The 7th Annual Leimert Park Village African Art & Music Festival will feature the artistic works of multicultural artist Diana Shannon Young, September 5 through 7.
Known for her use of color and ability to capture and depict the culture of African American life, Shannon Young, is an extraordinarily gifted artist who is the featured artist during the three-day festival at Leimert Park. “The Leimert Festival is a family friendly, great, cultural event. I am looking forward to meeting the people who come out to the festival and having the opportunity to show my work. The festival is also a chance to see the works of other local artists and hear great music,” Shannon Young said.
A self-taught artist, Shannon Young is a working artist who sees happiness everywhere. “I see good feelings everywhere, and hopefully my paintings reflect that.” Nationally recognized for her work, Shannon Young created the Collage Painting Awards presented to the six living founders of the Congressional Black Caucus. “That was a very special moment in my life, to stand on stage with these icons of the Civil Rights Movement and present awards I created for individuals who were willing to fight for our rights.”
Shannon Young also created the image for the “I Am A Woman of Power“ award in honor of Barbara Graves, Black Enterprise magazine, and the “Ten Fingers, Ten Toes,” image for the national office of the March of Dimes. She was chosen by the National Medical Association to create the “Believers to Achievers” award and has worked with local chapters of the Links, Incorporated and African American Fraternities and Sororities to educate young people about the collection and preservation of art. She created the 25th Anniversary Fundraising poster for The Forum of Black Public Administrators, official posters for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the official poster for the 2008 Los Angeles Pan African film and Art Festival who honored her as Visual Artist of the Year. Shannon Young is also known for her one-woman museum and group shows where she has shared the platform with colleagues Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, Charles Bibbs, and William Tolloivet.
“I paint from a love of family, and humanity. I started a gallery 23 years ago with posters and prints from other artists and helped to launch the first full color mail order catalog devoted to images created by African American artists as I worked to continually create my own art. People began to really enjoy and respond to my designs.” “I believe that I am capturing life in art,” Shannon Young said.
“When I was growing up, the art on the wall was usually pictures of Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, Jr., and John F. Kennedy. We have come a long way but we still have ways to go in terms of educating our people about owning original pieces of art.” Shannon Young believes that anyone begin collecting art by purchasing small pieces and buying what you love. “When you collect original art, you are leaving a legacy for your children and family members. Exposing young kids to art is a great opportunity to teach them and get them thinking at a young age about collecting art when they are older,” Shannon Young said.
For more information about the art of Diana Shannon Young, visit www.dshannonyoungart.com or call 951.536.2662.
The 7th Annual Leimert Park Village African Art & Music Festival, 4318 Degnan Blvd., September 5-7, 10am to 7pm.
