FINAL RW 1: Profile Story: Melissa Sutherland
Meet the Female Artist
Inspiring Art Spaces One Exhibit at a Time.
J. Kinna LeBlanc
Local artist, exhibiting for the first time, brought her so much joy and it beamed across her face as she twirled through the bright and airy art gallery.
"In 2010 I wrote in my journal 'I want to design and develop organizations that will allow me to give back to various communities.’ Today I get to do that with sk.Artspace" She once said in a #TBT Instagram post reminiscing on where she’d like her art career to actually go. 10 years later that journal entry has blossomed into a palpable dream.
The annual “Future is Female” art exhibition is one of the many creative events and artistic programming held at the charming art gallery in the heart of Brooklyn's industrial Brownsville zone. First opening it's optimistic yellow doors in June of 2018, sk.Artspace was originally created to keep the local artist in mind.
A safe studio for a wanderlust to dream, an art space for today's hopefuls to create and a novel platform for tomorrow's icon's to exhibit.
Melissa, one third of a black owned, female operated partnership is a multidisciplinary modern artist herself and, along with two of her best friends, decided to create an art space of creative programming for local artists to showcase work and connect with like minds, within the community.
The 30-somethings and their budding network, of urban creatives consists of various members from all avenues of black, pop and artistic cultures, who joins forces to bring monthly solo exhibitions, pop-up shops and music events, free art exhibitions, fundraisers and much more.
“During times of distress and chaos, having a platform and safe space for artists to express themselves and be celebrated is truly life-saving” Melissa expressed as we walked through the quiet space, one afternoon, recapturing the moments of accomplishments, she’s had with her partners and creative stakeholders inside, during a short time.
“These women created a space for people of color in an area of New York where no other space of its kind exists. They chose to provide a safe space and a prestigious, artistic one, for those who desire the quality of life that is so often refused to their demographic.”
Lena, a multidisciplinary artist herself, moved to New York City with big artistic dreams from a small Georgia town just six months before landing the art gig. She was immediately engulfed by the energy of sk.Artspace and, under the leadership of Sutherland, has expanded her art career beginning with training as an Arts Marketer and Curator. “In the 1 year that I’ve worked for the SK Team, I can truly say that I’m honored to be a part of a company of black women who are seamlessly providing, creating, relating, and elevating the community." She also gleamed.
White is just one chakra in the flow of divine feminine energies that surrounds Melissa, her partners and the space; having a hive of like-minded artistic women has always been the driving force behind Sutherland’s overall focus. There’s also a common theme that takes place within all of her artwork: the transitional elevation of “The Woman” specifically “The Black Woman” resonates through most of her current work.
The phenomenal powerhouse of other female artist gives her a centralized focus with keeping the gallery and it’s programming fresh and exciting and having the efficiency to match has kept SK in its exclusive premier stage for two years, remaining true to its mission of being a space for local artist to shine.
With the help of this community and in less than 2 years they have curated over 12 first time solo exhibitions and provided paid opportunities for up and coming artists, curated eight first time Artist Talks, created an online community of over 32,00 supporters, curated 18 free online classes, along with being able to remain open, as a physical space, for future events.
“At sk.artspace you can run amok!
You have that freedom of expression!
you normally don’t get the from other spaces.”
As Creative Director and Socialite, Melissa continues to be the inspiration that connects each of the contributing artist and their creative visions for the space and its community.
“You’re somewhat of the ‘nucleus’ huh.” I genuinely affirmed to Sutherland. At first in awe, she gazed off for a moment before quietly nodding with a generous smile and replied, “I just want to inspire.”
“I had no idea what I wanted to do,
but I just knew I wanted to learn how to do that!”
But first, effortlessly creating is something Melissa does as naturally as breathing, she currently focuses on collage art and creates exceptionally beautiful jigsaw puzzles of pictorials, a communion of divine feminine energy and story-telling using scale, contrast, composition and sorted magazine clippings. One can often get caught in a whimsical rapture watching her bring a mental concept to artistic form. Standing in a corner of her studio can make you feel like being on a merry-go-round at a busy carnival- the confusion is imminent but the inner jubilation is surreal.
I looked on and began to imagine myself as a fly on the wall of a young and hopeful Melissa’s room, watching Mrs. Lidia Sutherland, her mother, agree to another artistic adventure. Melissa shared with great amazement how her mother made it possible to express her creativity. Before focusing on any fine art skills Sutherland was an aspiring tap dancer, ballet dancer, a piano player, an actress and much more under the arts umbrella!
“Wow, my mother…I appreciate her now more than ever, because she’s never limited me. Ever. She just knew there was something there and said ‘well, let me keep feeding this and see where it goes.’” Melissa said.
It wasn’t until the end of high school when another family member made an introduction to Act-So, a free arts excellence program for inner city youth, did Melissa begin to hone her innate artistic abilities.
“I always knew I was a creative. One day my cousin who went to FIT for Illustration asked if he could draw me for a project. And I was shocked when I saw his work, I was like, ‘I really wanna do something with this! I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I just knew I wanted to learn how to do that! And so I did from that moment on.’” She said with confidence.
Over the years, Melissa has done just that, produced a body of work that exemplifies the exceptional talent and recognizable influence through groundbreaking and thought-provoking collections. It became important for Sutherland to produce remarkable work and create the same opportunities for nearby artist, the way her family once did for her. Melissa’s art and social influence seemingly reflect one another, in perfect synergy, which is the formula behind any project she’s a part of.
When I asked Sutherland to describe her overall purpose as artist and entrepreneur she replied “It’s been like a rebirth because I just recently found my purpose. And my purpose is to inspire people. I’m inspiring people to have additional creative outlets.” She continued, “I’ve always been that person…that people look to for motivation. If they need some light, they’ll call me cuz they know I’m gonna be that Hype Man. I always want more out of people! I always want more period.”
What keeps her motivations high is having and sharing opportunities.
When the 2020 Pandemic ransacked its way through small business in New York City, it was the “wanting more” mentality that led Melissa, her partners and their collective of 5 female artists, to start a fundraiser to keep its doors open. #SaveskArtspace 2020 was born and becoming a frequently used hashtag in a 5-week period.
As they moved into a virtual space, the women continued with the innovative arts and culture programming they’ve been known to popularize in the past. Sutherland, along with White, curated online classes—via Instagram Live-- for the public as a result of the stay-at- home order and the SK list of exhibits, art demos, concepts, collaborations and creative events continue to grow.
sk.Artspace has been able to remain open, as a physical space, for future events and with their loyal artist community Melissa is determined to keep the SS.sk ship afloat. “At sk.artspace you can run amok! You have that freedom of expression! you normally don’t get the from other spaces. If you wanna paint a wall, you can paint a wall! If you wanna swing from the chandelier, you can swing from the chandelier!” She reminded with laughter. “It’s important to keep the physical space to be able to share your experiences with one another. We still need that. It’s the same idea of wanting to inspire.”
Since posing as her cousins inspiration Melissa has held on to that moment and continues to move steadfast, keeping the original mission of being a beacon of light and possibility in mind. What keeps her motivations high is having and sharing opportunities, this has been the utility in powering the creative process and the fulfillment of its outcome. Sutherland reminds me that “the process of creating was my outlet and that’s the same energy of wanting to inspire.”
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