I found you kissing the sun by Morel Doucet
With Black History Month in motion, we’re revisiting our round up from earlier this year with ways to support Black artists and the Black arts community at large. Here, we lay out some suggestions to keep in mind, notable IG artist follows, as well as cool collectives, publications, and projects we have our eye on. In the early days of the pandemic, we also outlined a few resources for those looking to show some love to the arts community and independent artists in general. It includes guides like this, with actionable advice you can apply to your commitment to supporting Black artists specifically. Purchase artwork directly through them. Commission something. Attend their virtual openings. Follow, credit, and share their work on whatever channels are available to you. This piece we posted offers another tip: Buy black artists' books from Black-owned bookstores.
You can bolster the Black arts world more broadly by collecting art from Black-owned galleries and amplifying the work of other Black arts voices—like curator, Art Noir founder, and 20x200 contributor Larry Ossei-Mensah, and writer and curator Kiara Ventura, who recently penned this introduction to our two Morel Doucet editions. Patronize museums that prioritize representation in their hiring and in their art collections. Check out the organizations we mentioned here, then explore the new additions to our list, below. You know the drill: donate your time or money if you’re able, follow them on social media, join their mailing lists, and attend their virtual events. If you have a suggestion for an org we should add, reach out at hello@20x200.com.
As always, these lists are just a jumping off point. We encourage readers to do their own research and join us in taking this opportunity to reevaluate our approach, to see where we can improve, to find ways to better buttress Black arts year-round.
+ Arts Administrators of Color - An organization focused on networking and community building for arts workers of color, through collaboration, forums, mentorship, events and more
+ Black Artists and Designer’s Guild - A global platform representing a curated collective of independent, Black artists, makers, and designers across various disciplines who are at the top of their respective fields
Obsidian, the Black Artists + Designers Guild's inaugural virtual concept house
+ Black Trans Femmes in the Arts - A collective that connects Black trans women and non-binary femmes of the art world
+ Black Art Futures Fund - A collective of emerging philanthropists promoting the elevation and preservation of Black arts & culture through grant making, board-matching, and organization-to-donor cultivation
Black Trans Femmes in the Arts (BTFA), 2020 grantee of the Black Art Futures Fund
+ Harlem Arts Alliance - Building resources, networks, increased capacity, and exposure opportunity for its richly diverse membership through information, exhibition, workshops, and collaborative programming that bridges gaps between artists and major arts institutions
+ Tessera Collective - A North Philadelphia non-profit supporting womxn (queer, trans, femme and non-binary) abstract artists of color by providing opportunities, resources, and programming that elevates their work and practice
Tessera Arts Collective's Abstractions Magazine, a digital and print art publication profiling women + non-binary artists of color
