We met as a small group in downtown Lawrence.
Mutual friends in the Womxn of Color mural project had connected us (thanks!). Though we live in a relatively small community, we hadn’t seen each other’s work- let alone met one another before.
We realized that while there was no shortage of arts groups & organizations in our community, there were none focused exclusively on Black art & particular needs of Black artists. There were often issues among existing arts groups resulting in unfair treatment or exclusion of Black artists.
This issue also extended to venues & institutions. We sought to create a space of support & advocacy.
We also felt more could be done in Lawrence to celebrate Black art past & present. There was little public awareness about days of Black cultural importance, such as Juneteenth. We wanted to contribute towards educating our community members about African spiritual practices, unfiltered Black history, & draw attention to larger issues like Black health disparities. We also wished to illustrate the diversity of Black art by showcasing a variety of art & artists- including poets, dancers, sci-fi novelists, playwrights, punk rockers, composers, photographers, graphic designers, rappers, & more.
Since founding B.L.A.C.K. Lawrence in 2017, we have hosted open mics, Juneteenth & Kwanzaa celebrations, visual art exhibitions, outdoor concerts, workshops, & participated in numerous community events. We’ve been a necessary point of contact for organizations in search of Black artists or artists in general. We’ve also engaged in several intersectional efforts— a reflection of our group membership & vision.
While our forward-facing work is critical, more than half of what we do is internal networking & sharing of opportunities. We engage in skill sharing such as providing professional headshots or proofreading one another’s resumes or CVs. We support one another at events & circulate the opportunities we come across. We keep each other in the know about the practices of venues, how much to charge for services, & professional or creative resources. We share our creative work for racially concordant feedback.