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Mashonda Tifrere Dean from Love & Hop Hop said iconic ’80s street artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring have directly influenced and shaped who she is as an artist.
“I actually grew up in an era where Keith Haring’s work on the walls right before my eyes,” she shared with Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “I remember when he did ‘Crack is Whack’ on FDR Drive in New York, and it was really refreshing to see. At the time I didn’t even know what that meant, but I remember how it made me feel. The words really stayed in my mind and my psyche until now.”
“As far as Basquiat, he’s just one of the greatest to ever do it,” she said. “He is definitely one of the first of his kind to come out as a Black man with dreadlocks and have such a strong and powerful word on pop culture and what was happening in the world at that time. Those two will definitely be icons forever.”
Mashonda jams to artists from Sade to Janet Jackson when she’s creating
As a visual artist and a musician, Mashonda said art and music flow together as one for her when she is creating. “For me, they exist as one,” she said. “I don’t think of blending or consciously try to put them together. They both live the same and they inspire each other as well.”
She often turns to music for inspiration when she’s creating her art. Mashonda said she listens to many different artists during the process. “I love 80’s music and music from around the world,” she dished. “For example, Sade and James Blake. If I’m feeling a little uppity I’ll put on Janet Jackson. As far as newer musicians, I love H.E.R. I can relate to her vibe. I play a lot of my own music, as well.”
Why did Mashonda start her ArtLeadHer program?
Mashonda also loves to give back and lend her support to other artists, especially underrepresented women. “That comes from the music industry, being part of that world for many years, and realizing how women are underrepresented and just not really held in as high regard as their male counterparts,” she said.
“I started ArtLeadHer because I saw this same behavior in the art world toward women who were painters or photographers. I wanted to create a safe space for them to show their work and speak about their work and that’s how ArtLeadHer came to life,” she added.
Supporting other artists is also why she recently partnered with SunChips and the Art Seen program. “I feel like working with SunChips on their Art Seen program has perfectly aligned to the work I do with Art Genesis and ArtLeadHer,” she said. “I love the way SunChips has developed this program to support artists and get their work seen. The missions aligned, it felt really good and I’m really excited for people to see the collection we put together.”
Mashonda is lending her authority to curate a three-day exhibit during one of the most prominent moments in the global art scene that kicks off in Miami later this month. The show will feature 15 artists who represent various dimensions of difference, from race to culture to gender and more, and will give these artists a chance to have their art featured on more than 20 million SunChips bags and in SunChips advertising in 2023.
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