August Artist of the Month

              Art At The Kent Library

Sponsored by The Friends of Kent Library

with Arts on the Lake

Exhibit: EBB & FLOW

Show Dates: August 1st-30th

 

Katori Walker & Evan Bishop

    EBB & FLOW is not just the title of one of the paintings, it is the rhythm of life. Katori Walker and Evan Bishop chose this title as it represents their 11-year journey as artists. Since 2014, this creative couple has immersed themselves in the art scene of Yonkers and beyond. They have much in common such as, their love of art, commitment to serving others and they even share the same birthday, March 20th. Like the sign Pisces, they represent a perceived duality that is actually a oneness. This body of work is a celebration of their artistic union through their individual expressions.

    Katori Walker is a poet, playwright, self taught multi-media artist, spoken word performer, muralist, a Scholastic Inc. children’s author, art educator and in her spare time enjoys reading poetry at open mics . She was born in NYC and was raised in Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, and feels that her Caribbean background has contributed to her love of bright colors and textures. Katori wrote her first play AJUMA “A Journey U Make Alone” in 2019 and it became a highly acclaimed piece about intergenerational family issues, and is currently working on another.
    She also teaches ARTSPEAK/FPTP workshops as a guest of Yonkers Poet Laureate Golda Solomon and during the pandemic collaborated with other artists to create the zoom platform Art4Wellness, a free way for artists from around the world to interact and create art while listening to a live DJ spin vinyl records. In addition to Art4Wellness Katori co created the 100 Words of Wisdom art exhibit which involved the body art and photography of 141 seniors. Katori is passionate about making seniors feel seen and heard within the community. Katori is also passionate about the voices of children and believes that “children are treasures that need to be nurtured with inspiration and positively empowered” and teaches children’s workshops for various ages and makes what is called “happy art” with her Katori Kids illustrations.
    Over the years, Katori has curated art shows and her art work has been in various galleries and venues within the tri-state area. She also collaborated in 2020 with two other female artists to create a title wall at the Yonkers Hudson River Museum in an exhibit called “Woman to the Fore”.
Katori has received many awards and accolades over the years including most recently the YWCA Spirit of a Woman Leadership Award, the African American Heritage Award from The Yonkers AAHC, the NCNW Changemakers Award from The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), Inc. Westchester Section and has a day named after her by the Westchester Board of Legislators.

    Evan Bishop is a professional artist who has relocated from his birthplace in the Bronx to the Yonkers to continue beautifying and empowering communities with his art. He is the recipient of multiple grants and has received proclamations from the Yonkers Mayor, County Legislators, and New York State Senators for his unique and engaging community art projects. 
As a curator, Evan has produced several exhibitions in New York City and Yonkers including the Hip Hop Heroes exhibit at the Hudson River Museum that celebrated the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop Culture. This year, Evan curated a mural festival that hosted 15 professional muralists in the historic Carpet Mills Arts District. Muralists came to the festival from as far as England to participate. As a muralist himself, Evan has beautified walls, and business gates throughout Yonkers, Harlem and the Bronx for over three decades. 
    As a teacher, he used his passion for comic books to empower his students to explore non-violent resolutions to social issues that matter to them. This initiative led to him producing Yonkers Comic Con, an annual event where thousands of fans, cosplayers and families gather to celebrate all things relating to comic books. In 2024, Katori Walker, Evans' artistic counterpart, actively participated alongside him in the 2nd annual Yonkers Comic Con. This event attracted 4,000 people to the Yonkers RiverFront Library. Evan is currently the Executive Director of Yonkers Arts, a progressive nonprofit organization that is at the forefront of engaging and impactful programming and exhibitions in Yonkers.

To see more of their artwork go to www.320Arts.com

KATORI'S ARTWORK

SHE IS ME

16"x20" Mixed media on canvas

Not for sale

FRIENDS FOREVER

16"x20" Acrylic on canvas

Not for sale

TIME'S FOUNTAIN IN THE TIGER GARDEN

30"x15"  Digital collage on canvas

$250

For more of Katori's work follow her on Instagram

@WalkerKatori

@320Arts

EVAN'S ARTWORK

FLOW

24"x20"  Digital art print with acrylic embellishments on canvas (Limited edition)

$300

FIRE DANCE

20"x16"  Digital art print with acrylic embellishments on canvas (Limited edition)

$300

EBB & FLOW

16"x20"  Digital art print with acrylic embellishments on canvas (Limited edition)

$300

For more of Evan's work follow him on Instagram

@EvanBishopArt

@320Arts