Zora Neale Hurston Cover Artist— AKINDELE JOHN
Courtesy of Akindele John, Stephen Brayda, and HarperCollinsI am enthralled to share news of what we have been working on:
AKINDELE JOHN IS THE COVER ARTIST FOR ZORA NEALE HURSTON’S UPCOMING, PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED NOVEL ENTITLED, THE LIFE OF HEROD THE GREAT! We also had the privilege of working with the renowned publishing house Harper Collins and their excellent Art Director, Stephen Brayda.
Akindele John, represented by Genre: Urban Arts, executed the most beautiful cover invoking royalty in the chosen palette of dreamy purples, blues, and and gold. King Herod draped in gold jewelry, sits in a powerful stance, with his staff in his hand. Of course, this work has all the elements that makes a work an Akindele John signature piece. The gold halo surrounding the head and a symbol. For this work, Akindele John chose a white dove to “deliver a purified message from the divine” as it relates to King Herod’s persona. His eyes are closed in a type of meditation that is looking inward to an innate part of the psyche. From a seed of an idea, to a sketch, to reality, King Herod is here to grace us with his presence!
The release of Hurston’s book, along with the cover, were announced in People last Thursday!
There is nothing more exciting than being in the metaphorical presence of one of your legends. I found myself co-managing the creation of an extremely important work of art and wrapped up in the most outstanding collaboration of my career thus far.
I, in passive conversation, call Hurston the Queen of my Heart, so there are no words to accurately describe this particular collaboration with Amistad, a division of HarperCollins and their Art Director, Stephen Brayda. How amazing during this journey that I get to be part of such a momentous and historic occasion.
Zora Neale Hurston has been on my radar since 10th or 11th grade when I read Their Eyes Were Watching God in class. I have taught Hurston’s work every single year, every single semester in my own classes, tying in new generations to carry on the legacy of her work as an anthropologist, creative, and writer. For me, Zora Neale Hurston’s work is one of the reasons why I can be the creative I am. I have always patterned my writing after her by using heavy metaphor and dialect. There is something in the cadence of the characters’ voices that has always drawn me to Hurston’s writing. Something that sounds like Grandpa in it. There is something in Hurston’s work and knowing the importance of the documentation Black stories, as she trekked back to Florida from Harlem during and not too long after the Great Migration. Something like the bonds of deoxyribonucleic acid… something carried through mitochondria. This something has always sat right at the middle of my chest. I am thankful for her, and her work. It, in ways, has shaped me as a writer and in my own ways, I have endeavored to give honor to Hurston and her legacy. She is one of my literary legends!
I came to work with Akindele John when I inquired about publishing his work in Genre’s signature magazine. We became fast friends and somewhere in WhatsApp chats, we decided to work together. Akindele John became the first artist to sell original and limited edition prints on GenreUrbanArts.com.
Since our partnership, I have coordinated all manner of things as it relates to Akindele John’s exhibitions, licensing of his art, and determining what deals we should move forward with or not. I am very proud to say that Akindele John has, of course, exhibited with Genre: Urban Arts in several spaces across the US. His first solo exhibition entitled And She Was Love at Woodland Pattern. He has taken part in group shows at the following locations:Svn01, 5 Points Art Gallery + Studios, Graphite House, Starbucks, National Black Arts Festival, Harlem Fine Arts, ART(e) Gallery of Now, Waterkolours Fine Art Gallery, and more. It has been a great joy to see the trajectory of Akindele John’s career and to have had a hand in some of his successes as well. I knew when we began that Akindele John’s work is more than worth a bet. He is deeply talented and passionate about creating art, cultivating a meaning through his works. It is such a pleasure to see the ideas move from his mind to reality.
Congratulations, Akindele John!
