Newark, NJ, August 2024— In February 2024, the Gamma Chapter held its 2nd annual Book Me: Book Drive. The Brick city gammas collected books for children and young adults in the community for the entire month.
The chapter started this initiative in 2022 and received tons of donations including some from one of the few surviving Black owned book stores in New Jersey, “Source of Knowledge”. The collected donations were gifted to Michelle Obama Elementary School and The Apostles’ House Shelter, servicing women and children and individuals or families at risk of homelessness in Newark and Essex County, New Jersey.
This year the chapter collected 100 books and ran into a few issues trying to find proper homes for the donations. Fortunately, the chapter connected with GalleryRetail, a prosocial creative agency providing a full line of creative services to artists and small businesses. The organization was doing its first annual “Book Out” event and decided that the chapter’s donation was best suited for its purpose.
Isaiah “Zay” Little, Creative Director & Founder of GalleryRetail and Newark First Fridays, said: “The Gamma Xi Phi (Gamma Chapter) donation of 100 books for our first annual BookOut is a small treasure trove, with titles spanning self-help, novels, teen literature, and children’s books. This generous contribution not only helps fill the shelves of our bookstore-community hub but also has the potential to profoundly impact the lives of emerging creatives and young readers. As a creative change maker, I seek access and opportunities for fellow troopers first through information sharing, thus the books, and eager to galvanize additional resources on the road to a physical space.”
Gamma Chapter Program Director Malcolm Minor said, “I believe we as a chapter will find a way to choose different partners and organizations to share our donations with every year. It’s pretty exciting to look for new ways we can find and make community with those who have never heard of us before.”
NEWARK, NJ- The Gamma Chapter of Gamma Xi Phi, a professional fraternity for artists serving Newark, New Jersey, initiated one new member on Saturday, June 29, 2024. This new member adds to the creativity and bandwidth of the chapter’s membership and places it on a continued path of celebrating “Gammas Out Loud!”
The new initiates is: Kevin Slaughter
Kevin Slaughter is known to the local artistic community as Don Krypton.
Don is a writer, author, DJ, professional Host, and Stage Assistant for NJPAC. A native of Elizabeth, NJ, with strong Newark roots he has a background in IT management. He has always considered himself a wordsmith, writing short stories and raps in his spare time, but his true plunge into the Spoken Word/Poetry scene was inspired by a challenge given to him at the infamous CryOut Cave by the Evoluculture team, where he now serves as General Manager. Since then he has been an active part of the NJ poetry community and working diligently on his own. Don Krypton fancies himself a jack of all trades, dabbling in content creation, music/video editing, investments, philanthropy, activism, and support of the advancement and proper education of black people.
Gamma Xi Phi is a predominantly African American organization of men and women in the arts, including literature, visual art, music, theater, and dance. GXP was established at Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey, on October 7, 2010, on the principles of Philanthropy, Sodality, and Elevation.
Gamma Xi Phi honors artists’ achievements through fellowship, philanthropy, social justice, and service.
Newark, NJ, May 31st, 2024— The Young Artisans Award has been an exciting initiative in the fraternity since 2015. With the purpose of honoring emerging artists living within the service areas of a chapter. The selected artists must display artistic accomplishment and a willingness to learn, grow, serve, and be mentored. The Gamma Chapter, serving the city of Newark, selected 1 student after reviewing numerous highly accomplished applicants.
Onnieya Martin is a 12th-grade student attending Arts High School, where she is a vocal major. . Her artistic interest is in singing. Not to mention playing sports( basketball, volleyball, track & field). Ms. Martin will attend Georgian Court University majoring in Political Science with a minor in Music on a Basketball Ball Scholarship.
Mrs. Devonne DeNose, Arts High School principal expressed “It was an honor and a privilege to witness such a beautiful event recognizing and honoring Arts High School’s artist-scholar, Onnieya Martin. I want to thank the members of the Gamma chapter of Gamma Xi Phi, Fraternity for Artists for their work and dedication to inspiring young artists and supporting the arts.”
Bro. Keivon Hemmings, an Arts High School alum, class of 2014 had this to say: “It’s been a pleasure to be a part of giving this deserving scholarship to an even more deserving student! Onnieya and students like her are the reason why we give this award. We wish her luck on entering college and we are eager to be there as a support system. Arts High strong!” Ms. Martin will receive access to the knowledge and expertise of the chapter members. A bag of gifts compiled by the chapter and a $250 scholarship. This was the first time the Gamma Chapter has given out the award and can’t wait to continue for years to come.
Gamma Xi Phi is a predominantly African American organization of men and women in the arts, including literature, visual art, music, theater, and dance. GXP was established at Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey, on October 7, 2010, on the principles of Philanthropy, Sodality, and Elevation.
Gamma Xi Phi honors artists’ achievements through fellowship, philanthropy, social justice, and service.
Paterson, N.J., October 21, 2023— The Gamma chapter showed up and showed out at the 5th annual Paterson Poetry Festival held at International High School in Paterson.
Gamma chapter primarily services the Newark and greater area, however being the only active chapter in the state of New Jersey, the chapter made a delightful exception. Led by Brother Jaquair Gillette, a Fall 22 initiate and Paterson native, the Gammas were present throughout the many different sets. On Saturday, not only did the Gamma Chapter table, but members also performed on the big stage.
Gamma Chapter engaged festival attendees both young and old by having them read and discuss quotations from various artists. Brother Jaquair has been attending the festival since its inception and was a key organizer this year. “I liked how people engaged with quoting artists and giving feedback on how they felt about the artist’s words at the chapter table. For an event that’s about poetry, the words from those artists were poetic, and getting reactions to them is an example of the power of poetry,” he said.
The Paterson Poetry Festival is an annual event that is a celebration of words, writers, and poetry lovers. Coined as the “Super Bowl event for poets,” the Festival was founded in 2018 and is sponsored by Word Seed Inc. The organization is a team of poets whose mission is to bring voice and literacy to writers of all ages. All of this comes from the brain of Ms. Talena Lachelle Queen. Not only is she currently Paterson Poet Laureate, she is the Founder and Executive Director of the festival and Founder and President of Word Seed Inc.
To find more information about the Festival, visit: https://www.wordseedinc.org/
NEWARK, NJ- The Gamma Chapter of Gamma Xi Phi, a professional fraternity for artists serving Newark, New Jersey, initiated four new members on Saturday, October 15, 2022. This occasion marked the first in-person ceremony in the fraternity since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This infusion of creators and innovators expands the organization’s membership and places it on a continued path of celebrating “Art, Society & Justice: For Decades to Come.”
The new members are visual artists, educators, writers, actors, poets, and arts administrators, representing the largest cohort of members in the chapter’s history.
The new initiates are:
Gamma Attorious Renee Augustin, a nonbinary (they/them), queer, performance poet, filmmaker, and educator from Wanamassa, New Jersey. Their work focuses on transformation and community, and their hope is for their art to serve as a catalyst in the liberation of all people from oppressive systems. Attorious received their poetry MFA at Rutgers University-Newark. They are the host of Lampblack’s Instagram Live Series, “The Inky Bulb” and an artist-in-residence with New Jersey Performing Arts Center, where they were co-artistic director of NJPAC’s 2021 performance “Phronesis: A Focus on Frequency.”
Gamma Tasha Grant (they/she) is an Afro-Costa Rican queer and non-binary multi-disciplinary arts & social justice educator, applied theatre practitioner, and cultural worker from Newark, New Jersey. Tasha has worked in education, activism, youth development, and gender and sexuality education as a facilitator, devised theatre director, teaching artist, high school teacher, and college lecturer. They are the founder and Artistic Director of Maroon Theatre Project, a New Jersey-based Black feminist theatre collective that creates programming and curriculum that fosters critical consciousness, activism, and healing in youth through the arts. Rooted in liberatory pedagogy, Tasha works to reimagine theatre-making and education by focusing on young peoples’ social-emotional development and providing them with access to social justice and political education. Tasha prioritizes queer, transgender, and non-binary youth of color to create affirming spaces for multi-marginalized youth. Currently, they serve on the editorial board for Youth Theatre Journal and holds a BA from Utica University in Psychology, with a minor in Theatre, and an MA in Educational Theatre for Colleges & Communities from New York University.
Born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey, Brother Jaquair Gillette is a graduate of Ramapo College of New Jersey. He is an actor, poet, producer, and community artivist. He recently released his festival award-winning film “3rd & 4th Chapters.” He has been featured in roles in plays and television shows such as August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson for Now Theatre, Inc., Orange is The New Black, Godfather of Harlem, Tommy, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, FBI, and Law & Order: Organized Crime. He recently released his debut spoken word poetry book entitled Defiance & Desperation available on numerous eBook platforms. In addition, He is a three-time featured poet at the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe in NYC. He is the annual open mic host of Paterson Poetry Festival and has performed in poetry cafes and venues across the U.S from New York City to Los Angeles. Jaquair continues to stay active in his hometown of Paterson as a commissioner on the Paterson Arts Exchange and as an associate producer for The Urban Blackboard Program for Public Access Television.
Gamma Dontae T. Muse is the owner of the award-winning Above Art Studios in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He is also the best-selling author of Tripping Over Canvases: How to Open Your Own Art Gallery with No Prior Experience. Dontae has participated as an advisor to or on the boards of New Jersey Art Administrators of Color, Institute of Music for Children, Black Girls Who Paint, Blk Art House, National Endowment for the Arts, New Brunswick HeART Festival, New Brunswick NAACP, Arts New Brunswick (Art Council), and Morris Arts. He is also an advocate for fair access to health insurance for artists and fair payment to artists for artistic services, and curates the movements #nostarvingartists and #paytheartist.
Augustin said they connected with Gamma Xi Phi’s principles. “They build up to the expansion of Gammas as individuals and community through intentional creation, service, and gathering.”
Muse stated, “I hope that I can add valuable relationships that can help procure more resources to better serve the artist community.”
Gamma Xi Phi was founded on October 7, 2010, on the campus of Ramapo College. The purpose of the organization is to honor the achievements of artists through fellowship, philanthropy, social justice, and service.
From October 8th -10th, 2021, the city of Newark celebrated 20 years of the Newark Arts Festival and the Brothers and Sisters of Gamma Chapter were there in full effect. On top of attending the 2021 Virtual National Convention for the Fraternity, members of Gamma Chapter were back and forth throughout many of the festival events.
On Friday night, Sister DaiJonae Clemons had her artwork featured in Lucid Noir. This event was sponsored by Femme Curator Arts. Sister Clemons stated how she “loved the opportunity to showcase her artwork.”
On Saturday night, Gamma Chapter was one of the sponsors for EvoluCulture Ventures, LLC’s October installment of Evolution Dopen Mic. This was the seventh anniversary of the organization providing space for expression for all artists in the city of Newark. The night was filled with music, food, poetry, games, and community. Sister Treasure Borde, President of EvoluCulture Ventures, LLC, said “Gamma Chapter elevated the vibe in a major way. Having my GXP brothers and sisters present and performing further cemented our presence in the arts scene of our great city.”
During the show Sister Ivelisse Tirado performed from original songs and Brother Malcolm Minor spoke about the chapter and organization. As a gift, Gamma chapter distributed goodie bags filled with candy, pens, and information on GXP to all attendees.
“It was an honor to have GXP in the building for EvoluCulture’s 7th anniversary. I’ve known of them for years and we have had a similar mission in the arts, so it was only a matter of time before we worked together,” said Sean Battle, Founder of EvoluCulture. “Their presence in the room help made our open mic further in creating a safe space for artists and art lovers.”
On Sunday, Brother Malcolm Minor represented the chapter as a guest artist for the annual Men’s Day at the Nia Fellowship Baptist Church. The Chairman of the celebration, Mr. Brian Fenderson, said that Brother Minor “ushered in the spirit, elevating the congregation to the next level in worship.”
Gamma chapter is proud of the work that was done and is looking forward to taking part in a bigger way for Newark Arts Festival 2022.
