Artfest - Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF)

First 10 Artists Get Their Artfest Application Fee Waived — Here’s How

Jasmyne Cannick — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 02:19:38 +0000

To celebrate the return of the PAFF Artfest to Baldwin Hills Crenshaw, we’re showing a little extra love to our artists.

The first 10 artists who complete their Artfest application and use the code PAFFART10 will have their application fee waived. That’s right—no application fee at all.

But it gets better. Those 10 artists will also receive a $50 discount on their booth fee, bringing the total to just $845. Once you apply, you’ll still have 7 days to submit your booth fee payment and lock in your spot.

This offer is only valid during the regular submission period, which ends July 21, 2025. And once 10 people use the code, it automatically shuts down—so if you’re planning to apply, move fast.

This is your moment.

Apply now. Use code: PAFFART10. Save your spot.

See you at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw this August.

August 21–24, 2025
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza

APPLY TO BE A FEATURED ARTIST

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The PAFF ArtFEST Returns to Baldwin Hills Crenshaw August 21–24, 2025

Jasmyne Cannick — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 02:03:19 +0000

The Pan African Film & Arts Festival is proud to announce the return of our beloved Artfest to its home at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw. From August 21–24, 2025, we’re bringing the marketplace back to the heart of South Los Angeles—where culture, community, and creativity converge.

For over three decades, PAFF has created space for Black and Pan-African artists to showcase their work to thousands of art lovers, collectors, and supporters. This year, we’re reclaiming that legacy and returning to the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, a historic location that has long served as a cultural hub for our community.

The 2025 Artfest will feature over 100 artists from across the African diaspora, offering everything from fine art, sculpture, handmade jewelry, wearable fashion, and ceramics to African textiles, home decor, collectibles, and more. It’s a curated experience that centers Black artists, honors our heritage, and uplifts our stories—whether they’re told through brushstrokes, beadwork, or bold design.

More than just a marketplace, the Artfest is a gathering. A celebration of our history, our resilience, and our imagination. It’s where people come not only to buy art, but to connect with the creators behind it. It’s where culture lives, breathes, and grows.

And best of all—it’s free and open to the public.

Mark your calendars. Spread the word. The PAFF Artfest is coming home.

August 21–24, 2025
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza

APPLY TO BE A FEATURED ARTIST

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Actress Vanessa E. Williams Attends PAFF ArtFest!

Jasmyne Cannick — Sun, 19 Feb 2023 10:09:10 +0000

Actress Vanessa E. Williams attended the Pan African Film & Arts Festival’s ArtFest at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles, Calif. Williams joins a long list of celebrities spotted at PAFF’s ArtFest including Tabitha Brown, Angela Bassett and Danny Glover.

Williams is best known for her roles as Maxine Joseph–Chadway in the Showtime drama series, Soul Food (2000–04), for which she received NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series and as Nino Brown’s feisty gun moll, Keisha in the 1991 crime drama film, New Jack City. Most recently she starred in “The L Word: Generation Q” and Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story.

The PAFF ArtFest features over 100 established and emerging fine artists and unique craftspeople from all over the world. With an artistic aesthetic that is rooted in Africa and its Diaspora, featured artists present their creative works using oil on canvas, watercolor and pastels, acrylic paper, glass, ceramics, metal, cloth, plastic, wax, wire, leather, and stone. In addition to fine art and one-of-a-kind crafts, the ArtFest also features the best in designer and traditional fashions, jewelry, home decor, fashion accessories and so much more!

Representing the perfect mix of both art and culture, the PAFF ArtFest brings out over 100K+ visitors from all over Los Angeles, across the country, and around the world. It is an experience in and of itself that guarantees something for every taste and every budget.

The PAFF ArtFest open daily at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza through Feb. 20.

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L.A. Times – The Take: Inside the vibrant scene at the Pan African Film Festival’s ArtFest

Jasmyne Cannick — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 20:52:38 +0000

A cultural staple in Los Angeles since 1992, the annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival got underway at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza on Feb. 9 and runs until Feb. 20. Not even Super Bowl Sunday could keep PAFF ArtFest devotees away from the marketplace, where more than 100 artists from around the globe displayed fine art, fashion and decor inspired by the traditions and aesthetics of the African diaspora. Regulars reconnected with their favorite returning artisans as teens snapped selfies while modeling handcrafted jewelry, and more than a few shoppers dropped Valentine’s Day gift hints to their companions. Times photographer Carolyn Cole wound her way through stands brimming over with one-of-a-kind statement jewelry, oil paintings, metal sculptures and handwoven textiles to capture the vibrant scene.

Read the full story online here and in the Sunday Times Calendar on Feb. 19!

The post L.A. Times – The Take: Inside the vibrant scene at the Pan African Film Festival’s ArtFest first appeared on Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF).

Tabitha Brown Visits the PAFF ArtFest

Jasmyne Cannick — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 20:45:39 +0000

Following her meet-and-greet for her popular preschool series on YouTube “Tab Time,” author and actress Tabitha Brown attended the Pan African Film & Arts Festival’s ArtFest on Sat., Feb. 11, at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles, Calif. Brown joins a long list of celebrities spotted at PAFF’s ArtFest including Angela Bassett and Danny Glover.

Representing the perfect mix of both art and culture, the PAFF ArtFestbrings out over 100K+ visitors from all over Los Angeles, across the country, and around the world. It is an experience in and of itself that guarantees something for every taste and every budget.

The PAFF ArtFest open daily at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza through Feb. 20.

The post Tabitha Brown Visits the PAFF ArtFest first appeared on Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF).

IKEA Collaborates with PAFF for Second Year on All Artists Have A Seat At the Table

Jasmyne Cannick — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 23:46:49 +0000

In celebration of Black History Month, the Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) and IKEA have collaborated for the second year to create the All Artists Have a Seat at the Table exhibition. IKEA, along with specifically chosen world-renowned Black artists, will debut their one-of-a-kind artwork featuring IKEA furniture at the PAFF star-studded red carpet Opening Night gala at the Directors Guild of America on Feb. 9. The full exhibition will be on display for the public Feb. 10-20 during the PAFF ArtFest at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza (3650 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.). IKEA will host meet-and-greets with the artists at their Southern California stores on Feb. 3. For more information, please visit paff.org.

In partnership with IKEA, world-renown Black artists from PAFF created fine art with IKEA furniture as a part of the All Artists Have a Seat at the Table exhibition. The goal was to establish, preserve and present “imaginative stories” –– and to keep the expressions of Black art vibrant and alive. The artists were asked to create a visual representation of the rich history and culture that has shaped the Pan African Film & Arts Festival for the last 30 years using IKEA’s IVAR chairs and their INGO table.

In-store displays of the IVAR chairs transformed by the artists involved in the All Artists Have a Seat at the Table exhibition will take place at each Southern California IKEA store. Those stores include Carson, Arcadia, West Covina, Burbank, Long Beach, and Costa Mesa through Feb. 8.

The All Artists Have a Seat at the Table exhibition is curated by acclaimed Ghanaian contemporary artist PAFF ArtFest director Allohn Agbenya.

Schedule of Events

IKEA IN-STORE ARTIST MEET & GREET
Friday, February 3
5:00 p.m – 8:00 p.m.
Carson, Burbank, West Covina, and Costa Mesa

Dinner, paint night, and mocktails. Paint demonstration will be conducted by a PAFF featured artist.

Carson…………… PeQUE Brown
Burbank…………..Yendi Serwaa
West Covina…….Sandra Zebi
Costa Mesa……..Sylvia “Gbaby” Cohen

PAFF OPENING NIGHT GALA
Thursday, February 9
7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Directors Guild of America

IKEA furniture will be featured throughout the red-carpet star-studded gala at the Directors Guild of America. The furniture will showcase the artwork from the All Artists Have a Seat at the Table exhibition.

PAFF ARTFEST OPENING RECEPTION

Friday, February 10
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza
1st Floor PAFF Institute (formerly Forever 21)

The opening of the PAFF ArtFest at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, IKEA will present a panel discussion about art and livable furniture with the artists featured in their All Artists Have a Seat at the Table exhibition along with Andrew Alcantar, IKEA’s Communication & Interior Design Manager. Discussion to be followed by a reception.

About the Artists

Porter Ajayi Olanrewaju (Nigeria)

Porter Ajayi started his career at an early age, from elementary through secondary school. After secondary school, he began dreaming of becoming a professional artist.

He holds a National Diploma in General Arts from Lagos State Polytechnic and graduated in 1992. After obtaining his diploma, he gained admission to the prestigious art school at Yaba College of Technology in Lagos, Nigeria, where he earned a Higher National Diploma in Painting in 1997.

Porter has also completed many commissioned works for both individual and corporate clients.

Lastly, he is a full time studio artist.

Aziz Diagne (Senegal)

Aziz Diagne is a multi-media artist from Senegal, West Africa. He grew up in the city of Thies, amid the traditional art forms of his homeland. These art forms include rock carving, ceramic and wood sculpture, murals, tapestry, and Thiesoise (reverse painting on glass). Aziz, a self-taught painter, through his unique and dynamic talents, quickly established himself as one of the premiere contemporary glass painters. Before coming to the United States, Aziz studied in Dakar and Thies, Senegal. He then pursued art for several years in neighboring countries, Mauritania and Morocco. Aziz traveled extensively throughout Africa, Europe, and South America, absorbing the art and cultures of diverse environments. These experiences have greatly enhanced the artist’s seemingly limitless repertoire and creative energy.

PeQue Brown (America)

Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, fine artist PeQue developed his eye and honed skills as an artist in the armed forces, as a community leader, and as a youth mentor. He has been the subject of and a featured artist for television shows, films, and commercials for more than 35 years. PeQue’s body of work includes mural commissions for Vice President Kamala Harris, Hall of Famers Landon Donovan, Cobi Jones, and for the City of Los Angeles (a mural tribute to the late Kobe Bryant). He founded LIQUID Arts Studios in both Los Angeles, CA, and Metropolitan Atlanta, GA; an all-arts collective aimed at providing guidance to disenchanted youth and young adults through the arts. PeQue is currently working with cities across the US to revitalize communities and schools with large custom murals engaging community support and youth input.

Marvin Obasogie Aimiuwu (Nigeria)

MOA started drawing and painting as a child in Nigeria, studied fine art in college, and has pursued artwork full-time since coming to the United States.

Sandra Zebi (Brazil)

Sandra Zebi is an artist from Sao Paulo, Brazil, that came to Los Angeles in 1986. She was very intrigued and inspired by the cultural diversity that the city had to offer. Starting in 1991, she began a career as a ceramist, and her work was popularly known as Zebi Designs, which launched a bold new journey marked by perseverance and idealism. She now works with various medias including acrylic paintings, digital art, and mixed media. Zebi’s art has it own style with distinct and vibrant colors. Her work is also made up of cheerful and graceful images, used to convey positive messages and spread her Brazilian culture. Her creativity is characterized by her unique style and has gained recognition and admiration throughout the community and abroad through her public sculptures and murals. She is a strong believer in “less is more” and expresses that in her art.

Yendi Serwaa (America)

A native of Vicksburg, MS, Yendi began her creative endeavors as a child experimenting with bold and contrasting colors in a prolific series of abstract drawings. Today that colorful spirit transcends time and enters your life in a variety of mediums, including sea shells, driftwood, seed pods, palmwood, tree bark, leaves, and of course, chairs!

Sylvia “Gbaby” Cohen (America)

Artist, Sylvia “Gbaby” Cohen, founder of Gbaby Art Inc, purposes her creations as an apparatus to inspire, encourage, and motivate all who encounter each and every one-of-a-kind piece. Sylvia’s GbabyTM brand officially took root in the early 2000s when Sylvia’s teenage daughter, Giovonnie, who was an actress on Nickelodeon’s All That, was looking for a handbag to wear to an awards ceremony. Sylvia’s creative spirit took hold and she painted a beautiful woman of color on a handbag. Little did she know it would be the first step into building the brand known today as Gbaby.

Now living in Conyers, Georgia, Sylvia plans to continue to spread the GbabyTM influence. She is continuing to paint original paintings and mixed media masks. With two licensing deals, her artwork is produced on an array of products including: blankets, pillows, shower curtains, socks and woven tote bags. Sylvia has just released her ninth inspirational calendar with Shades of Color and is currently working on her tenth anniversary edition entitled “Happy, Healthy and Holistic.” She has also expanded the reach of the Gbaby brand to include a publishing company, “My Heart on the Line.” The company has launched the first book, “The Art of Business; The Business of Art” workbook, and Gbaby’s first adult coloring book “Goddess of Nature.” Sylvia’s books, art, and products are available at gbabyart.com. Sylvia and her husband Jeff just opened 1010 Artisan Collective in Old Town Conyers, Georgia.

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Angela Bassett, Danny Glover Spotted at PAFF Artfest

Jasmyne Cannick — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 02:45:58 +0000

Final weekend of Black arts celebration in South LA

Award-winning actress Angela Bassett and Oscar-winning actor and activist Danny Glover were both spotted attending the prestigious Pan African Film & Arts Festival Artfest at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles this week. The PAFF Artfest is the largest Diasporic art show in the country and features over 100 established and emerging fine artists and quality craftspeople from all over the world. With an artistic aesthetic rooted in Africa and its Diaspora, featured artists present their creative works using oil on canvas, watercolor and pastels, acrylic paper, glass, ceramics, metal, cloth, plastic, wax, wire, leather, and stone. In addition to fine art and one-of-a-kind crafts, the Artfest also features the best in designer and traditional fashions, jewelry, home decor, fashion accessories, and more. The PAFF Artfest runs through Sunday, May 1, 2022, at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza (3650 MLK Blvd.) in Los Angeles. For more information, please visit www.paff.org.

Photos by M.C. Harris.

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PAFF and IKEA: All Artists Have A Seat at the Table

Jasmyne Cannick — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 08:01:23 +0000

On Thursday, April 21, PAFF hosted an in-depth discussion about how the IKEA and PAFF collaboration was born and a conversation with the artists who participated.

Each created a unique piece of art in their own style around this year’s PAFF theme–Roots: Embrace the PAFF, Enjoy the Present, and Create the Future.

Held in the PAFF Institute Lounge at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, the discussion was moderated by Kevin Mathews, Regional Marketing Manager, IKEA North America Services, and featured panelists Allohn Agbenya (ArtFEST Director), Charles A Bibbs, Sandra Zebi, Aziz Diagne, and MOA.

Photos by Venus Bernardo.

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The PAFF ArtFEST Returns to the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza

Jasmyne Cannick — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 07:09:16 +0000

Thursday, the renowned PAFF Artfest made its triumphant return to the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza after a two-year absence due to the pandemic.

The PAFF ArtFEST features over 100 established and emerging fine artists and quality craftspeople from all over the world. With an artistic aesthetic rooted in Africa and its Diaspora, featured artists present their creative works using oil on canvas, watercolor and pastels, acrylic paper, glass, ceramics, metal, cloth, plastic, wax, wire, leather, and stone.

In addition to fine art and one-of-a-kind crafts, the ARTFEST also features the best in designer and traditional fashions, jewelry, home decor, fashion accessories, and so much more!

Representing the perfect mix of both art and culture, the PAFF ArtFEST brings out over 100K+ visitors from all over Los Angeles, across the country, and worldwide. It is an experience in and of itself that guarantees something for every taste and every budget.

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Featured Artists

Each year PAFF celebrates and highlights a featured artist. For our 30th Anniversary, we are excited to feature seven artists and their works during the ArtFEST.

This year’s featured artists are: Synthia Saint James, Charles Bibbs, Aziz. Bernard Stanley Hoyes, Nathaniel Bustion, and Odell.

Synthia Saint James, African American, PAFF Featured Artist 2002

PAFF x IKEA Collab

This year PAFF is proud to collaborate with IKEA on the “ALL ARTISTS HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE” campaign.

Los Angeles area IKEA stores gave five world-renowned Black PAFF artists an INGO table and four IVAR chairs to transform into fine art. Each created a unique piece of art in their own style around this year’s PAFF theme–Roots: Embrace the PAFF, Enjoy the Present, and Create the Future.

Fashion Show

The annual PAFF Fashion Show will take place Sunday, April 30th at 3 p.m. on the 2nd level bridge.

Produced by Christopher Wayne Usher, join the PAFF wearable art artists for a “tour de force” in high fashion with an Afro-touch.

How to Attend

Experience the PAFF ArtFEST through May 1st at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza (3650 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) Monday through Saturday between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The PAFF ArtFEST is curated by Allohn Agbenya, one of the most sought-after artists specializing in hand-dyed, hand-crafted wearable art for men and women.

The PAFF ArtFEST is sponsored in part by grants from The Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

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