Color and Community: Highlights from the 16th Annual Artshare Exhibition

The 16th Annual Artshare Exhibition at Clover’s Art Gallery in Downtown Brooklyn was a vibrant celebration of creativity, inclusion, community, and color. This year, the gallery walls were adorned with more than 100 vibrant original pieces, each crafted by talented artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities from Heartshare’s Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island Day Programs.  

Director of Arts Programming, Will Green, welcomed the crowd, noting, “This exhibition is a direct result of what happens when people are given space, trust, and tools to express themselves.”  

Visitors experienced a diverse array of artistic styles and formats, including painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, jewelry, and paper collage. Reflecting a year of artistic growth and the unique voices of each artist, this year’s exhibition explored the use of color--“not color as decoration,” said Will, “but color as something felt”. The exhibition stood as a powerful reminder of the importance of providing opportunities for every individual to express themselves in a way that is true to them.  

We extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who came out to support these incredible artists and to our partners, including the Taft Foundation, the Kennenth Goldman Donor Fund, and Atlantic Ave Artwalk, for helping us champion the right to artistic expression for all.  

Congratulations to this year’s featured artists: Akeem Washington. Albert Aghedo. Alex Bellile. Alexis Reyes. Angel Gonzalez. Anna Luisa de la Garza. Brianne Sheridan. Carlton Larode. Damien Thornton. Daniel Oliver. Daniela Ortega. Darnell Smith. Derrick Green. Diana Issa. Donald Jean. Frank Valdi. Genesis Minaya. Gregory Palmer. Henry Lee. Ivan Soriano. Jack Ameduri. Jayson Lewis. Jeffrey Tao. Jennifer Enny. Jessenia Baez. Jonathan Young. Jose Muy. Kashawn Johnson. Lachane Terrell. Lourdes Flores. Luis Rivera. Marlene Daly. Mason Kinsey. Mikhail Zeltser. Mitchel Coleman. Na'joy Boyd. Nancy Bernard. Owen Coombs. Patricia Williams. Paul Sosa. Pierre Barbee. Regina Robinson. Rigo Torres. Ruby Ruiz. Segi Fezo. Terrel Livingston. Tracey Brown. Travis Richards. Treasure Bertrand. Veleka Kerr. Victor Chan. Weeam Quaofik. Xan Grate. Yvette Johnson.

Check out some incredible highlights from the exhibition below.