Hertz “Naz” Nazaire was an immigrant, and artist and a sickle cell warrior. His journey was recently on display as a traveling exhibit, The Nod to Naz, at the Marriot in Torrance, CA.
The exhibit ran from Sept. 18 through Sept. 21 with two galleries, one being an immersive and interactive creation. The SCDAA’s exhibit, sponsored by Agios and supported by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, is more than a tribute to Nazaire—it’s a blueprint for overcoming.
“As a warrior, he wanted to be able to share what it was like living with this experience of sickle cell disease through his paintings, through his artwork,” said Dr. Carolyn Rowley, executive director and founder of Cayenne Wellness Center.
Nazaire was born in Haiti and immigrated to the U.S. where he lived with his mother in New York City before moving to Bridgeport, Connecticut. He studied at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and the University of Bridgeport. In 2021, he passed away at the age of 48 due to sickle cell-related complications.
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Sickle cell disease is a rare, debilitating, and life-threatening genetic blood disorder. The disease causes red blood cells to have a unique “sickle” shape, which can lead to vaso-occlusive events (VOEs) or vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), which are very painful and damage organs. Sickle cell disease affects hundreds of thousands of individuals in the United States and is predominant among African Americans. Despite sickle cell, Nazaire lived and left countless stories and a part of himself in his artwork.
“This art exhibit, is just tremendously important to me because it is a way for him to live on and for us, as a world, to really see what sickle cell looks like visually,” said Carley Cole-Cavins , Cayenne Wellness Center marketing manager and caregiver.
“I had the awesome honor of being able to meet Hertz while he was alive. My children are twins, but only one has sickle cell. In that moment, hearing him, it really gave me a purpose and I changed the way I looked at my child because as a parent, you first think of what is being taken away, but when I heard him, I was able to see what was being given and so I then found a community and said I’m going to find a way to advocate just like he does.”
A lot of Nazaire’s work, colorful and vibrant, captures a lot of emotion and experience from his battle with sickle cell disease. Even in losing his vision, Nazaire continued to express himself through his art. Rowley shared how his art ended up a part of this traveling exhibit and has become a powerful tool for sickle cell awareness.
“He had a warehouse full of his items and those items were gifted to SCDAA (Sickle Cell Disease Association of America),” said Rowley.
“This is literally only a handful of what they acquired and so through the support of Agios, which is a pharmaceutical company, they were able to convert all of this into a traveling art exhibit. It first, actually, was shown at their convention last year, the SCDAA has an annual convention in October.”
“Agios pharmaceuticals is very proud and honored to be a sponsor of this traveling exhibit that is the second leg of a third of three cities exhibit and we are happy to support the sickle cell community especially during sickle cell awareness month,” said Janie Davis, Agios director of patient advocacy.
The Nod to Naz exhibit has been traveling the states this year with the collection coming to Atlanta, GA at the SCDAA National Convention October 23-26. Nazaire left a legacy for sickle cell warriors to continue forward despite their circumstances and his artwork has inspired many to find their purpose.
“Sickle cell is disruptive, it’s a large type of thing that changes your life and for me, as a caregiver, has changed my life so, just to be a part of this and see it, with this magnitude, has really just helped me say this is where I need to be,” said Cole-Cavins.
“Sometimes your pain becomes your purpose and that’s what it is for me.”
For more information on Cayenne Wellness Center, visit cayennewellness.org. For information on the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, visit www.sicklecelldisease.org. For more on The Nod to Naz exhibit, visit www.hertznazairegallery.com
