North Carolina Black Artists for Liberation

North Carolina Black Artists for Liberation is a collective of Black artists and arts workers throughout the state of North Carolina.

 

The signed North Carolina-based working and originating Black makers, performers, and artists are committed to building an equitable arts and cultural sector. It is our labor, dollars, sweat equity, and culture that make both burgeoning and prestigious North Carolina organizations culturally viable. As educators, volunteers, artists, and essential workers, we recognize that the moment for systemic change is now.

The history of predominantly white-led institutions benefiting from the disenfranchisement of the Black artist and community is well documented. From slavery to Jim Crow, to post Civil Rights era, to today, Black artists have been continuously excluded from the canon, been wrongly categorized, and historically disregarded as obvious by the egregious lack of Black staff, leadership, and representation at cultural institutions across the nation.



A Rendering of Reversal:




Image

 

Leverage your power, influence, and platform via structured action to ascertain viable and sustainable support to Black communities, Black entrepreneurship, and Black artistry.

  • Incorporate racial equity into your selection of vendors, consultants and other providers (catering, event planning, photographers, web and content development) and set internal goals to increase your use of diverse vendors
  • Utilize paid internships and partnerships with colleges and universities to create pathways for Black students to enter professional circles
  • Contribute to The NC Black Artists for Liberation Project. This funding could support an annual scholarship, an exhibition, the rental of Black-owned and operated space, materials and supplies for artists, etc. GoFundMe
Image

 

Ensure conducive environments for Black artists and patrons by identifying, examining, deconstructing, and eradicating existing racist policies and processes buried in the fabric of your Institution.

  • Provide complimentary admission for individuals, schools, businesses and organizations that identify as Black Indigenous or People of Color (BIPOC) or BIPOC-led organizations.
  • Insist that your non-Black staff undergo racial sensitivity training and social justice workshops led by Black consultants and/or Black organizations.
  • Commit to ensuring that your programs feature diverse speakers and presenters, reflect voices of the local community, and offer programming that more directly addresses systemic racism, inequitable power and the liberation of Black people.
Image

 

Honor and respect the Black creative by awarding voice, visibility, acknowledgment, and compensation that commensurates with their white male counterparts.

  • Material investment in increasing Black leadership in your organization by recruiting more Black board members, senior leadership, curators, and staff beyond tokenism with competitive wages, clearly articulated goals and timelines for equitable pay.
  • Invite Black artists and makers to participate on your organization’s board ensuring that artists are included at every stage of the decision-making process.
  • If your institution houses an art collection, demonstrate your commitment to the conservation, contextualization, and preservation of Black art by increasing the representation of acquired work by Black artists.

We recognize that the transformation of our field and organizations is urgent and is also an ongoing long-term process and commitment. Your commitment to the lifelong work of dismantling racist paradigms, systems and structures won’t happen overnight. Because of this, we are interested in implementing accountability measures for all organizations.

You, your organization and your colleagues can contribute to The NC Black Artists for Liberation Project by making a donation here. But your investment must go beyond your cash donation.

It is your organization’s responsibility to design, develop and enact a clearly articulated racial equity plan (based on your capacity, size and funding) with measurable goals in the areas of hiring, organizational culture, leadership and organizational transparency over the next six months. If you are feeling lost and don’t know where to begin, consider hiring a BIPOC consultant to assist with the development of a strategic plan.

Complacency is just as violent as silence. If in 6 months your organization stands without a plan for action, we will:

Conversely, organizations that are taking effective measures to end the inherently racist policies and procedures embedded in our field will be publicly honored and promoted.

While we understand that culture alone cannot fix systemic racism, culture is strongly connected to racism’s material effects and the violence used against us as Black artists and makers. This is your opportunity to really be the change that we need to see.


Signed:

Antoine Williams

Carmen Neely

Chris Watts

J. Stacy Utley

Jessica Moss

Marcus Kiser

Sherrill Roland

JOIN US


Standing in solidarity with us:

A'lexus Newkirk

Adam N. Justice

Ade Hogue

Adria Gunter

Adrian Solomon

Adriana Blanco

Aisha Cannon

Alessandria Shines

Alethea Byrd

Alex Alcorn

Alexandra McArthur

Alexandra Snowden

Alexandra Walker

Alia El-Bermani

Alisha Wormsley

Alison Dunn

Allison Coleman

Allison Spooner

Alvin C. Jacobs Jr

Alyzza May

Amanda Skiscim

Amy H

Andrea Phillips

Andrea Vail

Andrew S Yang

Angela Lombardi

Angela Roote

Ann Dawkins

Anna Cone

Anna Garner

Anna Good

Anna Luisa Daigneault (Quilla)

Anna Wallace

Anna Weaver

Annah Lee

Anne Hawthorn

Annie Lattimore

Ant M Lobo

April Parker

Ariana F

Ash Eliza Smith

Ash Limés Castellana

Asha Iman

Ashley Brown

Ashley G.

Ashley Nickens

Ashley Proctor

Aubrey Hedrick

Aviva Imbrey

Barbara Campbell Thomas

Barent Getzoff

Baxter Buchanan

Becca Cheshire

Becky Jollensten

Bethany Eddleman

Bianca Floyd

Bobby Blue

Brandi Richardson

Brandi Schmitz

Brandon Cordrey

Bre'Anna Washington

Brenda Miller Holmes

BRIAN HOWE

Brian T Leahy

Brianna Daniels

Brianna Yancey

Brittany Carlson

Brittany Solem

Bryan M Wilson

C.Renee

Caitlin Cary

Caitlin Margaret Kelly

Cam Sumner

Cameron Bowie

Candy Carver

Carey J. King

Carlton Hargro

Carri Shaffner Yow

Carrie Le Chevallier

Cassie Hamrick

Catherine Armistead

Catherine Burns

Causey Brady

Cecilia Zuvic

Chad Cartwright

Chelsea Whitton

Cherrita Wallace

Chieko Murasugi

Chloé Rager

Chris Ivey

Chris Vitiello

Christian Matheis

Christopher Musselwhite

Christy Blanco

CiCi Johnson

Ciltona Cawthorne

Claire Ashby

Claire Stamper

Claudio Ortiz

Cliff Dossel

Colby Caldwell

Collin D Perry

Conner Calhoun

Craig Cutright

Crystal Presley

Cynelsa E.B.

Dalia Dalili

Damian Stamer

Dane Winkler

Dani Brockington

Danielle Carelock

Dasan Ahanu

David A Hamlow

Davita Galloway

Debbie Robbins

Deepanjan Mukhopadhyay

Demarcus Williams

Derek Toomes

Destiny Stone

Devon MacKAY

Devon McKnight

Donell stinesjones

Dr. Keith Cradle

Dylan Gilbert

Dylan Sierra Rushing

E’Vonne Coleman

Eboné M. Lockett

Elder Gallery Of Contemporary Art

Elizabeth Arzani

Elle Ivy Green

Ellen C. Walker Show

Emilie Paiva

Emily Ensminger

Emily Power

Emma Headley

Emmanuel Ravenel

Erica Collier

Erica Porter

Erika Corey

Erika Hirugami, MAAB.

Erika Sanchez

Erin Kye

Evie Vanderveer

FAITH Anthony MEJIA

Fidaa Abudayeh

Gabe Duggan

Gale Manning

Gesche Würfel

Goldeicreations

Grace Clark

Grace Stott

Gracelee Lawrence

Gui Portel

Hanna Propst

Hannah Cole

HannaH Jean Crowell

Hannah Shaban

Heather Flow

Heather Fortney

Heather Gordon

Helen Schwab

Henry Rudisill

HNin Nie

Holly Whisman

Hồng-Ân Trương

I'Nasah Kiam Crockett

Ida Mae

Ilina Ewen

Irina Toshkova

Iris Williamson

Jacelyn Forst

Jaclyn Bowie

Jalonda B. Graham

James L Williams

Jamila Brown

Jane Cassidy

Janee Caulton

Jasmine Best

Jeel Storelli

Jenelle Hanes

Jennifer Meanley

Jermaine Coles

Jessica Foster

Jessika S. Johnson

Jillian Doherty

Jimese Orange

Joel Peter Johnson

Joey Emanuel

Johannes Barfield

John David Ralls

John Paul Feliciano

Jordan Booker-Medley

Jordan T. Robinson

Joseph Navarra Jr

Joy Drury Cox

Joyce Weaver

Judie Bamber

JuJu Holton

Julia Butcher

Julia Caston

Julianna Nwobi

Julie Pitts

Justin Tornow

Justus W. Harris

K. Tyrone Jefferson

Kaila Haugabrook

Kat Cramer

Kat Pesigan

Kate Freitag

Kate Monahan

Kate Nation

Kate Robinson

Katherine Mooring

Kathryn Hill

Katie Causey Miller

Katie Murray

Katy G Collier

Kay Tuttle

Kelly Sheppard Murray

Kelsey Brand

KHEM

Kira Campbell

Kirby Slade

Kit Marlowe

Krista Hoefle

Kristy Breneman

Kulsum Tasnif

Kwaku Osei

LaDara McKinnon

Lakeshia T. Reid

LaMont Hamilton

LaTiss Davis

Laura Little

Laura Ritchie

Leah Sobsey

Leala King

Leonard C Muckle

Lia Rose Newman

Libby Villavicencio

Lina Z

Lisa Homann

Lisa Woods

Liz Fitzgerald

Liz Miller

Lizzie Duggan

Logan Cyrus

Lorraine Turi

Luke Hodges

Lydia C. Thompson

lydia see

Lydia Thompson

Malik J. Norman

Marcus Belvin

Maria Britton

Marian Azeb Mereba

Martez Prince

Mary Poole

Mary R Lynn

Maryssa Pickett

Massie Minor

Matt Olin

Matthew Fitzgerald

Matthew Giddings

Matthew Steele

Maurice Moore

Mavis Gragg

Meagan Long

Meg Stein

Megan Howard

Megan Payne

Megan Sullivan

Meghan Smith

Melissa Richard

Mia McManus

Michael Neely

Michelle Freeman

Michelle Hooper

Mick Winston

Mike McCray

Mirra Goldfrad

Mitchell Kearney

Mollie Whalen

Monèt Noelle Marshall

Morgan Maxwell

Morgan O

MR Toomey

Nadia Phillips

Naomi Chambers

Natalia M Villaran

Natalie Strait

Nell Fortune-Greeley

Nelly Kate

Nick Harris

Nicole Calderon

Nicole Welch

Niles Loughlin

Nina Ward

Nolan Purvis

Nyla Rudisill-Black

Ocean Hak-Kuhn

Olga Brindar

Olivia Chisholm

Patrick Haren

Pepe Caudillo

Pete Harvey

Pete Sack

Phillip Loken

Princess H. Johnson

Quincy Lee

Rachel S. Wexler

Rahkie Mateen

Raj Bunnag

Rebecca Henderson

Regina Robertson

Rhiza Stirning

Richelle Soper

Ricky Raines

Ricky Singh

Ron Everett

Rory D Sheriff

Ruby Ferguson

Ryan Macon

Saba Taj

Sabrina Melton

Sam Naber

Samantha Reynolds

Sandi Carter

Sandrine Gibbons

Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo

Sarah Ingel

Sarah Kordulewski

Sasha Lara

Scott Summers

Sean Marimpietri

Shareese D Castillo

Shelley Smith

Sherri Esquivel-Peterson

Shihad Jackson

Sierra Corcoran

Slater Mapp

SoL Gonzalez -Feliciano

Sonja Langford

Sonya Pfeiffer

Sonya Pfeiffer

Southern Arts Movement

STACEY L KIRBY

Stephanie J. Woods

Stephen Morrison

Steven M. Cozart

Sunny Spillane

Susan Hendley

Susan Taaffe

Sydney Sherrill Gingrow

Sydney Steen

TAE Hoffman

Taya Lindsey

Taylor McKusick

Teddy

Telvin Wallace

Terri jones

Thomas P. Boyle

Tierney Steelberg

Tiffany berry

Tim Miner

Travis Laughlin

Trey Chanel Gibson

Trey Robers

Trey Roberts

Tsedaye Makonnen

Veronica Ann Neely

Wendy Earle

Whitney Stanley

Will Bruno

Will Gilreath

william cordova

William J Carpenter

William Jenkins

William Paul Thomas

Willow Stevenson

Wolly McNair

Xross (cross)

Yana Rene’

Yoori Shin

Resources Page