Nina Simone’s childhood home, located in Tryon, North Carolina, will be indefinitely preserved through the advocacy organization Preservation North Carolina. Recently, the 600-square foot home had entered a state of dilapidation, which prompted four African American artists––Rashid Johnson, Ellen Gallagher, Julie Mehretu, and Adam Pendleton––to purchase the property in 2017 after witnessing the home’s […]
Ava DuVernay’s foundation ARRAY Alliance has launched a $250,000 fund, providing grants for organizations such as independent film festivals who have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. “Establishing ARRAY Grants furthers ARRAY’s mission to support arts advocates around the country that are cultural necessities in their communities. With more content from creators of color and […]
The renowned African American artist, curator, and scholar David Driskell died at the age of 88 due to complications of the coronavirus. Driskell was born on June 7th, 1931 in Eatonton, Georgia. His undergraduate studies took place at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine, where he was part of the flood of […]
Through her annual New York-based event The Unapologetic Art Expo, Kiana Calder provides Black artists with an essential platform to expose and sell their work, free of charge. According to the website, The Unapologetic Art Expo “was created to capture the essence of the complicated beauty, joy, and pain that is Black culture.” Launched in […]
Since September, the California African American Museum (CAAM) has been showcasing its largest selection of works by Southern vernacular artists through their exhibition titled Dust My Broom: Southern Vernacular from the Permanent Collection. Paying homage to the 1930s Blues song “Dust My Broom” by Robert Johnson, the exhibit’s artworks were created by mostly self-taught artists […]
CHICAGO (AP) — Imagine being so close to Martin Luther King Jr. as he gives one of the world’s most famous speeches that you notice the creases in his face and then realize the late civil rights leader is looking you square in the eye. That’s the intense personal moment organizers are striving for with […]
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Through laughs, tears and speeches that turned into sermons and affirmations, the overarching theme of this year’s star-studded Essence luncheon was that in an unforgiving industry that often overlooks, black women need no validation from Hollywood — or elsewhere — to appreciate their self-worth. “No one in this room derived […]