Artist Spotlights

Stories of Atlantic City conducted in-depth, multimedia interviews with artists working in Atlantic City. The content below profiles the city’s vibrant scene through the lived experiences of its dreamers. The interviews you find here are intended to feel like time capsules, and snapshots of large-scale moments of the current artistic growth in the city.
We are proud to introduce new and evolving relationships with these artists, and the community organizations supporting them.

Atlantic City Arts Foundation ARTeriors 2023

Below are some of the featured artists we connected with through the ACAF ARTeriors exhibit in early 2023. Interviewed by Story of Atlantic City’s Community Organizer and Audio Producer Jacob Wolos, each spoke to their personal relationship to art and Atlantic City!

Read more about Jacob’s experiences interviewing this group of artists here.

Annaliese Sylvester

Annaliese Sylvester is a multidisciplinary artist, specializing in oil painting, printmaking and film photography. Also a Stockton alumna, Anneliese earned a Bachelor of Fine Art Degree with a concentration in painting, and completed the business minor. With a goal to delve into her subconscious, and reflect on her relationships, she emphasizes bold colors and textures to paint her immediate surroundings and still-life setups. Her work also touches on themes of femininity, relationships, and self exploration.

Read more about Annaliese here.

Travis M. Gibson

Travis M. Gibson, also known as TravHave of TravHave Creations,  is a mixed media artist. Travis’ passion for art began developing in childhood, and in 2017 started a professional career. He strives to create art with purpose, making his own comic/graphic novel and aspires to become your artist’s favorite artist.

Read more about Travis here.

Shari Tobias

Shari Tobias is an interdisciplinary visual artist living in Philadelphia. She is a South Jersey native and a graduate of University of Arts (UArts) and Moore College of Art and Design.  Shari has taught art in public schools, art museums and at public events, though she is probably best known for her murals in Atlantic City.

Read more about Shari here.

Kenneth Lazan Faulk Jr.

Atlantic City native Kenneth Lazan Faulk Jr. is a multidimensional artist known for his skills in creating fine art, photography, mural art, graphic design, and textile art. With more than a decade of experience, Kenneth is known as a unique creator with a keen eye for capturing the beauty in everyday scenes, and turning them into stunning works of art. Kenneth is the founder of the Art Students League of Atlantic City, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the community’s next generation of artists.

Read more about Kenneth here.

Miko Beach

Miko Beach is a versatile artist who works with various media. He has a decade of experience with photography and videography, but is particularly passionate about design and painting. As a New Jersey native, his work frequently reflects his environment and this impacts his creative expression. Miko’s style is characterized by a unique blend of macabre and uplifting themes, making his artwork thought-provoking and memorable.

Read more about Miko here.

Cara Vaughn

Cara Vaughn is a mixed media artist who enjoys painting on three dimensional items, especially repurposed bags, and has done ceramic work for 25 years using painted imagery as decorative elements. She’s also well known for her dolls, where her two dimensional drawings come to life.

Read more about Cara here.

Bernard DelaCruz

Bernard DelaCruz is a mixed media artist from South Jersey with a background in graffiti and abstract art. With a love to find new ways of repurposing old items that would otherwise be thrown away, he turns them into pieces of artwork. Bernard’s recent projects include working on upcycled items like old vinyl records and cassette tapes.

Read more about Bernard here.

John Morris

John Morris is an artist whose work blurs the line between reality and abstract. John’s motto is to dream with our eyes open.  Mostly inspired by music and the world that surrounds him, John’s creative work utilizes various media and encourages viewers to see the beauty in unexpected places.

Read more about John here.

Gary Lindley

Hailing from Ocean City, semi-abstract artist Gary Lindley enjoys working with different media. Gary likes large-scale works with bright colors, and often uses faces – focusing on no one in particular, yet everyone at the same time.

Read more about Gary here.

Editor’s Note

Three of the artists interviewed for this event did not submit the material necessary to generate spotlights, but you can find their interviews below:
Leah Morgan
Michelle Franzoni
Victoria Katherine

This reporting is supported by the ThriveAC Fund, a part of the Renn-Sanchez Family Fund,
a component fund of the Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ)