Visionary Fine Artist, Gender Activist ~ HHHAS, MFA, MSW, LCSW

 

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AfraShe Asungi, HHHAS, MFA, LCSW . . .

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A bout AfraShe Asungi's SheCreative(tm) Ventures . . .

AfraShe has been a published and exhibiting Social Justice & Gender  Activist, Visionary Image Maker, Visual Artist and an ordained Wimmin's Spiritual Shedoms & Inner-SheMystae (tm) Teacher for over 2 decades.

AfraShe Asungi has . . .

• earned her Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts [printmaking] & psychology [minor] from Wayne State University.
• she has studied Graphic art & Illustration at California College of Design.
  
• her first Master's degree (MFA) in Fine Arts [printmaking & Africana/ Asian/ Oceanic studies] from the University of Chicago.
• her second Master's degree in social work (MSW) from Cal State University Long Beach.

Cover Art for Woman of Power Magazine, 1986.

(C) 1986-2020 Asungi/ MAMAROOTS Productions. All Rights Reserved.

For additional info about and to see other examples of AfraShe's visionary art images ~ please click the above image . . .

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Her Innermost SheScapes (tm):

"My Foundational Guiding SheCreative AfraMama (Goddess) Spiritual Principle is MAAT!

. . . Creating that which we call Fine Art is my Path of Knowing, Being and Doing MAAT . . . as I strive to "pull back the Veil . . . Always . . ."    ~ AfraShe Asungi, HHHAS

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Gratitudes:

On Her Deep & Abiding Artistic Roots . . .

Born, cocooned and immersed in Detroit's Innovative Doo-wap and Motown's culture - among numerous artistic innovators ~ like Brotha, Stevie Wonder, Innovative ElderSistahs, such as Dinah Washington, Sylvia Moy, and Alice Coltrane, Dr. Barabara Wilson [Detroit Children's Museum], Vera Embree, as well as the Acapelles, Reverend Charles Craig [VO Tabernacle], Harold Smith's Majestics, Dr. Phil McGee, Dr. Naim Arkbar, ElderUncle, Bobby Banks and a host of other creative phenoms, who were often both spiritual extended family and cultural mentors to her own visionary becoming.

As an adept young image maker, even in elementary school, AfraShe was encouraged by such notables as ElderSis Dr. Cledie Collins Taylor, one of her most remembered and appreciated art teachers, who was also very active in the visual arts scene at time. As a sculptor and owner of Detroit's Arts Extended Gallery she continued to actively outreach and support young artists.

During her teens, while studying Fine Arts at Cass Tech High, AfraShe's talents came to attention of a local artistic mentors including a local ElderSistah, who was a proactive patron of young Afrikan-American artists.

This eventually led to AfraShe studying with noted Afrikan American artists like ElderBrothas, James Lee [painter/printmaker], Charles McGee, Allie McGhee, Carl Owens and other noted artists who co-owned Detroit's Gallery 7, and were art instructors at the Detroit Institute of Arts, where AfraShe also frequented and studied and developed and enhanced her artistic image making skills.

Watch him on YouTube. . .

Read the entire aticle:

"The 83-year-old artist, whose energy, wry humor and sharp sensibilities belie his age, pointed to a black-and-white patterned figural sculpture titled "United We Stand."

"It's an abstraction, yet it's people -- my interpretation of form in space," McGee said recently. He's curator of the current Buckham show. "The central figure is my daughter Lyndsay. It has a ballerina kind of (look) to it. She took ballet as a youngster.

"John is the one with the pants coming off his butt -- he's one of my golfing friends. Instead of concentrating on golf, he's trying to hold up his pants all the time," he added with a laugh. "Paul is a fine artist. April is my other daughter."

In the late 60s and early 70s, along with the Infamous Shrine of the Black Madonna, as one of the first "all Black" galleries, Gallery 7 was a landmark of budding creativity in it's north Detroit community.

The 7 referred to notable Black artists, ElderBros James Lee, Lester Johnson, Henri Umbaji King, Robert Murray, Allie McGhee, Harold Neal, and Robert J. Stull, who taught and mentored young Afrikan American artists. While later ElderBro McGee's work became more abstract and he focused on creating more 3-dimensional works ~ it was his charcoal drawing & similar painting techniques which she sought to gain a facility for while developing her skills as a young visual artist. To this end, one might see this influence in her drawing and painting style.

AfraShe proudly acknowledges that her printmaking focus as a grad student and undergrad- is solely due to her apprenticeship with ElderBro James Lee, who had his own Fine arts printmaking studio at the time and who guided her to simply love the process. ElderBro Allie McGhee also proved to be a wonderful fine arts instructor and foundational influence for her early Afrikan-based abstract style development.



Other instructors of note were at Wayne State University, where she
earned her BFA majoring in printmaking & minoring in drawing. Several of other instructors that she studied with and helped her to develop a sound sensibility of artistic excellence, were profs. Tom Parish and John Egner, Pat Quinlan and Richard Bilaitis.

However, she shares that she was primarily influenced by profs. John Hagerty, James Nawara and his wife, profs. Stanley Rosental, and Aris Koutroulis, who taught her printmaking, particularly lithography. Each encouraged her budding style as a "strong draftswomin" and preference for the figurative (female) in her work. They also encouraged her ~ taking her serious as a FEMALE artist, which was not the norm at a time, when womin and Afrikan American artists were not taken seriously as professional [meaning important] Fine Artists.

Apparently, most of her art professors were social progressives [or radical social activists- like the infamous ElderBro John Sinclair, also an extended family member] who were very active participants in the Historic Cass Corridor creative counter-culture ~ social justice scene:

"significant landmarks [which] include the Detroit Masonic Temple (the world's largest building of its kind, Cass Technical High School and the Metropolitan Institute for High Technology are all located along Cass.

Culturally, the Cass Corridor is a significant district. Creem, which billed itself as "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine," had its headquarters in the area. [Home of the underground news, "Fifth Estate"], the student population contributes to the bohemian atmosphere in Cass Corridor.

The artistic community has produced a number of significant artists, including The White Stripes, who played their first show at the Gold Dollar. Cass Corridor is also the location of the annual Dally in the Alley arts festival."

 

AfraShe also encourages community wellness by offering personal growth, and art therapy-related services:

SistahPeace ReShaping WellBalance Counseling & Coaching Services at:

www.SistahPeace.com

www.WellBalanceCoaching.com

Doin' The Work . . .
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As a fine artist, image maker, fine art printmaker, AfraShe's original works are featured in numerous private & public collections, businesses and organizations all over the country. A partial list includes Brothas & Sistahs, Handy Lindsey, Dionne Warwick, Eartha Kitt, Ed Bradley, Sylvia Moy, Dr. Philip McGee, Dr. June Ridley, Dr. doris davenport, Dr. Vivian Price, Cecil Ferguson, Bob Dockery, Varnette Honeywood, Califonia Governor's Collection, Spelman College, Watts Towers Art Center, Syndicate It Inc, and The Studio Museum, among others.

As a graphic artist, AfraShe has created numerous book cover illustrations and designs for the University of Chicago Press. She has been commissioned to create graphic designs and original illustrations/works of art for the Watts Towers Arts Center, including flyers, brochures and the inaugural Posters for the 3rd Annual Day of The Drum as well as for the the Center's early Jazz and Gospel Music Festivals.

Additionally, as part of the late [1976] and Post L A Black Arts Movement, AfraShe was an active contributor as a staff/ resident artist at Watts Towers art Center, Brockman Gallery, Wm Grant Still Center, [LA Cultural Affairs Department] Pearl C. Wood Gallery, Inner City Cultural Center, & the Downey Museum, where she has created graphic art, worked and showed with John Outterbridge, Samella Lewis, Ruth Waddy, Artis Lane, Phoebe Beasely, Betye Saar, Angela Y. Davis, David Hammons, Greg Pitts, Varnette Honeywood, Senga Nengudi, Dale & Alonzo Davis, Suzanne Jackson, Judy Baca, Elizabeth Catlett, Sandra Rowe, Cecil Fergerson, Charles Dickson, Houston Conwill, Greg Pitts, Leonard Simon, Alilie Larkin, Joseph Sims, Dan Concholar, Kathy Cyrus, Maren Hassinger, Yvonne Cole Meo, Elizabeth Leigh-Taylor and many more . . .

Image: 3rd Annual  Watts Towers Day Of The Drum Festival. Poster & Brochure. C. 1984-2020 Asungi Productions.



While working at Brockman Gallery, AfraShe has created a mural [For Colored Girls Suite . . .], graphic art designs and illustrations; and set designs for Inner-City Cultural City, including designs for ElderSis. Vinette Carroll's "When Hell Freezes Over, I'll Skate", "Addis Abba", "Crenshaw Boulevard", "Piano Bar" & "Iago".

Image: For Colored Girls: When the Rainbow is NOT Enough.C.1977-2020 Asungi Productions.

AfraShe has also created graphic and fine art works for ANC of Los Angeles [including a 3' x 5' Birthday Card for ElderBro Nelson Mandela while he was still a politcal prisoner]; Art & graphics for Congresswoman Maxine Walters; designed & made commemorative tee-shirt for South Afrikan ANC; designed stationary for ElderSis Abbey Lincoln; exhibition brochures & posters for the LA African American Museum of Art  & Culture [located in the May Company]; the California African American Art Museum and designed the souvenir/ commemorative poster for ElderBro Richmond Barthe's historic exhibit at William Grant Still Arts Center.

In 1982, AfraShe was commissioned by Syndicate It ! & KJLH [Bro. Stevie's radio station] to create an image which was used to nationally promote making Dr. M.L.King Jr's  Birthday a National Holiday.

The National Radio Series Aired on 01/15/1983, and was annually aired for several years after it's national launch party at KJLH Radio, which included a host of Afrikan American entertainers, and local celebrities, social activists, and politicians  who were diligently working to make Dr. King's birthday a national holiday.



  More

 to come . . .

 Image: King: A Musical Tribute-& Promo Image For National Holiday. C. 1982-2020 Asungi Productions

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Artist & Political Memberships & Listings:

• NCA ~ National & California Chapter
• Califa~Women of Color
  
• MAMAROOTS: Ajama-Jebi Sistahood
• Black Art In American ~
• African American Visual Artists Database
• NASW ~ National Assoc. of Social Workers
  



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AfraShe Invites Inquiries About Exhibitions, Appearances, Workshops, Commissions and Licensing . . .

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And in the meanwhile you can also . . .

1. click to view a few examples

of her work . . .

2. click to view a few examples

of her Influences & Art Mentors . . .

2010-18 MAMAROOTS/ Asungi Productions. All Rights reserved. Permission to quote, cite, reprint granted if source, contact info and copyrights are included in the body of the reproduction. All rights reserved on all Trademarked and registered Terms.

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AfraShe Asungi,  HHHAS,

LCSW, MFA, CAODC, CLPC 

AfraShe Asungi is a Visionary Fine Artist;  Social & Gender Activist and Founder of MAMAROOTS: Ajama-Jebi AfraKamaatik/ Afrakan® SpiraCultural™ Sistahood;

Psychotherapist (Licensed Clinical Social Worker); Certified WellBalance ReShaper™; Life Purpose, Transitions & Wimmin's SpiraCultural™ Coach;  Substance Abuse, Relapse & Harm Reduction Counselor in private practice.

Image:  Amazon 3. Handcolored Print.          1983, AfraShe Asungi.

    (C) 1983-2020 Asungi/ MAMAROOTS  Productions.  All Rights Reserved.   *****   



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