Donna Mason

My professional role in New York, for over 25 years, has been as Griot. My beat, my niche, The Art world. My gift of words combined with a nascent ability to communicate and transmit visual renderings into language that engage has served to shed light on those brave souls who have answered the Artistic calling within the New York Caribbean and African-American community.

I have often been the first media professional to feature these Artists - Using my skills as a Journalist, Photo-journalist, TV Anchor and now New Media Professional to highlight personalities in the Caribbean and African-American Fine Art Community and feature their stories, their art and creative impulse.

Through exposure to a wide cross section of professional artists, art historians, curators, collectors and art enthusiasts as well as a tremendous variety of visual art, my reputation within this community is solid on numerous fronts.

Transitioning to Marketing as "a Social Media Strategist," on the various self-publishing social media platforms. Like all innovative ideas, my formulas are copied and re-used making me even more excited about the field and what I can do next.

My strength is driving brand recognition and taking a firm/client from ground zero to the next level utilizing social media tactics.

I am in fact a trained storyteller, having a degree in Journalism and Political Science. I also tell stories in pictures. For th last number of years I have been telling the stories of Artists and Arts organizations and helping to market their work and increasing, visibility, growth and branding through Photo-Essays and Studio Visits broadcasted on social media platforms and art related groups.

I manage the brand's social media presence and lead the development and delivery of strategic and creative social media campaigns. I also establish relationships with bloggers and influencers to maximize reach of campaigns and initiatives, measure social media analytics and take action to improve performance and manage community engagement on all active social media channels.

Having spent over 25 years telling Artists story, I decided to try my hand at art making.

2019 sees me debuting works of my own creation.

Artist Statement: My process becomes concrete when the words cementing the ideas meets the page. It is first and idea in the mind. Then the components are transcribed as they come. They never all come at once.

Ideas for the material that would best flesh out the story come also in spurts. The act of creation for me is still a stutter. I have great confidence in the ideas but the broaching of material to paper creates an initial hesitancy. But there is a particular bravery to my choices unbound by material and the strictures of formality. Yet, I am still not comfortable in the surrender to the meditation that would call me an Artist.