Harlem Free Fight Academy is a 501c3 nonprofit providing free Brazilian jiu jitsu and boxing classes to teens in Harlem. As we train and connect with our students, we mentor them and find opportunities for them to succeed both in and out of the gym. We also use martial arts as a tool to empower our community through self defense and situational awareness clinics.

Artists:

Cory Ford - Website - Instagram

Cory Ford, a self-taught artist from Jersey City, excels in Contemporary, Abstract, and Modern art. Inspired by life and legends like Picasso and Basquiat, his work blends classical techniques with innovative expression through oils, acrylics, and diverse mediums.

Alex Pai - Instagram

Based out of NYC, Alex's work primarily consists of capturing scenes, people, and animals in their natural environment in and around the city. He prefers using and playing with natural light, shadows, depth, and colors to tell a story or evoke emotion through photography.

Nylah Hindsman - Instagram

Nylah is a visual artists with a Bachelors in Fine Art who primarily works with oil pains, yarn, fabrics, and found objects. Her art is centered around African American hair, history, and emotions, and she aims to relay stories through texture.

Andie Rodriguez

Andie is an 18-year old digital artist from the Hudson Valley. A queer creator with a love for fauvism and art nouveau, Andie’s art focuses on their Puerto Rican heritage and experiences growing up throughout New York State.

Jackie Rigney - Website

Jackie Rigney is a New York City-based photographer focusing on street photography, where she captures raw, unfiltered moments of human expression and spirit. With a keen eye for the nuances of everyday life, her work delves into the intricacies of emotion, connection, and the energy of urban spaces. Through her lens, Jackie brings the soul of the city to life, offering a candid glimpse into its most intimate moments.

Shalom Haileselassie - Website

Shalom is an anthropologist and youth worker who seeks to understand what makes beings and places alike. Often, she does this by challenging ideas about culture and belonging. She has an affinity for melancholy and enjoys exploring its complexities in her work. Her artistic practice is ever curious, but often includes found objects, photography, poetry, and keepsakes.

Javana Mundy - Website - Instagram

Javana Mundy is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist from Atlanta, Georgia. Raised by a painter, she creates figurative experimental art using various mediums like clay, resin, and acrylic to tell stories of Black and brown life in America. Her work explores themes of grief, healing, and community, and she facilitates workshops through her Friends of Artist's (FOAS) initiative.

Alessandro Echevarria - Website - Instagram

Alessandro is an Illustrator who creates allegorical worlds that hold a mirror to our own. Raised by a pack of wild TVs at the foot of the Italian Alps, his work is influenced by 70's-80s Japanese animation and American TV Re-runs. He really enjoys Aged Cheese And Bread, Dogs, Science, Dialectics, Materialism, and gently throwing people.

Chris Richards -

Christian Xander Richards, an artist that doesn’t paint like you paint, but loves to draw and put the two together. By adding his hand drawn sketches onto a canvas, he created his own style called “copy & paste.”

Ryan Wright -

Ryan Wright was born and raised in northern New Jersey. Growing up in the shadow of New York, he has always been inspired by the dynamic nature of the city. A passion for art led him to pursue a BFA from School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. His work invites viewers to experience often overlooked details of urban environments through layers of texture, color, and form.

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