Buffalo, NY – On Saturday, June 18, artist Aitina Fareed-Cooke (American, born 1986) will work with students from two local organizations at the Juneteenth Festival of Buffalo in support of several ambitious projects, including her own exhibition, Tales From the Porch, and sustaining the public art work of Adeyemi Adegbesan, aka Yung Yemi (Canadian, born 1982). 

Yung Yemi, one of the artists from In These Truths, an invitational exhibition that focused on emerging and established Black artists, is a Toronto-based photographic artist whose practice aims to examine the intersectionality of Black identity. Through his work, Yung Yemi pulls from varying elements to create Afro-futuristic portraits that embody history, future, and culture all in one. 

Yemi will be working with students from CEPA Gallery and the Wakanda Alliance to conceptualize a mural that he will create later this summer featuring images of Buffalo residents. Yemi says “the theme of the mural is community placemaking. Drawing on the concept of holding space—being present with, and protective of another’s needs—the artwork will feature members of the Black community in Buffalo who have played an instrumental role in enriching the lives of their fellow community members. The artwork will be based on portraits with the design including additional culturally and personally relevant symbolism.” Yemi will travel to Buffalo prior to the Juneteenth festivities and Aitina Fareed-Cooke, along with the support of her students, will photograph parade participants to further provide Yemi with additional content to consider for his mural. 

Additionally, Fareed-Cooke, a co-curator of In These Truths and owner of Get Fokus'd Productions, will work with both student groups as she creates the second iteration of Tales From the Porch, a groundbreaking exhibition that combines photography, videography, performance, and more, to tell the stories of Black community members and business owners in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic and the racist, hate-fueled attack on May 14. 

Fareed-Cooke and her students will be working at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum’s table during the festival. Members of the community are encouraged to stop by to share their stories, have their photo taken, or simply watch the artists work and teach.

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