This series spotlights arts organizations, collectives, and initiatives with good causes at their core. Keep up the good work.
Brown Art Ink is a nomadic arts incubator founded by Amanda Figueroa and Rayon Ruffin. Their mission is to work with both artists and cultural organizations to create paid opportunities for artists of color to have sustainable art careers with livable wages, fair work conditions, and equitable partnerships with institutions.
Brown Art Ink helps arts institutions to align their programs and initiatives with the needs of the local artists and community. By investing in the arts at the local level, these organizations can provide support to artists and local economies against displacement and exploitation. By advocating for the presence, needs, and issues of local BIWOC artists, Brown Art Ink aims to have those needs reflected in arts and cultural institutions’ programming. For artists, Brown Art Ink provides services and resources for artist resumes and statements, project management and negotiations for contract work.
Among their initiatives, Women-in-Residence is an archival database documenting the presence of Black, Indigenous, and of color women-identifying artists and arts workers. The searchable database documents the histories and careers of women who take residence in museums, galleries, and communities. The database is in its early stages but aims to include oral histories with BIWOC artists and arts workers, data on the current state of representation in the art world, and a professional network for BIWOC in the field, as well as videos offering insights and educational content on career development. By highlighting artists and arts workers who are largely underrepresented, Women-in-Residence makes their work accessible to others who can learn of their significance and follow in their footsteps.