No, it's not about people.
I'm inspired by the world.
I'm sorry for my emotions.
As originally inspired by
Andy Warhol and Boss Ya,
that really got me into art.
I'm doing this on a series called Why Hostile
Forsaken Me the Lament.
Jupiter, Lockett Taylor Pannell,
Ann Brandon Gastinel,
all living create art in Sacramento
while their work is all different,
their experiences within the
city's art scene are similar. I was
told that I actually wouldn't be
able to do murals and stuff like this
because all I did was all black faces,
whereas another person who is
not a person of color can paint
people of color and it's fine
if you are not black, don't paint us.
Don't paint our pain and
profit off of it. Just
things like that. Can be a
problem. Double standards and
appropriation along with tokenism
lack of representation and inequality
are just a few issues these artists
say have hindered black creatives.
A company is looking for
a black artist in Sacramento.
You know they're only going to
choose one of us and then we all
feel like being were being excluded.
This isn't just a Sacramento issue,
this is an art world issue. The list
of concerns Brandon and other
artists have are not unfounded.
In fact, lack of representation
seems to start at the top.
According to a study by the Public
Library of Science in 2019,
an estimated 85% of artists represented
in US museum collections or white
representation matters, right?
We always talk about representation
and for especially for black artists,
when you imagine going into the
Crocker Art Museum, you know
our our institution and you don't
even see work by black artists.
You know you don't see very much work
that's on the wall, so that you know
that's defeating faith.
McKinney, Community engagement
coordinator at Crocker Art Museum
says another barrier are the so-called
gatekeepers within the art world.
Having conversations with curators,
white curator and just Gallery
owners and they can't talk
critically about black work,
critique is important.
Not just I don't like this work.
You know, it's more than that,
and I found that people can't do that.
You know, with black artists,
whether it's good or bad,
it's just this they don't really know.
You know even how to
engage with it.
And I feel like that's unfortunate,
like people are easily be able to
relate to a white artist or whatever.
It's always been like that
in order to push boundaries.
You kind of have to just.
Stop trying to gatekeep what
people can and can't do in a city.
Past and recent killings of black
people by police in Black Lives Matter.
Protests have sparked conversations of
equity and inclusion in the last few months,
which have led to many people,
organizations and companies to
respond by sharing initiatives they
plan on instating to uplift black
people and communities. People are
generous right now to to black art
and black people thumb, not all,
but because it's the move right now. I think
some people are looking at it as more
of a trend to kind of be inclusive.
I think we'll see the truth in these
companies and people that are hiring
a lot of black artists right now is.
Will they keep it up
now? There's a stage like people are
looking like what are you going to do?
So now people feel like they have
to do something and they're not
one they're not ready right after
covid in the George Floyd protests,
there was a campaign and they were asking
for black artists specifically to donate
to this campaign for free and the work.
And it was kind of mind boggling to me.
'cause, like you know these artists.
They need support and I was like,
you know, I don't like how this is.
I'm glad that these,
you know it funds other projects,
but I want to.
Really, make sure that we're funding
artists in her own effort
to elevate Black Creatives.
Faith founded Black Artists
Fund and so far has raised more
than $30,000, so just kind
of this idea popped
in my mind. Like man, it would
be nice to have like a fund that
specifically black artists can
go to project she and four other
Sacramento creative started has not
only given grants to 41 black artists,
but is also acted as a resource
for companies and organizations
to utilized when hiring.
I'm glad there's a
space for people to all those people
that say there are no black artists here.
They can go to that.
That link and just say oh wow,
there's 41 here for musicians to
visual artists, photographers,
graphic designers, fashion designers,
and just start picking and
which makes me happy as a lot
of projects have come from that.
So now black artists are
getting paid outside of the fun
through commercial projects,
through collaborations with
gallery's or other artists,
Jupiter, Taylor and Brandon are
among the artists who have received
one of these grants.
Happy to say that I can actually
make my first mural with.
The funds that were provided from
the grant they were to me $1000
and it went to my exhibition
at the support of Garo.
The reason why I'm even doing this
meal today is because of black artists
under refer me to downtown Sacramento.
Definitely feel elevated that my people
are communicating and we're working,
but not just it just within ourselves
but also branching out to the city
and everybody else who don't always
look like us who are also working
together to make the world a better
place to make this city definitely.
A better place. While
the Black Artist Fund is a start,
he says there's more work
to be done in Sacramento.
She hopes to create critique
programs for black artists and
also for the city's public art to
reflect its diversity. We have
tons of murals and I love that you
know other people from outside second.
Well, yeah, you got tons
of murals, but when I think back,
I don't know if that many that are
done by black artists specifically
or just artists of color. So I
would like to see us just really
represented in the richness of our
of the diversity of the city shown.
On the walls that we all live. Until
then, these artists are here
to challenge a historically
UN welcoming industry.
By continuing to create art,
I don't want to have
to take the back seat just
because of the color of my skin.
I feel like we all deserve fair fights at
this. See, we can't wait for
for someone to invite us into
their to their room or oh,
come have a seat at this table or or
can you bring some words that you
can build your own chair at our team?
Like no no no.
Will make sides and change the world.
Starting with painting murals
in downtown Sacramento.