Elan Artist

Elan was born and raised in New York City. Her father, a New York City artist and teacher, gave Elan her foundation in the visual arts. Her artistic career started at age four when one of her collage pieces was selected by Channel Thirteen to be apart of an exhibition that toured the United States and the Soviet Union. At the age of ten, she went on to become a winner of the Ezra Jack Keats new writer competition for school age children with a book that she wrote and illustrated. Elan continues to write and illustrate children books. She graduated from the High School of Art and Design. She attended Fashion Institute of Technology for advertising design and is currently attending City College of New York where she is an Art Major. Elan’s work has exhibited with KeySpan, the Queens Council of the Arts, City College of New York, Chase bank and an assortment of galleries in New York City. In 2003 and 2005, she received citations of honor from the Queens Borough President, Helen Marshall, for her work in the arts. She has done a variety of community service projects for non-profit groups such as the Harlem YMCA, Queens Gazette and several Senior Centers. Elan harmonizes visual artistry with socially relevant themes. She co-mingles her diverse cultural experiences and dynamic artistic energy into a fresh contemporary interpretation using paintings, collage, textiles, photography, and/or poetry. As a multi-media visual artist and poet, Elan speaks through her art of the promise in each individual and the struggle to overcome the barriers that often prevent people from realizing their true, boundless potential. Elan’s work is about living freedom and with the use of this freedom the ability to say something relevant to people through visual stimulation. Her goal is to have viewers question their condition in such ways to bring about positive change in their lives as well as the lives of others. She currently lives in Harlem with her husband and two children. www.elanartist.comMY WEBSITE: www.elanartist.com