Souleo and Dionis Ortiz on Harlem's Children's Art Carnival and Jean Michel Basquiat

Souleo and artist Dionis Ortiz join Led Black and Octavio Blanco to explore Harlem's Children's Art Carnival. They trace its MoMA roots to its 1969 establishment by Betty Blayton-Taylor and reveal Jean-Michel Basquiat's history as an intern, illustrating how working with disabled children shaped his iconic style.Dionis shares his journey from student to steward at 62 Hamilton Terrace as the group discusses community, generational continuity, and local collaboration in the Harlem art scene.⏱️ TIMECODE CHAPTERS00:00 – Cold Open: Souleo on Basquiat's untold Uptown roots01:09 – Intro: Octavio and Led welcome the audience to Uptown Voices02:54 – Meet Souleo: Over a decade of curating underrepresented Harlem artists04:25 – The Making of Contemporary Artists: Inside the Wallach Art Gallery exhibit07:39 – Souleo's curator origins, art gentrification, and honoring his brother12:33 – Deepening scholarship: Staying out of the "blue-chip" box18:16 – The MoMA origins of the Children's Art Carnival (1942)20:01 – Betty Blayton-Taylor brings the Carnival to Harlem (1969)22:28 – Generational continuity: Dionis Ortiz's full-circle journey26:55 – The Harlem Defender zine and the Harlem Eternal exhibit31:15 – The power of hyperlocal art: Why you don't need to go downtown anymore36:26 – The Basquiat Connection: Interning in Harlem and the origins of the crown40:46 – Dionis on fatherhood, naming his son Lennox, and his unsung creative hero44:48 – Dionis's multimedia process: Cyanotypes, drawing, and found objects46:35 – The future of Uptown art: Grassroots collaboration vs. Corporate interests54:00 – Closing thoughts, URLs, and the beauty of 62 Hamilton Terrace📋 FULL SHOW NOTESAbout the Guests:Souleo (curator/writer) and Dionis Ortiz (multimedia artist/steward).Exhibitions & Events Mentioned:Children's Art Carnival: The Making of Contemporary Artists (Wallach Gallery, thru Sept 13) and Harlem Eternal (62 Hamilton Terrace, opens July 10).People & Organizations Mentioned:Betty Blayton-Taylor, Victor D'Amico, MoMA, Basquiat, Warhol, Harlem Defender, Studio Museum, Schomburg Center, NOMAA, Sugar Hill Museum, Art In Flux, Michael A. Cummings, Armando O'Lane.Connect with the Guests:Souleo: souleouniverse.com | IG: @souleouniverseDionis Ortiz: dionisortiz.com | IG: @dionis_o_studioChildren's Art Carnival: childrensartcarnival.org