By Ricky Richardson, Contributing Writer
Los Angeles, CA (February 24, 2022) – The 3rd Annual Leimert Park Jazz Festival Art Competition will launch on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. The competition is open to South L.A.-based visual artists, 18+ years old, who will compete for a $1,000 cash prize. Art submissions will be accepted from March 1, 2022 through May 31 at 11:59 PM PT. To access the submission form, go to tinyurl.com/LPJFArt2022.
This year’s esteemed panel of judges are: Yvonne Farrow, Arts Manager, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affair; Eric Hanks, AAA, Director, M. Hanks Gallery; Ramsess, Multi-Media Artist; and Jacadi White, winner of the 2021 Art Competition. The judges will select three finalists and the community will choose the winner in a vote on social media.
“I’m honored to be a judge for the 3rd Annual Leimert Park Jazz Festival Art Competition,” said Eric Hanks, AAA, Director, M. Hanks Gallery. “Art is essential not only to those who create it but also to the entire community as it gives the artist an avenue of expression and the viewer an insight into the world around us. Encouraging and supporting artists is essential and this competition goes a long way to helping that process.”
“I was given the opportunity to participate in last year’s Leimert Park Jazz Festival Art Competition and was fortunate to be voted the winner,” said Jacadi White, winner of the 2021 Competition. This was my first art competition and I can’t imagine a better organization to be a part of. It was a blessing to share my story and create moments with my peers and the attendees. I am honored to serve on the panel that will help select this year’s winner.”
The historic Leimert Park community in South L.A. is a culturally rich neighborhood that has served for decades as the center of African American creative arts and culture in Los Angeles. Highly regarded arts institutions such as The World Stage Performance Gallery, The Vision Theater, Barbara Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, KAOS Network, Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center, and Art + Practice make their home in Leimert Park.
“The Leimert Park Jazz Festival is a celebration of jazz, community, and the cultural heritage of Leimert Park. The Art Competition is a wonderful complement to the Festival and is perfectly aligned with the community’s history as the center of black creative arts and culture in Los Angeles,” said the Festival’s Executive Producer, Diane Robertson. “I am thrilled to offer this platform to local artists and to highlight the immense talent in our community. The Festival and the Art Competition will play an important role in ensuring this vibrant community remains culturally significant for years to come.”
About the Leimert Park Jazz Festival
The Leimert Park Jazz Festival is executive produced by Diane Robertson in association with Dwight Trible and The World Stage. It has evolved from its beginning in 2015 as an intimate community block party known as the Sutro Avenue Summer Soirée to its rebranded iteration in 2020. Its mission is to build and strengthen community while celebrating and showcasing the artistic and cultural spirit of historic Leimert Park. The live event brings together a diverse, family-friendly audience to enjoy a fun-filled day that includes a community resource zone, health & wellness zone, kids’ zone, food truck zone, dance, art, and, of course, outstanding live jazz from local and world-renowned musicians. The Leimert Park Jazz Festival is held annually on the last Saturday in August. This year, the Festival will take place on Saturday, August 27, 2022 at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 3650 W Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. 90008. For more information, go to
www.leimertparkjazzfestival.com
