About Us
SUPPORTING BLACK ARTISTS IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY
Black Artist Forward is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit in Fayetteville North Carolina.
BAF was founded in 2023 by April Mata of A. Mata Designs and Shakeyla Ingram of Haus Host after a successful Forum event in Fayetteville, NC. Heading the call for support for black artists, they quickly formed a board and built an online community and local events to continue to meet the needs of black artists in our community. Our passion is art and our community is black folx.
OUR CORE GOALS
What BAF Stands for and what actions we are taking now.
01
Putting Money into the hands of African American Artists
African American artists and other minority groups suffer from a lack of access to funding, and with that, they are more prone to giving up on their dreams of becoming professional artists. With 85% of artists making less than $25,000 a year becoming a full-time artist can be daunting and impossible for artists without access to the tools they need to succeed. Black Artist Forward is countering this issue by directly funding black artists through our Funds in Action initiative. We have strategically selected Honorarium Awards instead of Grants to make applying and qualifying for funding easier. Our goal is to empower and encourage artists to take the first step toward applying for larger grants in the future.
Learn more about our Funds in Action initiative here.
02
Equity in the Arts
Equity vs. Equality
Equality refers to the uniform distribution of a good or service to everyone. In other words, each person receives the same amount of whatever commodity is being distributed, regardless of their individual circumstances.
Equity, on the other hand, refers to the fair distribution of goods and services based on individual need. Those who start with less are given more of the commodity, while those who have more receive less of it.
Black Artist Forward is focused on creating equity: "a fair distribution of funding" for African American artists in North Carolina. To this end, BAF executive board members speak at conferences and meet with local arts organizations to discuss grant accessibility and other issues. By campaigning for change we create new solutions for black artists.
Learn more about our advocacy work here.
03
Community Building
“We are all one - and if we don’t know it, we’ll learn it the hard way.” - Bayard Rustin
Artists often find themselves trying to build their careers and following on their own. This path can be lonely and challenging, and it’s one that many don’t need to take. Our communities have many generations of Black artists who possess both the resources and knowledge to succeed independently. However, we must focus on building a supportive community that unites all artists so that we can thrive together. There is no benefit in perpetuating the competitive "crabs in a bucket" mentality; we have moved past that. The strength of a community lies in its unity. Black Artist Forward fosters this through our events, direct community engagement, and mentorship opportunities.
Programs
Take a look at our current programs we are working on for African American Artists
Kissed by the Sun
Funds in Action
The Cato Alexander Gallery @ Dirty Whiskey
WATCH THIS VIDEO ABOUT BLACK ARTIST FORWARD BY FAYNC MAGAZINE
Our Board
MEET OUR BOARD AND FOUNDERS
