Hi-ARTS Artist-in-Residence Friday Lynton Will Present Her Work in East Harlem

Hi-ARTS, New York City's premiere incubator for urban art, recently announced its new cohort of artists-in-residence. The East Harlem nonprofit helps artists - like Radha Blank, Ebony Noelle Golden, Nona Hendryx, Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Dominique Morisseau - develop their works of art into masterpieces, whether they be theater, music dance, visual arts or multi-media. Other artists who have performed or been involved with Hi-ARTS include the late Chadwick Boseman, Yasiin Bey/Mos Def and Sarah Jones.

First up is Friday Lynton, a Brooklyn-based Guyanese-American metal artisan known for her amazing sculptures. Lynton is a resident of SKY LAB, Hi-ARTS' program that supports socially engaged artists who center community in the development and research of their work, including practitioners who create outside of the traditional studio or theater.

Hi-ARTS will present "An Artisan & Her Process" February 8-10 at its creative space. "An Artisan & Her Process" marks a turning point in Lynton's creative process. Over the past decade much of Friday's creative portfolio up has explored the relationship between metal and the body - creating one-of-a-kind, high-fashion metal garments to be worn. Her time as a SKY LAB Artist-in-Residence has granted her the opportunity to expand her metalwork into new territories - literally. Taking on new shapes, and representations of landscapes with a topographical nature, and characteristic of ecosystems, Lynton's large-scale metal atmospheres spark a conversation on the relationship between metal and the environment. "An Artisan & Her Process" will envelope audiences in Friday's literal process with an inside look into her exploration of her materials. With audio, video, notes capturing her musings, audiences will also be able to touch and join in crafting a Metal Object.

This Thursday at 7 p.m., Hi-ARTS will host a live, virtual discussion with Lynton, who will expand upon her new work in her exhibition "An Artisan & Her Process" as well as her ongoing community-centered, performative body of work Variables Pending. The event will be facilitated by Hi-ARTS Curator in Residence, Kirya Traber.