Art With Impact: Andy Ballentine Brings AB26 to South Florida
Originally published by South Florida Caribbean News Read the original
COCONUT CREEK – Jamaican visual artist Andy Ballentine will mark 26 years in art with AB26, a 42-work exhibition at Food For The Poor’s Coconut Creek headquarters. Moreover, 50 percent of art sales will benefit the charity’s mission. As a notable visual artist, Ballentine is excited for this milestone exhibition.
Opening Reception
The showcase opens Friday, Oct. 2, with an invitation-only reception featuring Ballentine and guest speaker Kwame Dawes, Jamaica’s Poet Laureate. The reception will be held at FFTP’s headquarters, 6401 Lyons Road.
The exhibition will be open to the public by appointment from Oct. 5–16, excluding weekends. Media are invited to attend the Oct. 2 opening reception.
“When I thought about AB26, I said the best charity to work with is Food For The Poor,” Ballentine said. “I’m going to give them 50 percent of the sales because I really appreciate what they are doing for people across the world.”
Ballentine arrives at AB26 after a milestone year. In February, he became the first fine artist exhibited by The Bureau during New York Fashion Week 2026. Over his career as a visual artist, he has appeared in more than 500 group exhibitions and over 20 solo shows worldwide. These include presentations tied to Art Basel in Switzerland and New York Art Week.
Spanning still life, abstraction, portraiture, landscape and cubism, the exhibition includes works titled Black Mona Lisa, Immigrant Cry, Revelation of the Face, The Healer’s Gaze, Deep Within and Crowning Glory. The works are drawn from the neighborhoods where Ballentine grew up — and where FFTP serves. Consequently, the work explores Jamaican heritage, resilience, spirituality, beauty, power, purpose and female expression. It is an important moment for this acclaimed visual artist in the context of contemporary art.
Ballentine’s connection to FFTP dates to 2016, when the Jamaican government named him arts ambassador for his alma mater, Spanish Town High School, near the charity’s Jamaica headquarters. When he needed supplies for his students, FFTP provided easels. This was a gesture he never forgot.
Andy Ballentine Day
The AB26 partnership took shape earlier this year after the City of Miramar, Fla., presented Ballentine with the Key to the City and proclaimed April 10 Andy Ballentine Day. At the celebration, he met Susan James-Casserly and Chaplain Rupert A. Bromley of FFTP’s Strategic Partnerships team.
“This is our first art show in my 27 years with the organization, and it’s especially meaningful to celebrate someone we consider one of our own,” James-Casserly said.
“Andy’s connection to the communities we serve allows him to share his extraordinary talent and the impact of our work, inspiring others to support vulnerable children and families in Jamaica, Latin America, and the Caribbean.”
Raised by his father, Albert, who worked nights as a security guard and days on a sugar estate, Ballentine began making art at age five. He started to stay occupied and out of trouble.
He has said that although his family struggled, they did not suffer; the hardship he witnessed around him instead became a lasting influence on his work, particularly his portrayals of women. Thus, his personal journey has always informed his growth as a visual artist.
“I see a lot of females get traumatized and go down the wrong path,” he said. “I use my work as a headlight for them, a light to see through the darkness. I want people to see the pain and the message, and know that you can turn your life around, no matter what phase you’re at.”
Joined by Dawes, Ballentine will frame AB26 as a meeting point for Jamaican visual art, literature and philanthropy — and as an invitation to support FFTP’s work.
“No matter what we achieve in this life, we are not taking any of it with us,” he said. “So, if we can make a difference to help somebody, let’s make a difference.”
Event Details
Invitation-only Opening Reception: Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, 6 p.m.
Location: Food For The Poor Headquarters, 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, Fla.
Public Exhibition: Oct. 5-16, 2026, excluding weekends, by appointment only, Food For The Poor headquarters. To schedule an appointment, contact Trichina Chue at 954-427-2222, ext. 4021 or Chue.Trichina@foodforthepoor.org.
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