#UNEXPECTEDCREATIVITY
A TRUE ICON FOR NEW ICONS
A week long art exhibit inside the old Aveda Arts & Science Institute building in Chinatown, Washington, DC, recently renewed and refreshed by DTLR & Jordan Brand, with the support of building owners Oxford Properties, the AFL-CIO and Local Union workers.
With the re-release of the Air Jordan 11 ‘Cool Grey’ and the debut of the Air Jordan 11 ‘Black & White’ for the 2021 Holiday Season, DTLR and Jordan Brand seized a unique opportunity to celebrate the legacy of the silhouette in an unexpected way. DTLR and Jordan return to Washington D.C. where the two brands will collaborate on an art exhibition pop-up experience inspired by the Air Jordan 11.
The Air Jordan 11 is not just a shoe — it’s a symbol of greatness and style first worn by MJ in 2001 as a member of the Washington Wizards. Today the shoe is worn by game changers and change-makers alike, and is a catalyst for unexpected creativity.
The women who rock this classic keep the legacy going in spectacular fashion — they are visionaries who excel across various mediums including sports, art, and dance. With the help of Arena Social Arts Club, Hue2 Foundation & DMV League of Artists, we asked four women in D.C., Lex Marie, Dyymond Whipper-Young, Anisha Murdock and Keiona Clark to create original artworks inspired by the creative spirit and timeless greatness that the AJXI embodies.
GALLERY
ARTISTS
LEX MARIE
Lex Marie’s nostalgic portrait paintings are an unedited biography of her own life. Pulling from both her past and present experiences, Lex’s portraits are unique in that through telling her story she captures the emotions that she has felt personally which also happens to be a similar story of many other people that have long been unheard.
Influenced by classical portraiture, Lex emphasizes her subjects, often being herself or her son, by placing them front and center minimizing the initial impact of the smaller yet very important background details. The poses are soft yet stoic, the colors strong and vibrant, she captures a split second of a scene forcing ambiguity as to what that subject may currently be enduring a few moments before or after. She hints at answers to these questions in her provocative titles such as “At His Daddy’s House” or “Easter Morning Cartoons”.
DYYMOND WHIPPER-YOUNG
Since the age of 11, Dyymond could be found covered in clay and paint. Her love for self-expression through artistic mediums led her to pursue a career that would allow her to explore the arts.
Dyymond’s work has premiered in over 50 major events across the country. Some of her notable collaborations include working with the NAACP, the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, the Los Angeles Urban League, and most recently partnering with Crayola and the Franklin Institute to break the record for the world’s largest drawing by a single artist, at 6,450 square feet. In 2016 Dyymond was named Temple University’s Homecoming Queen, where she was celebrated for her impact in her community.
Today Dyymond is an artist, curator, and educator. She has always been passionate about educating and exposing others to creative expression, cultural heritage, and careers in the creative economy.
ANISHA MURDOCK
Nish Murdock is a crochet streetwear fashion designer and continuous line work artist originally from New York currently based out of the Washington D.C. and Maryland area. Her crochet streetwear company better known as The Murdock Collection, focuses on expanding past the realms of ordinary crochet by striving to create a space where fabric, knitwear and art collide as one. Her work often documents a multitude of stories & emotions using different mediums and textiles. In addition to her hand-made fashions, Nish uses oil-based paint in the form of paint markers to create 2-D based art with continuous line work.
Her signature “shared faces” drawings demonstrate the connectivity of people & identity in an abstract style. Nish aspires to introduce her signatures of knitwear & line work in other forms of art in the future. She currently is focused on growing her art forms collectively as the recognizable identity of Murdock expanding her work of designs and leaving her signature behind.
KEIONA CLARK
Keiona Clark is an artist, muralist, entrepreneur and a curator based in Washington, DC metro area. Clark is the Founder and CEO of the DMV League of Artists and co-Executive Director of HUE2 located in Gallery Place in the District of Columbia; she also serves as Gallery Manager for 39th Street Gallery. Clark’s passion is aligning with similar minds and network to build a force in the creative community. Keiona has not only proven herself to be a force in the “Art” of business; she is also a (stage 3B) breast cancer survivor who was inspired to create shortly after her chemo infusions. Surviving cancer helped her decide that her life would be centered on her passion.
As a young child, Clark had a natural talent and took to art as soon as she was able to hold a crayon. With no formal training, her inspiration is experience, emotional expression and inner energy. Non-traditional application of paints and technique make her art original, inspirational, and unique.
