The Time is (Always) Now to do the Work - Arts & Anti-Racist Resources

During this historic time, in the midst of a global pandemic, and what some have called a “Great Awakening” there has been widespread social awareness of systemic racism in the U.S. and most every industry has responded. Initially, statements of solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter were presented to the public by many corporations and organizations. Subsequently, the public has pushed back with a demand for these organizations to be held accountable to these statements and truly challenge their roles in perpetuating systemic racism.

In a world where everything seems to be moving so fast, through the internet and social media, many people from all sectors have been sharing lists upon lists of information with anti-racist tools, strategies and resources. From my perspective as an arts and cultural worker, the discipline that interests me most is visual arts - and some of the most important forums for discourse around visual arts are through museums. I believe strongly in the arts as a viable tool for activating personal growth, societal change and social justice. As I mentioned in my previous blog post Increasing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at NYC Cultural institutions, now is the time to build on what’s been done so far, and push forth in this work.

Keeping in mind that each and every great change begins within the individual, I’d like to acknowledge the importance of people (from all walks of life) doing anti-racist work - not just now, but continuously - even when this red-hot moment has passed. In order for the organizations to work at dismantling their structural racism, the people who make up those organizations must be actively working on themselves, too.

For that reason, I have decided to gather up some of the information I’ve received in the recent months - the information I’ve found most interesting - and share it here. Some of these links may be useful to think about on an individual level, within groups, as well as an organizational level. Included in this list are: anti-racism resources, Black cultural organization lists, tool-kits for transforming arts organizations, and news articles pertaining to museums in NYC, across the country and the globe, which are responding to this historical moment.

[Note: I did not write these lists or articles, I am merely sharing them.]

>>>RESOURCE LISTS/DATABASES<<<

Anti-racist Resources - AirTable
This is a constantly growing database of anti-racist resources. Articles, books, podcasts, movies, PDFs and more. There are also places to donate and support. #BlackLivesMatter
https://airtable.com/universe/expTAbhKPSRbhFDO3/anti-racist-resources?explore=true&fbclid=IwAR1j3xvHWC_mcx9DHOk6wNptsE9eiJVFH-E_-aTGQdDUM3jkpGAaNGr0Y24

Justice in June
"The result: 'Justice in June,' offering three learning plans for anyone hoping to spend the month taking a step to 'becoming an active ally to the black community.' Choose how much time you have per day — 10, 25 or 45 minutes — and the learning plan tells you what media to consume."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H-Vxs6jEUByXylMS2BjGH1kQ7mEuZnHpPSs1Bpaqmw0/mobilebasic#

Scaffolded Anti-Racist Resources
This is a working document for scaffolding anti-racism resources. The goal is to facilitate growth for white folks to become allies, and eventually accomplices for anti-racist work. These resources have been ordered in an attempt to make them more accessible. We will continue to add resources.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PrAq4iBNb4nVIcTsLcNlW8zjaQXBLkWayL8EaPlh0bc/edit?fbclid=IwAR0YUV4Ll6ulMI2oL0SEMvr7N-xlmNhfRQ0xpzXNIFpPCwHnY5iDzvfip_o


SUPPORT BLACK CULTURE IN NYC
This is a working, growing, and collectively-sourced list of Black centered and/or led arts entities (non-profits, collectives, and small businesses) in NYC. Thank you to all who have contributed.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Qf9-1JkNWNeSp_X4o22CcPvXjItwZhAkVcFR7BFw8IY/htmlview?pli=1&fbclid=IwAR2uRb9A3bTBpe9u-00Sk1wb2jtATt2rbP8_Uk-dHnkxeLVgn1oQNGs9z9k#gid=0

>>>TOOL-KITS<<<

Arts Go Black
From Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute “Today, on Juneteenth, CCCADI officially launches the #ArtsGoBlack Campaign for organizations that wish to take real action. If you want to join us, please visit artsgo.black and take the pledge. Once you have signed up, you will receive a toolkit for your use to let your constituents know that you are ready to end racism in the Arts and Cultural field as well as a questionnaire. This is everyone’s work so know that this is open to every organization, funder, agency, or business.”
https://artsgo.black/

Solidarity Is
Welcome to Solidarity Is, a project that generates tools, trainings, and narratives to facilitate transformative solidarity practices for movement building organizations and activists who are invested in meaningful social change.
https://buildingmovement.org/our-work/movement-building/solidarity-is/

>>>ARTICLES<<<

A global list of Black-owned/founded museums, art galleries, and spaces
https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/49496/1/a-list-of-black-owned-museums-art-galleries-spaces-around-the-world

Anti-Racism for Arts Administrators — Young Professionals in the Art
https://www.ypanyc.com/blog/2020/6/7/anti-racism-for-arts-administrators

Anti-Racist Imperatives for Southern California Museums
https://bipocforsocalmuseums.com/?fbclid=IwAR2XagQpN0YbucnVkTxZb22Hwj3zHYzzhQIxV_Ln1l5R1ueFjl0FV4wxIeg

Culturally Responsive Museums Are Leading the Way
https://www.museumhue.com/blog/2020/6/8/culturally-responsive-museums-leading-the-way?fbclid=IwAR3Wh8qZCDk0ETx-_MugxJJU9J2_eKVdI4e7TpDML-Cn9G8gbK0uXydaaHs

How UK museums are responding to Black Lives Matter
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53219869?fbclid=IwAR1J0WxZcP40yQ_fMk4K0OXODdJXxDMYnAv1Dqf8aF-cZrN5WYWVSByrLyM

Institutional Racism in the Arts: The Need to Hire, Retain, and Promote People of Color
https://medium.com/@eddiecota/institutional-racism-in-the-arts-the-need-to-hire-retain-and-promote-people-of-color-c61b9467183

On the Limits of Care and Knowledge: 15 Points Museums Must Understand to Dismantle Structural Injustice
https://news.artnet.com/opinion/limits-of-care-and-knowledge-yesomi-umolu-op-ed-1889739?fbclid=IwAR1P1VVkZnJ78F94p-GtmgKwFeAsL9TWT-HcRZvjDeYzfAi3TocL3eLbzgM

People are calling for museums to be abolished. Can whitewashed American history be rewritten?
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/natural-history-museum-whitewashing-monuments-statues-trnd/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0vigxeTIamGTybWo1WDSdy7EW_MdGR8XR1-ndOzh_B_swewG8E7AQWQkg

Smithsonian’s Leader Says ‘Museums Have a Social Justice Role to Play’
Lonnie Bunch, who oversees a host of museums and libraries, says the role of cultural institutions is to make people “feel comfortable with nuance and complexity.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/business/smithsonian-lonnie-bunch-corner-office.html?fbclid=IwAR0LlHbBNoVD_cKRoKUXemooGKnHQvM0T_NrtHzgKRnFb8YOZC-5Ndgg7Ko

To Bear Witness: Real Talk about White Supremacy in Art Museums Today
https://burnaway.org/to-bear-witness/?fbclid=IwAR066KEI2KUsmkBigcrEaOoS0WyC3itJlogFiF8IyPjpLLfsDlV8kOiPyZk

What Does a Social Justice Curator Do? The Bronx Museum’s Jasmine Wahi on Why Every Art Institution Should Have One
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/jasmine-wahi-interview-1890449?fbclid=IwAR07e-_iOmZEVDQSGQpDtp22lt1EIMsd0Wv5IShaqQojtU5b57YqEzqAKGY

What Should Museums Do?
Let’s take art history apart and reimagine it.
https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/351?fbclid=IwAR2kILhBJ4y2s-JJMsRS0e2p4q6EH7o4ETo_ZI06ekvPbfcWDuqHPppxy7g

Radical Art Roundup

I can't believe we're already halfway through 2019! I haven't been every good about keeping up with my blog posts, because from January to June I was working, attending grad school and doing an internship too. I may have bitten off more than I could chew. But now it's summer - I'm taking it slow and catching up on some of my more creative interests. Even though I've been busy, I did squeeze in time to see some great art, some of which I'd like to share. The common thread in each of the three group art exhibitions featured below are the strong social justice themes employed by the curators while also choosing aesthetically compelling works.

I'll start with the show I saw most recently, Radical Love at the newly opened Ford Foundation Gallery (on view June 11th through August 17th, 2019). This show curated by Jaishri Abichandani and Natasha Becker completely knocked my socks off.

"Love, in the context of this exhibition, is defined by a commitment to the spiritual growth and interconnectedness of the individual, their community, and stewardship of the planet. Guided by the powerful words of bell hooks, 'Were we all seeing more images of loving human interaction, it would undoubtedly have a positive impact on our lives.' The works in Radical Love are grounded in ideas of devotion, abundance, and beauty; here, otherness and marginality is celebrated, adorned, and revered."

Exhibiting artists: Sue Austin La Vaughn, Belle & Jeannette Ehlers, Maria Berrio, Raúl de Nieves, Omar Victor Diop, Vanessa German, Jah Grey, Baseera Khan, Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt, McCallum & Tarry: Bradley McCallum & Jacqueline Tarry, Rashaad Newsome, Ebony G. Patterson, Jody Paulsen, Thania Petersen, Lina Puerta, Faith Ringgold, Athi-Patra, Ruga Nep Sidhu, Rose B. Simpson, Imani Uzuri, Lina Iris Viktor.

Another exhibit I saw recently was Race, Myth, Art, and Justice at the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, curated by Grace Aneiza Ali and C. Daniel Dawson (November 15, 2018 - June 15, 2019).

"The exhibit explores intersecting ideas of race, myth, art, and justice through the lens and unique interpretations of twelve inter-generational photographers. Via innovative contemporary art practices, the photographers engage with the premise of “race” as a social construct rooted in myth, while simultaneously interrogating its profound implications and indignities on our 21st-century lives"

Featured Artists: Kwesi Abbensetts, Faisal Abdu’Allah, Terry Boddie, Jonathan Gardenhire, John E. Dowell, Jr. Adama Delphine Fawundu, Deborah Jack, Zoraida Lopez-Diago, Radcliffe Roye, Stan Squirewell, Ming Smith, Deborah Willis. Featured Writers:  Patrick Bova, Garnette Cadogan, Christopher Cozier, Tao Leigh Goffe, Claude Grunitzky, Natalie Hopkinson, Oneka LaBennett, Bárbaro Martínez-Ruiz, Pamela Newkirk, Seph Rodney, Niama Safia Sandy, and Brittany Webb.

Last but not least, I really enjoyed having the opportunity to see part of El Museo's permanent collection at Culture and The People: El Museo del Barrio, 1969-2019 (on view April 11 – September 29, 2019), curated by Susanna V. Temkin, and co-organized by Noel Valentin, El Museo’s Permanent Collection Manager.

"In celebration of its 50th anniversary, El Museo del Barrio presents Culture and the People: El Museo del Barrio, 1969-2019, a two-part exhibition featuring selections from the Permanent Collection and a timeline contextualizing the history of the institution with related archival materials. The exhibition will reflect on the institution’s activist origins and pioneering role as a cultural and educational organization dedicated to presenting and preserving Latinx and Latin American art and culture. The exhibition borrows its title from an essay penned by one of the Museum’s founders and its first director Raphael Montañez Ortíz, who outlined his concept for the institution in a 1971 article published in Art in America."

Featured artists: Adál, Ignacio Aguirre, ASCO, Myrna Báez, Diógenes Ballester, Tony Bechara, Charles Biasiny-Rivera, Tania Bruguera, Roger Cabán, Rodríguez Calero, Luis Camnitzer, Martin Chambi, Papo Colo, Felipe Dante, Margarita Deida and Piedro Pietri, Ana de la Cueva, Milagros de la Torre, Perla de León, Bartolomé de las Casas, Marcos Dimas, Nicolás Dumit- Estévez, León Ferrari, Antonio Frasconi, Coco Fusco, Carlos Garaicoa, Domingo García, iliana emilia garcía, Arturo García Bustos, Flor Garduño, Guillermo Gomez-Peña, Beatriz González, Félix González-Torres, Muriel Hasbún, Pablo Helguera, Ester Hernández, Gilberto Hernández, Carmen Herrera, Lorenzo Homar, Graciela Iturbide, Alfredo Jaar, Ivelisse Jiménez, Charles Juhász-Alvarado, Shaun “El. C.” Leonardo, Richard A. Lou, Miguel Luciano, Antonio Maldonado, Carlos Marichal, Hiram Maristany, Antonio Martorell, Héctor Méndez Caratini, Raphael Montañez Ortíz, Arnaldo Morales, José Morales, Rachelle Mozman, Francisco Manuel Oller y Cestero, Pepón Osorio, César Paternosto, Dulce Pinzón, Miguel Rio Branco, Rubén Rivera Aponte, Arnaldo Roche-Rabell, Félix Rodríguez Báez, Freddy Rodríguez, José A. Rosa Castellanos, Fernando Salicrup, Juan Sánchez, Jorge Soto Sánchez, Taller de Gráfica Popular, Rubén Torres-Llorca, Nitza Tufiño, Rafael Tufiño, Patssi Valdez, Vargas-Suárez Universal, Rigoberto Torres, and the Young Lords Party.

My Introduction to Social Practice and a growing PoeTREE

As an artist, I've always been drawn to painting, particularly. However, in the recent years I've also been drawn towards arts organizing, working behind the scenes, connecting with groups and individuals who use art as a vehicle for Social Justice, Cultural Equity, and Civil Rights. I've had the great privilege of being in the presence of visionary activists like Dr. Marta Moreno Vega (through CCCADI), and über-creative artists like Núria Güell (through UNIDEE), and many others. I was lucky enough to be in the right place/time to help build a group, Queens Creative Solidarity, and learn first hand from community organizers and artivists, working on many different projects, behind the scenes - and so it's spiraled outwards, and onward... Recently as an artist, I've found myself exploring Social Practice. 

Before I say any more about Social Practice, I'll offer what I think is a good definition, from the Tate website: 

Socially engaged practice, also referred to as social practice or socially engaged art, can include any artform which involves people and communities in debate, collaboration or social interaction. This can often be organised as the result of an outreach or education program, but many independent artists also use it within their work. The term new genre public art, coined by Suzanne Lacy, is also a form of socially engaged practise. 

The participatory element of socially engaged practice, is key, with the artworks created often holding equal or less importance to the collaborative act of creating them.

Socially engaged practice can be associated with activism because it often deals with political issues. Artists who work within this field will often spend much time integrating into the specific community which they wish to help, educate or simply share with. 

I say all of this to say: a few years ago, I had no idea what the term "Social Practice" meant, yet somehow, I was becoming involved in it myself. I often tend to serendipitously get involved in things first, only to look back and say, "Hey! That was an amazing thing I was a part of!" I by no means want to downplay the work of socially engaged artists by saying because I stumbled upon this work it's simple - actually Social Practice is something that can be extremely powerful; it's becoming more and more prevalent in the arts and cultural landscape, some universities are also offering graduate degrees in the field. Again, I just happen to be extremely lucky in being able to learn from folks who are doing the work, in real time. 

Being involved in Queens Creative Solidarity (QCS) and considering what it means to be "in solidarity" I thought it was a great opportunity for us to support another local arts group - Southeast Queens Artist Alliance (SEQAA) - in their inaugural arts festival. The event was called the SEQAA (C)art Festival, taking place at the King Manor Museum in Jamaica, Queens on September 1st, 2018. One of my QCS friends, multi-disciplinary artist Priscilla Stadler and I collaborated on an project to be included.

All of the works included in the (C)art Festival was participatory, and some were on carts (see list of artists and projects below). So, Priscilla and I came up with a fitting project called PoeTREE - the original iteration of which we did at the QCS art residency at Queens Museum in 2016. The second iteration of PoeTREE for the (C)art Fest was a cart holding a cardboard tree sculpture, which visitors were invited to "help grow" by drawing and painting on the branches and roots, making paper leaves and writing poetry, thoughts, memories, impressions about trees, roots and the Wood Wide Web.

Doing the PoeTREE with Priscilla was a great experience. We had a lot of fun actually building the PoeTREE sculpture at her studio beforehand. On-site at the (C)art Fest, the actual art-making was not up to us, it was up to the visitors. Lucky for me, Priscilla is well-versed in socially engaged art-making and knows how to make folks feel welcome and encourage them to participate. I'm usually a little more reserved with people I don't know, but following Priscilla's lead, I did my best at inviting everyone to help construct the increasingly-colorful sculpture. We ended up with a beautiful tree! Every branch, root and leaf decorated with the designs and words imagined by the participants, young and old. It was a fun and beautiful group effort, paying homage to the majesty of trees, (our) roots, collective creativity and communication.  

Here are some photos I snapped of the PoeTREE process, from beginning to end.

Constructing the PoeTREE cart at Priscilla's art studio.

Starting to set up the PoeTREE area at the (C)art Festival at King Manor Museum in Rufus King Park.

A bare PoeTREE.

Priscilla and me with a bare PoeTREE.

A real tree helping to encourage communication.

The PoeTREE cart and some visitors. 

PoeTREE artists at work. 

Priscilla and a young poet.

A very inTREEguing moment.

PoeTREE artists at work.

PoeTREE starting to bloom.

Leaf poets.

Beautiful branch illustrations.

Me :) 

Branching out!

"I'm a tree-hugger and proud of it!"

Budding artists.

Budding artists.

A group effort, "Live & Let Live"

Family tree, with my cousin and friend.

Watering the PoeTREE.

Closeup of some branches. 

PoeTREE with a smile.

Branching out! 

Final result of our colorful PoeTREE! 

Closeup of beautiful branches. 

LIST OF ALL (C)ART FESTIVAL ARTISTS/PROJECTS: 

ART&COM (featuring collaborators Thiago Szmrecsányi, Natalia de Campos and Tracy Collins): “COLLECTIVE BARGAIN”

Natali S. Bravo-Barbee: “Green Card Cart”

Reese Francis: “Black Cherry Jam’s Story XChange”

Jacqueline Herranz and Margaret Rose Vendryes: “Consume a piece of Cuba before … / Consume un trozo de Cuba antes que …”

Rejin Leys: “PulpMobile”

Shervone Neckles: “Creative Wellness Gathering Station”

Monica O. Montgomery: “Museum of Impact”

Queens Creative Solidarity (featuring Priscilla Stadler and Lorie Caval): “PoeTREE Project”

Elizabeth Velazquez: Interactive Sculpture

https://www.seqaa.org/ for more info...