Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Atim Annette Oton is an art curator, gallerist, art and design fundraiser, visionary thinker, strategist, innovator and entrepreneur whose expertise is in visual art and design education, exhibition curation and design, fashion design, digital media, product design, publishing, e-commerce and retail with over 25 years of experience. In the last 8 years, she has focused on diversity, equity and inclusion in the arts from working on curating Black Artists and licensing artwork by these artists for the spotlight series of puzzles for Spin Master Games sold at Target and Walmart. Currently working product design and strategy to enable creative technology solutions for the Sports, Comics, Toys, Games and Collectibles, Consumer and Luxury Goods industries. She recently worked on a metaverse game platform and leading product development in NFTs, Blockchain and Gaming. She has raised over $3 million dollars for art and design institutions as well as several International nonprofits. She has raised funds for Bronx River Arts Center, Mind-Builders and Amref Health Africa through art initiatives. More: • Began working in architecture with several architecture companies in New York before moving onto publishing, education and entrepreneurship. • Developed art and design curriculum for Parsons School of Design and the Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design in Ghana, West Africa, recruited art and design faculty and instructors. In both roles, she developed partnerships and affiliations with academic institutions and corporations. • As a child of a Nigerian journalist, she learned and took writing/journalism courses in college and on leaving architecture, she began as a publisher, created and ran a design magazine and an art/culture publication. • Created and curated art exhibitions, short and long training courses in visual arts, fashion design, product design, interior design and architecture for institutions and organizations in the tri-state area. • A fundraiser, a think tank initiator and collaborator whose imagination, focus, drive and implementation skills facilitated successful results for compelling projects and products for both local and global audiences. • Lived and worked in London, Paris, Accra, Nigeria and New York. • Fluent in English, knows and speaks basic French, and speaks Efik and Ibibio fluently (Nigerian Languages). Currently learning Spanish. • Lives in Jersey City, moved from Brooklyn, New York
• Curates and presents exhibitions showcasing contemporary African Artists and African Diaspora artists ( African American and Caribbean) globally -selected artists deal with the complexities of the African experience, locally and globally. • Based in New York, work featured is inspired and influenced by black African culture globally with a focus on dynamic ideas about art and society. Exhibits paintings, sculptures, watercolors, drawings, pastels, prints, photographs, mixed-media works and installations. • Develops and writes content for all exhibitions, catalogs and website. • Have curated exhibitions since gallery inception: www.calabargallery.com. • Developed a monthly auction platform of work - an MVP with new ways of accessibility to buyers and income for artists • Run an auction platform of artwork - and developing an NFT auction for art Currently developing an App for Harlem Murals Participate and show artists in Art Fairs: Prizm Art Fair, OMG Art Fair, Atlantic World Art Fair Extensive 20 year experience in e-commerce of art and products Organizer, Harlem Arts Stroll. Harlem Arts Stroll is a monthly Saturday art walk spearheaded by Atim Annette Oton opening spaces in Harlem via an innovative collaboration of galleries, art spaces and businesses in Harlem from 110th Street to 155th Street. The stroll is fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas - https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/harlem-arts-stroll Organizer, Crown Heights Arts Stroll Developed and run the Business of Art Workshop Series Calabar Art Residency Programs: Social Justice Residencies at CoLAB Arts in New Brunswick, NJ, Grenada Art Residency at Cannes Brulees Rum Factory in Grenada and EFA Stuio Professional Development Artist Residency
The Pivot Factor with Atim Annette Oton and Rabi Onikute-Anifu is a series of conversations with small business owners on pivots to achieve success.
• Currently pivoting focus to Art. Last Physical location transitioning to Art Gallery in Brooklyn Launched a Start-up Global Retail Business in 2004 and have grown it to 3 New York City Stores focused on African, Asian and South American Fashion Clothing, Jewelry and Home Decor Products in Crown Heights, Harlem, and Bed Stuyvesant • Created Exhibitions areas in each of the stores and curated exhibitions of local artists from 2006-2011 until opening of Calabar Gallery in Harlem as well as run and manage an extensive event production in 3 stores – trunk shows, exhibitions, reading series, poetry and pop-up events that brings in 50-150 people per event. • Create content, distribute and manage a 15,000 Email Newsletter for the store and handle Social Media Content Strategy and Implementation for Company’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts, maintain 4 Facebook groups of about 20,000 people – developed and grew each to help market and promote the stores in its 3 locations. • Run a small E-commerce retail website and handle fulfillment and shipping • Skills in Global Retail Management, Staff Management, Business Innovation, Product Sourcing, Design and Development, Marketing and Retail Buying. • Extensive Travel in Africa, Asia and South America to source and buy products for the stores • Design, Manufacture and Sell a line of Clothing Jewelry and Accessories as well as Limited Wholesale Product Sales to 20 stores across the US.
Excited about 2023, I am pivoting into workforce development with Crown Heights Job Fair happening in May. Others will follow in Central Brooklyn neighborhood. Launched the Crown Heights Arts Stroll in 2023 Innovative art, creative design business consulting focused on four services: -arts fundraising, strategic planning and audience development for artists. designers, arts organizations, galleries and art spaces. - concept development and product development strategic thinking and planning for commerce, production and marketing of art and design goods - event production, audience development and revenue development and access to retail and sales for artists, crafters, designers and makers. Projects: Crown Heights Arts Stroll in 2023 AMREF HEALTH AFRICA USA 2015 - 2022. African Art Curator • Assisted AMREF develop concept for auction and award, selected African artists, artwork and coordinated installation of work. Researched and wrote content for catalog and online auction sites Paddle8 and Artsy. • 2020-2021- Online only 2019: Selected 25 artists. Muholi, honoree 2018: Selected 25 artists to donate work. Toyin Ojih Odutola, honoree. • 2017: Selected 40 artists to donate. El Anatsui, honoree. • 2016: Selected 30 artists to donate work. Wangechi Mutu, honoree. MIND-BUILDERS CREATIVE ARTS CENTER, 2018 Curated and ran two art auctions for fundraising event and annual gala. BRONX RIVER ART CENTER (BRAC), 2018 BED STUY ARTS STROLL, 2017 - 2020 Organizer HARLEM ARTS STROLL, 2016 -Present Organizer ARTS & CULTURE FEST, 2012 -2016. Produced by The Creative Side as an Arts Venue and Business Opportunity for artists to sell their work in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Partnered with Haiti Cultural Exchange and the AfroLatino Festival of New York. West Harlem Group Assistance, Inc. (WHGA) APARTMENT STAGING, 2014 - 2017. Staged Apartments in renovated housing for this community-based development corporation, interior design, furniture, accessories and art installation.
Acting as an art and tech entity, CATI brings together a community of Black artists and technologists to create solutions and income via social justice projects for communities of color that are socially and economically impactful using innovative technology of Digital and non digital art, #NFT Art, AI, #Crypto Art, the #Blockchain, E-commerce, immersive environments and the #Metaverse. Using interactive popup events, virtual exhibitions, art auctions, art fairs, art licensing, a residency program with a group of mentors and a marketplace, it promotes and sells art to art buyers and collectors, engages, builds and expands corporate art collections in the tech and business community and works with them to provide the art and tech workshops for youth. It is an Art Marketplace with a Carbon-Neutral Open Source Blockchain