell the story of the community and the Y. References for the art will be created based on historical research and engaging the L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center’s Art & History Ambassador group along with research contributions by The Trailblazers of Broward, African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, Fort Lauderdale Historical Society and C.R.E.A.T.E./ Black Broward. Niki Lopez has been commissioned to design, produce and curate the art in selected spaces of the new LA Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center along with selecting local artists to participate in creating works of art and engaging the community in several virtual workshops and talks.
Artists:
- Niki Lopez – Lead Artist, Project Curator/Manager/ Art Director/Designer, art director and designer for the ‘I Have A Dream Gallery’ and the Martin Luther King, Jr Recognition wall presented by Spirit Airlines
- Khaulah Naima Nuruddin – Artist, mixed-media Word Art Wall
- Teepop – Artist, Victory on Sistrunk mural
- Kianga Jinaki – Textile Artist, Ubuntu Community Quilt
- Jay Thompson – Artist, Set Designer – Lines – mixed media installation for the Victory Theater entrance
- George Gadson – Artist, Sculptor – Ancestral DNA – bronze sculpture
Virtual Community Engagement Program (Zoom/Facebook Live broadcasts):
Niki Lopez, Tara Montenaro, Mark Russell and Sheryl Woods 
Niki Lopez, Lorraine Mizell and Scott Strawbridge 
LA Lee / Mizzell Community Center tour 
Gabriel Ochoa and Niki Lopez
If you would like to join the eList for Niki Lopez to get updates on upcoming Aya Arts Programing and other creative happenings: http://eepurl.com/eqUc
The Circle:
The Circle: LIVE with Niki Lopez is a series sharing stories of our creative community, activists & social entrepreneurs. The 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month 8:30 PM EST on: facebook.com/nikilopezcreative or youtube.com/c/Nikilopez19 or linkedin.com/in/nikilopezcreative. Click on some of the interviews below to learn more about the artists:
