CELEBRATING FIVE YEARS OF BLACK CANVAS

5 Years. 479 Stories. 40 Black writers. 

Help BLACK CANVAS Stay Free.

Five years ago, BLACK CANVAS began as ARTE NOIR’s editorial complement. It was a simple but urgent idea: Black stories deserve space. Black artists deserve visibility. Black thought deserves permanence.

Since then, BLACK CANVAS has become a monthly love letter to Black creativity across the diaspora — spotlighting makers, doers, thinkers, dreamers, disruptors, and cultural architects shaping our world in real time.

In five years, we have published:

479 original articles, written by

40 commissioned local, national, and international Black guest writers, reaching

47 countries, cultivating

Countless conversations, discoveries, and connections

Just a sampling from some of our featured articles, writers, and artists over the past five years.

And we’ve done it while keeping BLACK CANVAS free and accessible to everyone.

That matters.

Because independent Black cultural publishing matters. Thoughtful storytelling matters. Archives matter. And in a world moving at scroll speed, spaces that pause long enough to center Black artistry and intellect matter deeply.

As we celebrate our 5th anniversary, we’re inviting our readers to become monthly subscribers and put a little “5 On It.”

$5 a month.

$25 a month.

$55 a month.

Whatever multiple of five speaks your language and fits your wallet.

Your monthly support allows us to commission writers, amplify artists, preserve stories, and continue building a platform rooted in culture, curiosity, and community.

BLACK CANVAS exists because people continue to believe in the power of Black expression. We hope you’ll help us carry that vision forward.

Let’s make the next five years even louder, sharper, smarter, and creatively Blacker!

BECOME A MONTHLY SUBSCRIBER

With gratitude and intention,

Vivian Phillips, Founder, ARTE NOIR

The People's Wall artist Dion Henderson, circa 1960s. Image courtesy of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State.

Postscript: While every issue of BLACK CANVAS is special to me, this issue carries a particular relevance. The artist Dion Henderson, responsible for the Black Panther People's Wall that has recently passed all muster for historic preservation, was my high school art teacher. In many ways, Dion, as he insisted we call him, is responsible for my dedicated love for Black art and for archiving Black art stories. He would breeze into the art rooms in his ever-present flack jacket and encourage each of us not to conform to assigned identities. Rather, he insisted that we find our own ways of being present in the world and use art as our guide whenever possible. In more ways than I can count, Dion Henderson helped me to look beyond convention in search of the soulfulness and power of Black art.