Cyd Iyun & Mary Jefferson
Mary Jefferson is producing the 2024 Ken Clay Renaissance Awards on July 27 with an adjoining exhibit at the Louisville Free Public Library featuring 3 women including fabric artist Cyd Iyun. Mary & Cyd join us in the studio this week to talk about the event. Tune in to WXOX 97.1FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Artists Talk with LVA.
Mary E. Jefferson is a Louisville writer, talent producer, business leader and former Executive Director of the African American Women's Literary Series. In partnership with Jamie Keith, she is also the former co-founder of The CERA Group, a boutique business development and management company. A cultural arts and social justice advocate, the Appalachian native and UofL alumni, occasionally pens, researches and develops organizational grantmaking for talent management platforms and youth educational programs. In April, 2022, Mary established the, LOUISVILLE ORGANIZING ARTS GROUP as a public platform to highlight and pay tribute to Ken Clay, Louisville native, arts trailblazer, diversity gamechanger and the inaugural recipient of the, 2023 KEN CLAY RENAISSANCE HONOR AWARD.
Cyd Iyun is a New York native and has been a Louisville resident for 40 plus years. As a designer, seamstress and fabric designer, Cyd owns and manages, Creating Beauty with Fabric where she imagines, designs and pieces together bold color-patterns and designs for utilitarian purposes such as dinner napkins and masks to uniquely amazing couture in the forms of casual and formal apparel. Cyd will be the Artist-in-Residence for a children's interactive and hands-on arts workshop, Thursday July 25th from 2:30-3:45 at the historic Western Library, 610 So.10th Street. The artist is part of a trio of collaborators in a new mixed media arts exhibit, DIVERSITY WOMEN'S ART ON CANVAS. The installment opens Friday, July 26 from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. @ Bernheim Gallery in the Main Library, 301 York Street.