Dr. Nettrice Gaskins | Greg Tate

This Black History Month we celebrate the history makers of our time. We honor the life and legacy of the iconic Greg Tate with this amazing piece by artist and educator Dr. Nettrice Gaskins.

This artwork celebrates Greg Tate, the preeminent culture critic, godfather to contemporary Black journalism, legendary author, and musician of our time. We honor his legacy after his sudden passing, in celebration of his passion for, love for community, and never-ending celebration of Black Genius. Fly high, brother!

Originally designed by the artist using AI technologies, the vinyl version of Gaskin’s digital work stands over 20 ft high and wide, overlooking our forthcoming sculpture garden in Fort Greene, Brooklyn (Lafayette Avenue and Fort Greene Place at Fulton Street).

“Greg Tate” from the Gilded series by Dr. Nettrice Gaskins, 2021.

Dr. Nettrice R. Gaskins  (IG: @nettiebeatrice) is an African American digital artist, academic, cultural critic and advocate of STEAM fields. In her work she explores “techno-vernacular creativity” and Afrofuturism.

Dr. Gaskins teaches, writes, “fabs”, and makes art using algorithms and machine learning. She has taught multimedia, visual art, and computer science with high school students. She earned a BFA in Computer Graphics with Honors from Pratt Institute in 1992 and an MFA in Art and Technology from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1994. She received a doctorate in Digital Media from Georgia Tech in 2014. Currently, Dr. Gaskins is a 2021 Ford Global Fellow and the assistant director of the Lesley STEAM Learning Lab at Lesley University. She is an advisory board member for the School of Literature, Media, and Communication at Georgia Tech. Her first full-length book, Techno-Vernacular Creativity and Innovation is available through The MIT Press. Gaskins’ AI-generated artworks can be viewed in journals, magazines, museums, and on the Web. Her series of ‘featured futurist’ portraits are on view at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building through early July 2022.

Gaskins served as Board President of the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture (The Alliance) and she was on the board of the Community Technology Centers Network (CTCNet) and Artisan’s Asylum.

Visit MoCADA’s Ubuntu Garden at 48 Lafayette Avenue at the intersection of Lafayette Avenue, Fulton Street and Fort Greene Place in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.