From June 2 - June 14, Tony nominee and multidisciplinary artist Daniel J. Watts (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) is opening the doors to his painting process with a live residency entitled Process of Saying Yes (in partnership with Long Gallery Harlem).

For the two weeks surrounding The 79th Annual Tony Awards, the 2020 nominee will take over the East Village Basement (321 E 9th St). He will showcase his signature freestyle dance painting technique with elements of improvisation, live looping, spoken word, and storytelling for 90 minutes of unadulterated freedom and authenticity. Each evening will culminate in an auction of the created work.

Night after night, Watts will be accompanied by a rotation of Featured Musicians: Tony-nominated orchestrator/composer Michael Thurber (Just In Time; Goddess), Grammy-nominated composer/bassist Divinity Roxx (Divi Roxx Kids; The Beyonce Experience), Julian Rozzell, Jr. (The Skin of Our Teeth), MïRÄNDÄ (Harness; LMK), DJ DUGGZ (Motown The Musical; S.N.O.B), and Ari Grooves (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical; S.N.O.B). They will be paired with Special Guest performers Daniela Bauer, Nick Biello, Louis Cato, Leo Coltrane, Jake Goldbas, Alphonso Horne, Dana Marie Ingraham, Sunny Jain, Lucas Kadish, Kaila Mullady, Taharqa Patterson, & Vee. See event page for specific performer dates.

A few days before COVID-19 caused the 2020 Broadway shutdown, Patricia McGregor, long-time collaborator and Artistic Director of the renowned New York Theatre Workshop, floated the idea of Watts dancing in paint. The following summer, a chance encounter with LA-based visual artist, Upendo Taylor, helped turn the idea into a reality. “I told Upendo I was thinking about it. The next day he showed up with a large piece of canvas and said, ‘Let’s get to it!’” The artist explains the process is more than creative, it is also cathartic. “I didn’t realize how much the pandemic was affecting me until I started painting. I finally had a vehicle to help me transmute the feelings of immense uncertainty.”

The current news cycle continues to reflect ceaseless international conflicts, political turmoil, alienating algorithms, and a world incorporating artificial intelligence. Process of Saying Yes is an opportunity for audiences to witness something being made in real time by real people. The artist says, “As a painter, I spend most of my time in a silo. The residency affords me the privilege to engage with community. My hope is that operating in a space of abundant ‘yes’ will help me become more definitive with my ‘no’. ”

In conjunction with the partnership with Long Gallery Harlem (2073 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr Blvd), selected works will be exhibited and available, at the gallery, from the end of the residency through July 31. Gallery director and founder, Lewis Long, states, “A decade ago, Daniel performed a version of his show ‘The Jam’ here in conjunction with visual artist Dareece Walker. We have had the privilege to witness his artistic growth over the last 10 years and we’re thrilled to have him return to Long Gallery Harlem with his own visual work.” A live performance will take place at the gallery on July 4.

All tickets are $55.20 (with fees) and available at www.wattswords.com
Performances: Tues 6/2 - Sun 6/14 | 7:30pm - 9pm, 3pm (Sun) / No performance Fri 6/5
Duration: 90 minutes

Long Gallery Harlem is open Wed - Sun | 1pm - 5pm or by appointment

See Watts’ TED Talk To Accomplish Great Things, You Need to “Let Paint Dry”

**Process of Saying Yes is inspired by work originated at ASU-Gammage with Daniel J. Watts and Michael Thurber in April 2021.

Artist Bio

You could call what Daniel J. Watts is doing "abstract expressionism," but truthfully, he's just searching for ways to feel free. The multi-disciplinary artist found his way into painting at the tail end of the infamous "Summer 2020" at the intersection of America's triple pandemic involving racial inequality, economics and health care. The theater wouldn't entertain audiences for another year, not that Watts needed an audience, but he did need to transmute. With the not so subtle push from a fellow artist, Upendo Taylor, Watts engaged his love of dance and went on an exploration through color and sound. Using music as initial inspiration he traveled from Miles Davis and Coleman Hawkins to James Brown to the Broadway cast recording of Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk. He studied the Japanese art movement Gutai, fell in love with their mantra "exterminate your paint brushes" and found a kindred spirit in member Kazuo Shiraga who in the 50's began painting with his feet. That is when Watts realized he'd been compartmentalizing himself and engaging in the visual arts would be an opportunity to merge. When he paints he channels all of his influences from the ladies on his night stand (Toni Morrison, Bassey Ipki, and belle hooks) to Saul Williams and Langston Hughes as James Baldwin whispers the secret to being a hero: balancing how much one remembers and forgets. He's channeling Pelé and Ali and Sammy and Basquiat and Norman Lewis and de Kooning and Lorna Simpson and Bisa Butler and Fahamu Pecou and little conversations with José Parlá and Lee Quinoñes and Derrick Adams and Deborah Willis and that thing Larry Neal calls the "Blues God." He's remembering his childhood and projecting his future and staying present in the in between. Color and movement are music and words and a moment in time like a snap shot by Roy De Carava, Arthur Jafa or Ogata connecting us all and Watts is looking to explore that space to the fullest. Because there, he found, is where the freedom resides.

Artist Statement

“Art has always been about survival for me, thus I approach all my work with the intent to survive. I don’t mean that the way most people do i.e. just surviving. Survive comes from latin superviver meaning to outlive or live above and beyond. In essence, art/life is a process of improvisation and adaptation, so inevitably, death is somewhere lurking nearby. One way or another, transcendence is a must.” – Daniel E. Watts

Daniel E. Watts: Process of Saying Yes

Artist Bio

Artist Statement

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