We are rounding out Women's History Month by highlighting the women whose seeds grow strong for future crops. What bubbles up to the top is the fact that we are all just ordinary humans planting seeds that have been held in our hands, prayed over, nurtured and honored, so that these seeds might one day bloom into extraordinary bouquets of hope and vision to undergird the next generation. What we do today has ramifications in the future, whether or not we choose to acknowledge this universal truth.
We have the pleasure of creating space for women's voices and this month we have dedicated each page to celebrating art and intellect from Black women's perspective. It has been such an honor to open our editorial pages to more voices, and this month, if it ain't by Black women, it's about Black women!
And what's more, in addition to adding more editorial voices, in April, we will be launching a new project that will assist local artists in expanding their reach and impact by creating a channel for individuals and organizations who are interested in hiring Black artists to get connected to them for various paid opportunities. Our upcoming Black Artist Roster and Speakers Bureau will also help to support the incorporation of more artist voices into various discussions, presentations, and more!
This groundbreaking project pulls together, in one place, a full roster of Black artists and allows ARTE NOIR to receive and easily distribute information about opportunities for commissions, art purchases and more. What makes this roster unique is that it is for Black artists! This new project is graciously supported by The Gathering Collaborative of King County as part of their grants to address racism as a public health issue. ARTE NOIR received a capacity building grant to develop this resource for Black artists.
We are most excited to have this project be led by NaKeesa Frazier-Jennings of NaKeesa Marie Enterprises, bringing her more than two decades of project management, artist management, writing and organizational expertise to this project.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Arte Noir on the Black artist roster and speaker’s bureau project! This project will support artists from our community to expand their reach through their individual art practice, allow their voices to be heard more broadly and allow them to more easily be found by individuals, organizations and companies who want to invest money and resources into the products and services they provide through their various artistic talents!” - NaKeesa Frazier-Jennings
We're currently building the roster platform for an April launch. Be on the lookout for more details, including the official launch date, a full project description, FAQs, and links for connecting. We're looking forward to launching this fantastic project to further support the artists in our local community!
Planting more seeds for future crops!
Vivian Phillips, Founder + Board President
