Uploaded February 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
During Black History Month 2022, Flower City Arts Center will be dedicated to featuring black artists, makers, and historic figures to showcase and amplify their narratives. Our purpose is not only to inform and celebrate these individuals, but to hopefully inspire and drive forward change in our community and beyond.
We were honored to be able to interview important area watercolor artist, professor at RIT, and gallery owner Luvon Sheppard for our first feature. This will be a three-part video series. (Be sure to watch Part One if you haven't yet!) In this second part, Luvon talks about his first moments with art, the encouragement he got from his community that allowed him to pursue art, and gave us some tips to help encourage our own young artists in Rochester.
Be sure to visit Joy Gallery at 498 1/2 W Main Street in Rochester, NY. The gallery is open every Saturday from 10AM-2PM.
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LUVON SHEPPARD FULL BIO:
A resident of Rochester since he was five years old, Sheppard received his bachelor's and master's degrees at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where he is a full professor in the School of Art and Design. Luvon has also taught at SUNY Brockport and Geneseo Universities.
Sheppard's paintings reflect his involvement in Rochester community life. He is known for his watercolor street scenes and portraits of local African-American heroes, including abolitionist Frederick Douglass, choreographer and dancer Garth Fagan, and community activist Mildred Johnson.
His work is in the permanent collections of the Memorial Art Gallery, the City of Rochester, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the University of Seoul, S. Korea, The Henrietta School District, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester Savings Bank, Garth Fagan Dance, and many other institutions.
Luvon Sheppard has always played an active leadership role in the Rochester arts community. In 1970, Sheppard became the Memorial Art Gallery's first neighborhood affairs coordinator. He also was instrumental in the creation of the Allofus Workshop, a groundbreaking organization created to provide community art classes. Over the years, Luvon has received many awards and has made numerous appearances on local television stations. For over 35 years he has lectured throughout the greater Rochester area and serves on several committees and boards.
Follow Luvon Sheppard and the Joy Gallery:
instagram.com/luvonsheppardart
facebook.com/luvonsheppardart
Follow us on social:
instagram.com/flowercityarts
facebook.com/FlowerCityArts
twitter.com/FlowerCityArts
linkedin.com/company/flowercityarts
Royalty-free music:
Wine (Prod. by Lukrembo)
soundcloud.com/lukrembo/wine
Images Used Under Creative Commons from:
pablopicasso.org: "The Rape of the Sabines"
commons.wikimedia.org: "Guernica", photo by Herbert Behrens (1956)
Filmed by: Rashaad Parker
Edited by: Simona Benenati
During Black History Month 2022, Flower City Arts Center will be dedicated to featuring black artists, makers, and historic figures to showcase and amplify their narratives. Our purpose is not only to inform and celebrate these individuals, but to hopefully inspire and drive forward change in our community and beyond.
We were honored to be able to interview important area watercolor artist, professor at RIT, and gallery owner Luvon Sheppard for our first feature. This will be a three-part video series. (Be sure to watch Part One if you haven't yet!) In this second part, Luvon talks about his first moments with art, the encouragement he got from his community that allowed him to pursue art, and gave us some tips to help encourage our own young artists in Rochester.
Be sure to visit Joy Gallery at 498 1/2 W Main Street in Rochester, NY. The gallery is open every Saturday from 10AM-2PM.
---
LUVON SHEPPARD FULL BIO:
A resident of Rochester since he was five years old, Sheppard received his bachelor's and master's degrees at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where he is a full professor in the School of Art and Design. Luvon has also taught at SUNY Brockport and Geneseo Universities.
Sheppard's paintings reflect his involvement in Rochester community life. He is known for his watercolor street scenes and portraits of local African-American heroes, including abolitionist Frederick Douglass, choreographer and dancer Garth Fagan, and community activist Mildred Johnson.
His work is in the permanent collections of the Memorial Art Gallery, the City of Rochester, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the University of Seoul, S. Korea, The Henrietta School District, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester Savings Bank, Garth Fagan Dance, and many other institutions.
Luvon Sheppard has always played an active leadership role in the Rochester arts community. In 1970, Sheppard became the Memorial Art Gallery's first neighborhood affairs coordinator. He also was instrumental in the creation of the Allofus Workshop, a groundbreaking organization created to provide community art classes. Over the years, Luvon has received many awards and has made numerous appearances on local television stations. For over 35 years he has lectured throughout the greater Rochester area and serves on several committees and boards.
Follow Luvon Sheppard and the Joy Gallery:
instagram.com/luvonsheppardart
facebook.com/luvonsheppardart
Follow us on social:
instagram.com/flowercityarts
facebook.com/FlowerCityArts
twitter.com/FlowerCityArts
linkedin.com/company/flowercityarts
Royalty-free music:
Wine (Prod. by Lukrembo)
soundcloud.com/lukrembo/wine
Images Used Under Creative Commons from:
pablopicasso.org: "The Rape of the Sabines"
commons.wikimedia.org: "Guernica", photo by Herbert Behrens (1956)
Filmed by: Rashaad Parker
Edited by: Simona Benenati
