Join Artist and Jewelry Designer, Johnny Nelson and Lead Metal Artisan and Sculptor, Friday Lynton, in conversation with culture journalist Amber Lauren.  Together they will unearth the historical, environmental, and cultural impacts of gold in the African Diaspora, and how it has influenced Johnny and Friday as artists.

WHAT: BKLYN Designs: Jewelry Now in the African Diaspora
WHEN: November 22, 2025 @ 6-7:30pm panel discussion, 7:30-9pm afterparty at MoCDA
WHERE: L10 Arts + Cultural Center, 10 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, 11217 (Brooklyn Public Library and MoCADA)

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ABOUT JOHNNY NELSON
Johnny Nelson is a sculptor, jeweler, and Brooklyn native whose namesake brand, Johnny Nelson Jewelry, was officially founded in 2017 but brought to life long before its inception. His jewelry journey began in 2014 while on tour, when he sought to look as good as he felt while performing. The solution was jewelry: his first piece, an attention-grabbing three-finger ring of stone and wire, was brought to life with the help of his mother. This sparked not only a passion but also the realization of his innate talent and creative vision.

Proudly crafted in New York City, Johnny Nelson Jewelry creates heritage and heirloom pieces in brass, sterling silver, 14K and 18K gold, wax, resin, sandstone, and precious stones, including diamonds, emeralds, and garnets. His bold designs merge punk, hip-hop, and spirituality, drawing from diverse cultural influences, fine art, and the neighborhood jewelers who defined hip-hop style in the 1980s and 1990s. His work pays homage to pioneers, icons, and symbolism from popular culture, Black communities, and urban landscapes; often in the form of conversation-sparking statement pieces.

Nelson has collaborated with award-winning visionaries such as Lena Waithe, Spike Lee, and the Jean-Michel Basquiat estate, and has presented sculptural hair beads, earrings, and necklaces at New York Fashion Week, honoring twenty-one influential women and musicians of color. His artistry has also earned recognition in the fine art world, with pieces displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and sold in numerous Sotheby’s auctions.

Beyond creating collector’s pieces, Johnny Nelson Jewelry serves as a platform to unite Black and Brown creatives, foster community, and celebrate the essence of life.

For more information, visit www.johnnynelson.nyc and follow at

IG: @johnnynelsonjewelry

ABOUT FRIDAY LYNTON  (FBF METAL ATELIER®)

Friday Lynton is a Guyanese-American Metal Artisan most recognized for sculpting intricate Metal Objects that explore the relationship between the body, nature, and interior space— a focus refined through over fourteen years of study and practice.

In 2011, she founded FBF Metal Atelier®, a cultural design house and continuation of that lineage—a contemporary space of skill-sharing, creation, and dialogue. Within the atelier, metal becomes more than material; it becomes a language of memory, heritage, and possibility.

For more information, follow at IG/Tik Tok: @fbfmetalatelier
#fbfmetalatelier #fridaybyfriday #metalartistry

ABOUT AMBER LAUREN

Amber Lauren is a journalist, multi-hyphenate, and creator of the “Black Fashion History in 90 seconds” series, relaunched in 2025. A Brooklyn native of Jamaican descent, her words have earned an award-winning Copywriter title with The ONE School for Creativity. As an interviewer, she has worked with platforms like Curlfest, Black Girls in Media, and The Layout. With over a decade of media experience under her belt, Amber seeks to amplify stories of art, fashion, culture and media across the African diaspora.

For more information, visit www.ambersmodernlife.com

Made possible thanks to support, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.