Newark, New Jersey, October 15, 2013— Gamma Xi Phi, the professional fraternity for artists, has selected four new honorary initiates: visual artist, curator, and educator Nette Forné Thomas; emcee, producer, and engineer Ess Vee; visual artist and graphic designer Hue.Man; and artist manager, videographer, and web designer Add. The initiation was conducted at the first National Convention of the fraternity on Saturday, October 12, 2013 at GlassRoots, Inc., in Newark, New Jersey.
Nette Forné Thomas is a visual artist and veteran arts educator with 36 years of service to Newark schools. As an artist, she strives to demonstrate the complexities of womanhood, transcendent of racial and class distinctions.
“Sister Thomas is legendary and we’re so lucky to have her,” said fraternity founder and newly-elected National President Malcolm Minor. “Not only is she a talented visual artist in her own right, but she uses her position in the community to curate and promote the work of other artists. However, it’s her work as an educator which is most meaningful to us, because she has literally inspired generations of Newark’s young artists.”
Ess Vee,
Hue.Man, and
Add are siblings who are deeply entrenched in the hip-hop industry. Ess Vee is a Newark-born rapper with two LPs under his belt:
The Veelude and
The Anecdote: Memoirs of S. Victor. His brothers Add and Hue.Man work behind the scenes to develop the presence of Ess Vee and other artists in the community, with Add handling artist management, video production, and web development, and Hue.Man being responsible for the graphic identity of the collective, known as The Association Music Group.
“These brothers embody the spirit of collaboration that we seek in the fraternity,” said outgoing National President Storme Gray. “They work together to bring something new to hip-hop and to the arts as a whole in the same way that Gamma endeavors to make a mark in the world. We’re so happy that these brothers have become our brothers.”
The initiation of the four honorary members was immediately followed by a luncheon in which the delegates to the convention were treated to informal conversations with the honorees. Topics of discussion included the history of the Newark arts community and the process of organizing gallery exhibitions and hip-hop tours.
Gamma Xi Phi was founded on October 7, 2010, by Ramapo College men and women who were interested in creating strong bonds between students pursuing artistic careers. The purpose of the fraternity is to unite collegiate and professional artists in the spirit of fellowship and perpetual artistic growth. Gamma Xi Phi promotes philanthropy and service to the arts, brotherhood among all artists, and leadership development in artistic professions through collegiate and community outreach to people of color across the world.
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