7 minute read
ADVANCING A MOVEMENT
NEWLY-FORMED ARTS AND RACE EQUITY TASK FORCE ELEVATES BLACK VOICES IN THE ARTS
For renowned author, poet, and activist Hannah Drake, this is a concise summary of what Black artists in the Greater Louisville area can expect from Fund for the Arts’ Arts and Race Equity Task Force, which she leads along with Victoria Russell, Papa John’s Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. A key objective of the task force, according to Russell, is “to guide the Fund in revolt against racial injustice, to advance racial equity across the arts and culture sector and the community, and to elevate the voices of our Black artists.”
Russell has been with Papa John’s for 14 years, working in marketing analytics before assuming her diversity and inclusion (D&I) role in 2018. She also has a wealth of human resources experience from her time at Brown-Forman and Humana. Born and raised in Louisville, Russell was approached in pre-pandemic 2019 to join the Fund for the Arts board. Before long, she was heading the Arts and Race Equity Task Force. Drake became involved during what Russell terms the “pause and pivot” period caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Adding one of Louisville’s most well-respected and popular artists to the newly formed task force was not only personally exciting for Russell — she was blown away by Drake at the Ali Center’s “Daughters of Greatness” event — she also valued Drake’s insight into who and where the community needed the Fund’s help. “My interest was immediate,” says Drake, who is no stranger to organizing nonprofit initiatives for artists. At IDEAS xLab, she helped design Project H.E.A.L (Health, Equity, Art, Learning), an initiative dedicated to enacting policy change through engagement in arts and culture.
The ongoing pandemic and nationwide protests against racial injustice gave Drake a sense of urgency to join. “Art revolves around the movement,” she says. “This will be a time where artists are painting or writing or sculpting or creating something that speaks to what is happening in the world.” INCREASING ACCESSIBILITY
The two women have matching concerns that drive the task force and influence the Fund. When Russell joined the board, she wanted to make sure that funds were distributed inclusively, something Drake also finds important. Luckily, the Fund
— Hannah Drake has committed to making the arts more accessible to all of Greater Louisville, especially in neighborhoods historically given little attention.
“I commended them for acknowledging that the Fund had not always been accessible,” Russell says. “It was important for them to continue to evolve, and that was something I wanted to be a part of.”
Russell and Drake make increasing access a priority. One of the first initiatives they helped organize was the Listening Tour with
Hannah Drake performing at the 2018 Festival of the Faiths. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.
— Victoria Russell
Black Artists, a forum to hear and freely discuss issues faced by Black artists and their community, and to figure out ways in which the Fund could help.
“We don’t have to make this up: Ask people what their challenges are, what their barriers are. What are their hopes and dreams? What’s working? What’s not working?” Russell says. “Let those insights inform the path forward.”
These virtual conversations exemplified a perfect blend of their strengths — business-world and art-world expertise. Russell had conducted listening tours early into her D&I role at Papa John’s, while Drake anticipated what sorts of issues would be most central in these discussions.
INCREASING VISIBILITY
Drake wants the task force to find safe and effective ways to share the Fund’s initiatives with people in underserved areas who don’t have reliable access to technology/WiFi and can’t access online programming. She is also a big proponent of be impacting, discipline, the demographics, years of experience,
crossing the Ninth Street divide to bring the arts to underserved communities rather than make them come to it. “It’s a must to support artists west of Ninth Street.”
Russell and Drake are working to increase visibility for Black artists, even those who court controversy. “There are a lot of gatekeepers in the Louisville art world,” Drake says. She’s concerned that those gatekeepers — i.e. organizations courage to be so openly specific in their aim. “If this is
and institutions that provide funding to artists — may hesitate to help artists whose work may not seem traditional.
“It’s still art — art that serves a purpose, and art that speaks to a movement,” Drake says. “You have to be courageous as an art institution to say, ‘I am going to fund this artist, I am going to going to use whatever power and influence I have to open up a door for this artist.’ ”
Drake, who had been writing for 20 years before going viral with poems like “Formation,” “All You Had to Do Was Play the Game, Boy,” and the blog post, “Do Not Move Off the Sidewalk,” understands that recognition helps artists. Just a few of the Black Louisville artists Drake believes everyone should take notice of are: Ashley Cathey, Sandra Charles, Robin G, Lance Newman, and Rheonna Thornton. One of Russell’s local favorite artists is Kula Art Gallery owner Charles Rice. “I’m proud to see him thriving still, and that people are still supporting.” Russell owns a few of Rice’s paintings. DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDING
The Arts and Race Equity Task Force reflects its leaders: a healthy mix of artists and business-world types. Diverse and inclusive across race, gender, age, experience, expertise, and other backgrounds, the team offers a wide variety of insight.
The task force has helped to guide the Fund’s recent grantmaking efforts by evaluating applicants for grants in the amounts of $500 to $2,000 for struggling Black artists, and $15,000 for Black-owned restaurants who needed help with fixed operating expenses.
“There’s a lot of worthy candidates, which makes for some really tough discussions,” Russell says. “I wish we had more funds to distribute, but I’m thankful for the ones that we do have.”
The team uses a rigid scoring system to ensure the grantmaking process is fair and objective. “The judges that we’ve put in place look at the budget process, the audience that they’re going to all kinds of things,” says Russell. For restaurants and groups of artists, a special consideration is how closely they will follow the COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.
Drake thinks that focusing on Black artists specifically helps streamline the grantmaking process, and applauds the Fund’s let this artist create whatever it is they want to create, and I’m
going to be a fund for Black artists, then let it be that. A lot of organizations and institutions don’t have the courage to say that.”
Though the task force is still in its early days, Russell can already see a glimpse of the impact it will have in the future.
“What’s going on in this country is not a Black issue to solve — it’s a humanity issue,” she says. “When I see people from different backgrounds, race, coming together to find solutions that bring us together — that gets me so jazzed. I have seen that happen on this committee, and I have seen that on the board for the Fund. That reminds me why I’m a part of this organization.”
Andy Warhol: Revelation Now Open
Discover another side of the Pop artist of Campbell’s soup can fame. Andy Warhol: Revelation is the first exhibition to comprehensively examine Warhol’s complex Catholic faith in relation to his artistic production.
Frontline healthcare workers enjoy free admission—we thank you.
New Hours
Friday 3 – 8 Saturday & Sunday 10 – 5 Advanced ticket purchase strongly encouraged and face masks required.
speedmuseum.org
Andy Warhol: Revelation is organized by the Andy Warhol Museum.
Presented by:
Media support from: Additional support from: Christina Lee Brown The Paradis Family LG&E and KU Foundation DDW, The Color House Land Rover of Louisville
Contemporary exhibition support provided by: Augusta and Gill Holland Exhibition season support provided by: Cary Brown and Steven E. Epstein Paul and Deborah Chellgren Debra and Ronald Murphy
Take virtual tours of our programs and exhibits from home!
VIDEO: Blotted Line Drawing art-making activity.
VIDEO: Black Artists Matter: Meet Sam Gilliam.
VIDEO: Recording of August’s After Hours at the Speed event.
