Betting on Myself: An Atlanta Artist’s Journey to The Other Art Fair LA 2025
"Betting on Myself: An Atlanta Artist’s Journey to The Other Art Fair LA 2025"
My name is Stephanie Fleming, but in my art practice I go by Stephanie Brown. I am an Atlanta-based photographer and interactive installation artist with a BFA in Photography from Savannah College of Art and Design and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art and Museum Studies Certificate from the University of Michigan. A proud daughter of Jamaican immigrants, I grew up in South Florida at the intersection of my own Jamaican and Black American identities. This intersection is reflected in my artwork, which offers ancestral and global insights on identity construction. In my studio photography practice, I sculpt with light and shadow to create compositions that reframe the human form and express the strength found in one’s most vulnerable self.
I’ve been chasing the full-time artist dream since I decided to go to art school as a sophomore in high school. Exhibiting in Los Angeles and building a formal network there has been a long-term strategic goal of mine, one that would help set me up for success in achieving that dream. At the end of 2024, I bet on myself and applied to The Other Art Fair LA 2025. When I got accepted, I was excited at the idea of being one step closer to my dream, but I was also nervous because art fairs are extremely expensive. Compared to most, The Other Art Fair is a fraction of the cost since it is exclusively for independent artists. But by the time I added up airfare, postcards, printing, framing, food, lodging, and furniture for the booth, art sales shifted from being a "hope" to a "requirement."
Confident that this opportunity was given to me for a reason, I quickly made a shortlist of potential sponsors who might consider covering my booth fee. Najee Dorsey, founder of Black Art in America, was top on that list. Since meeting last spring, Najee has been a diligent supporter of my art practice, especially my latest series of fine art photography on reversible sequin. In less than a year, I exhibited with BAIA twice, participated in their art market, gave an artist talk, and sold two works to a prominent local art collector. When Najee accepted my sponsorship proposal, I knew the rest would continue to be divinely aligned. I was the only artist from the state of Georgia presenting and was one of five artists representing the southeast region of the USA.
My participation in The Other Art Fair LA 2025 was a total success and worth every penny. The four-day fair was electric, family friendly, and full of energy from start to finish. On opening night, I sold my first piece, a 12 x 12 inch interactive sequin work, for $425. This was the first time I presented a sequin piece this small. The enthusiastic buyer told me that as he walked around the fair, he couldn’t get the piece out of his head. Before he had finished seeing all the booths, he shared that he just had to buy it in fear that it would be taken by someone else. He was right because another future collector inquired about it immediately after it sold. I later sold a limited edition print of the same piece for $150. I presented two brand-new sequin works and three Chromaluxe metal prints in my booth. I also distributed over 500 free postcards as tiny pieces of art with my contact information on the back for everyone who visited the booth.
Due to the interactive nature of my work, I had loads of engagement in my booth. Many saw the metal photographs on one wall and were shocked to know that sequin had photographs as well. By the last day of the fair, numerous people came by to say that they saw my work on Instagram and had to come see it for themselves. Visitors appreciated the contradictory feeling of touching art. Even children pulled their parents to my booth, educating them on what this material was. Everyone was pleasantly surprised to get permission to touch. What pulled people in was the shiny familiar sequin, but what got them to stay and engage deeper with me was when they heard the meaning behind the work. The series of sequin work is formally titled Gestalt: Hidden In Plain Sight. The word “gestalt” is defined as “something that is made of many parts and yet is somehow more than or different from the combination of its parts.”
Traditionally, in my black-and-white photographic nudes, I omit the gaze so that the viewer can focus solely on the light, shadow, form, texture, and composition of my grandiose prints on archival cotton rag paper. However, for this series, I intentionally capture the gaze of Black women standing tall, proud, and confident in their rawest form. Black women around the world, especially in America, have been and continue to be integral to social, cultural, and political movements, as well as the advancement of not just women, but men and children—with little to no regard. Even without consent, Black women and their bodies have been foundational to advances in science, medicine, and the very fabric of this country. There is no industry untouched by an unacknowledged Black woman and her objectified body.
In this work, I personify the intersectionality of Black women and our perceived value in the world by showcasing the women on a material that literally and metaphorically highlights our simultaneous visibility and invisibility. The works aim to stir dialogue around the ways Black women and their bodies—along with our intellect and contributions—are both seen and unseen. I challenge and invite viewers to become participants in a tactile photographic experience like no other. I dare them to consider the Black woman for the complexity of her individual parts and the weight of her sum. The photographic images are uniquely printed on reversible sequin-polyester fabric and upholstered for display and wall mounting. Participants are encouraged to explore the image with their hands to reveal or conceal the image.
As the fair came to a close, I sold my third piece, which was the largest artwork in my booth titled Esquiva, priced at $5,500. Selling a sequin work in Los Angeles was the cherry on top and a major win, not just for me but for everyone who supported me in going to Los Angeles. I traveled to Los Angeles alone, with my eight-month-old baby in tow. I was aided every step of the way by family, local friends, new friends, and even complete strangers. I came looking to build a network of Los Angeles supporters and collectors and to leave a lasting impression of who I am as an artist. I feel that I did just that. Over the past 10 years, my work has been exhibited internationally and nationally, most notably at the Appleton Museum of Art, Prizm Art Fair, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Swan Coach House Gallery, Mint Gallery, Black Art in America, the African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta, Sovern LA, the Science Gallery Atlanta, and, as of last week, The Other Art Fair LA. I wanted to prove myself worthy of being a solo presenting artist at a fair, and I’m so glad that I bet on myself and that organizations like Black Art in America believed in me. I am forever grateful and looking forward to the impact my fair experience will have on the next steps in my art career.
Learn more about my work and artistic journey on my website: www.stephaniebphotos.com
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The Other Art Fair, presented by Saatchi Art, is celebrating its milestone 100th global fair edition, marking over a decade of pioneering efforts in democratizing the art world by connecting emerging and independent artists with art buyers globally. Set against the backdrop of the world's biggest cities, each Fair delivers the unexpected, combining access to boundary-pushing yet always-affordable artworks with immersive installations, performances, and unique features. The result is an inspiring, evocative, inclusive, and fun event that creates lasting connections between artists and art lovers. Since its inception in 2011, The Other Art Fair has provided a platform for nearly 10,000 artists to sell over 100,000 artworks, transforming the careers of countless emerging artists and generating more than $50,000,000 in art sales. The Other Art Fair now hosts 11 fairs annually across the UK, the US, and Australia. For more information, visit www.theotherartfair.com
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BLACK ART IN AMERICA™ (BAIA) FOUNDATION is a 501c3 dedicated to championing the African American visual art community through access, art education, and community empowerment.
A significant challenge for communities of color is a lack of access to and education on the visual arts, particularly those that effectively reflect and represent themselves. BAIA Foundation works to affect change through relevant programming, educational outreach, and viable community fellowships and partnerships.
Learn more: BAIA Foundation
