My 2024 Roundup

How do I plan to have a good 2025? By being grateful for 2024. Here goes.

Credit: Rachel Claire

I believe that gratitude is the starting point for all blessings. With that in mind, here are the 2024 experiences, accomplishments, and progress I'm grateful for.

Naked Acts

I am incredibly proud of my wife. The release of the 4K restoration of Bridgett's 1996 film has been thrilling. Both the film and the filmmaker are getting well-deserved flowers. From the official screenings at BAM and Film Forum to international showings in The Netherlands and Spain to ongoing dates around the United States and abroad, it's an inspiring reminder that a focus on quality–doing your best–can create something that resonates decades after a piece of art was made.

Travel

I was fortunate to accompany Bridgett on her two international trips with Naked Acts. She was invited to screen the film in The Netherlands and Spain, which meant we got to spend time in Rotterdam and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and Valladolid and Madrid in Spain. Of course, I got to see some art in each of these cities. While in Rotterdam, I saw exhibits at Kunstinstituut Melly and TENT. We did an overnight in Amsterdam and were able to stop by Foam, the museum for lens-based art. In Madrid, we stopped by The Prado and, among other things, saw the recently restored Caravaggio.

I also attended my first Miami Art Week this year. I hit five of the art fairs including Art Basel Miami, Untitled, Scope, NADA, Context, and Prism. When I go next year, I'll probably drop Context for Art Miami: Except for a few booths, I didn't get a sense that there was strong work on display.

Most importantly, getting out of NYC--especially with international travel--is a great reminder that there's a big world out there. Whether it's a block, a borough, or a city, none of these define the limits of our opportunities. I look forward to more international travel in the new year.

Art advisory

I end 2024 having helped clients acquire over $86,000 worth of art from emerging artists including Desmond Beach, Debra Cartwright, Will Maxen, Aristotle Forrester, Laurena Finéus, Quiana Parks, Grace Lynne Haynes, JoAnne McFarland, and Kamyar Bineshtarigh, as well as early mid-career artist Joana Choumali, and the well-established Mickalene Thomas. Eleven artists in total! Thanks to the many gallery partners, curators, fellow art advisors, and the artists themselves who've welcomed me into this wonderful community.

The other thing I learned was that I have to evolve my business model to better take into account the growing value of my network of galleries, artists, and art world professionals, as well as the time and attention I devote to each client. Of course, this has me thinking about ways to expand Mighty Mighty's art world revenue opportunities. I've got some ideas, and I'm excited about the ways that additional revenue streams can come from providing even greater value for collectors and artists alike.

One of the things I spent time on was demystifying this art business. It's unnecessarily opaque and, at times, elitist. I'm grateful for the friends and organizations who've invited me to speak to their networks about collecting: More people collecting is better for the entire ecosystem. I'm also grateful to my colleague, Paris-based advisor Marques Hardin, with whom I hosted a weekly IG Live on that very topic for much of this year. Looking forward to our next iteration of these sessions.

Exhibitions of note

I was out in these art streets this year. Similar to music (my first love), where I’m always looking for that perfect beat, with art I keep going back in the hopes of experiencing that moment when I walk into a gallery or museum and realize I’m looking at the extraordinary. In no particular order, here’s my list of stand-out exhibitions of 2024:

• 1-54 African Art Fair NY (9.5/10, as far as fairs go!)

• 2024 Columbia MFA Show

• Adrienne Elise Tarver at Dinner Gallery

• Alex Gardner at Perrotin

• André Griffo at Nara Roesler

• Andrea Chung & Smita Sen at the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami

• Aria Almanzar at Regular Normal at Independent Art Fair

• Arthur Jafa at Gladstone

• Braxton Garneau at Efrain Lopez

• Carrie Mae Weems at The Hessel Museum at Bard College

• Cato at Eric Firestone

• Chris Watts at Galerie Lelong

• Danie Cansino at Charlie James Gallery at Independent Art Fair

• Edgar Orlaineta & John Denniston II at Swivel Gallery

• Fahamu Pecou at Johnson Lowe, Atlanta

• Gee Moon Tom's 5B in Chinatown

• Hana Yilma Godine at Fridman

• Jamie Nares (NARES TRACES) at Kasmin

• Jerome Lagarrigue at Fridman

• Jerrell Gibbs at James Cohan

• Joana Choumali at Sperone Westwater

• Kandy G. Lopez at The Armory Show/ACA Galleries

• Martha Jackson Jarvis at Susan Inglett

• Naomi Lisiki at Sargent's Daughters

• Nanette Carter and Beverly McIver at Berry Campbell

• Samuel Nnorom at Kates-Ferri Projects

• Sharif Bey at Albertz Benda

• Simone Leigh at Matthew Marks

• The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism at The Met

• The Stars Are Aligned/The Time Is Now curated by Derrick Adams at Richard Beavers Gallery and The Bishop Gallery

• Tim Kent at Hollis Taggart

• Tina Modotti: Artist & Activist & Contemporary Female Artists in Saudi Arabia – Fonāna at Foam, Amsterdam

• Xenobia Bailey at Venus Over Manhattan

Consulting work

I'm ending the year with some community engagement work on behalf of the City of New York. Because we're still involved in the work, I won’t go into much detail. What I will say is that it's been fulfilling to be able to bring people together, both from the community and the City, to have serious conversations about the future of a site that has a lot of historical resonance for Brooklyn.

I also spent much of the year working with the leader of a preeminent artist residency program. As a senior advisor, I functioned as a sounding board, offering my perspective gained from leading two NYC cultural institutions. Since she's come to this role from an NGO background, I helped her think through how she can work with the board and staff to move this legacy institution into the future and shift the organization’s perception among artists and arts leaders. I’m proud to have connected her to my network of arts leaders, many of whom provided invaluable support to me when I was starting my tenure as an executive director. Any success I had as an ED was due, in part, to the support of these wonderful colleagues, and I’m glad to have facilitated these introductions. There's still so much more to do, and I'm looking forward to the many things this institution can achieve under her leadership.

Board Service

I joined the NY Advisory Board for the Volta Art Fair in June. Could there be a trip to Basel, Switzerland on my 2025 Bingo card? Fingers crossed.

I'm two years into my tenure on the Board of UnionDocs, the Queens-based center for documentary art. We're gearing up for a capital campaign that will enable the organization to complete renovations on its recently purchased building in Ridgewood. If any of you are interested in learning more about this nearly 20-year-old organization that's doing incredible work, hit me up. We can arrange a tour or, better yet, I’ll join you at one of their many events.

I'm also one of the founding board members of the African Burial Ground Memorial Foundation, which has been formed to promote and advance the African Burial Ground National Monument site at 290 Broadway in New York City. It’s a National Historic Landmark and the oldest and largest known burial ground for free and enslaved people of African descent in North America. Our big accomplishment this year was signing a Philanthropic Partnership Agreement with the National Parks Service, which makes us the official partner in all things related to the site. Check out the photo below of the announcement event we held recently. As with UnionDocs, I'm working with a great group of colleagues. Lots to do on this project, as well.

Left to right: Eddie Gajadar, Board Secretary & Co-Founder, ABGMF; The Honorable Stefani Zinerman, Assemblymember, NY-56; Shirley McKinney, Superintendent, African Burial Ground NM; Rodney Leon, Board President & Co-Founder, ABGMF; The Honorable Dan Goldman, Congressman, NY-10; Dr. Carolyn Pautz, Board Member & Co-Founder, ABGMF; Rob Fields, Board Treasurer & Co-Founder, ABGMF; Edward Faustin, Board Member & Co-Founder, ABGMF. Credit: National Parks Service.

Books

I want to be that guy who's "well-read". But that means I have to commit to reading regularly. In 2022, I read 23 books, by simply committing to 20 minutes a day. Based on that small commitment, I got through an average-sized book in about two weeks. But I was inconsistent this year and will finish with maybe eight books completed. Some favorites were Jerry Saltz's collection of art criticism, Art Is Life. The entire time I was reading Viet Than Nyugen's A Man Of Two Faces, I was like, "Oh, I see why he won a Pulitzer." It really is a tour de force. So was Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's Chain Gang All-Stars. I have artist and educator Steve Locke to thank for recommending James Elkins's What Painting Is, which helped me see painting with new eyes. And I can't wait for y'all to read Bridgett's forthcoming memoir, Love, Rita, about her relationship with her late sister.

Music

I've been listening to a lot of South African Amapiano lately. To Western ears, it sounds a lot like house music. You can tell it's music that comes out of an African sensibility because pretty much every song gives you 35-40 seconds of just the beat. Then the producers start the exposition. I assume part of the reason is that Amapiano started in the clubs, so the long intro feels like a courtesy to the DJs. I have no idea what the songs are about, but that's okay, it's all about the vibe. Enjoy my Amapiano playlist.

Spotify

Apple Music

Link to Apple Music

Photos

Two of my favorite shots of the year.

I spent a lot of time working on my zone focusing. Zone focusing makes it less likely that you'll miss the moment trying to nail sharp images. The idea is to set the aperture and in-focus zone, then just shoot, which is why it’s the preferred approach of street photographers. The first photo is a random capture of Spanish director, actress, and musician Julia de Castro during a walk around Valladolid while Bridgett and I attended the Seminci Film Festival.

And what’s not to love about a B&W portrait? I’m particularly proud of the editing here. This is my dear friend Karen Taylor Bass, taken on February 8 in Philly.

Last Thoughts

I wish you all a joyous holiday season. As we move into the new year, let’s all do what we can to build community wherever we find ourselves. And I can’t stress enough how important it will be to stand up for values such as decency, compassion, empathy, and our sense of what’s right.

Forward ever.