Artivism Community Art

The ‘Why’ 

We believe in revolutionary education in both practice and purpose. 

The education system prioritizes written knowledge that depresses minority student's display of intelligence. This occurs through over testing, which is incongruent with culturally situated educational practices because cultural knowledge is witnessed through participation in the arts. Another way this occurs is through teacher perceptions from Caucasian teachers (Atlantic 2016) who account for 80% of educators (Fact Tank 2018). This fact is not the only issue, because the educational system segregates minority students into tracks (Atlantic 2019). One case at an Austin, TX magnet school shows that the school's tracking system separates White and Asian students into liberal arts curriculum and Black and Latino students into a separate curriculum. Minority students are in classrooms in which non-diverse instructors teach curriculum in a culturally mute fashion, causing harm. The New York State Attorney (Vox 2019) found that a teacher’s mock slave auction negatively affected students mental health.

There is a lack of participation in creative fields among African Americans of all ages which can contribute to mental health crises in our community. World Health Organization criteria for sustainable development in healthy communities is the participation in one’s own culture.  A large amount of African American culture is located within the arts. By public education divesting in the arts, Black students are denied crucial access to interdisciplinary and creative tracks. Couple this with propagandized knowledge and curriculum and many African American students experience unhealthy social and physical determinants of health such as depression. 

The Problem

The effect of this is the lack of participation in creative fields among African Americans of all ages (SMU DataArts Greater Houston Arts and Culture Demographics and Audience Opportunity 2019)

Online resources that help families who seek Afrocentric curriculum have a design problem. The implementation of Afrocentric products (books, curriculum) and the information adapted from a Black Studies course is not suited to the needs of K-12 instructors. The required amount of learning (ex: reading level, background knowledge of World History, knowledge of African philosophy, and cultural background etc..) is so high that Afrocentric curriculum implementation  does not appeal to large audiences, despite the overwhelming demand. In Houston, TX participants who engage in cultural events that focus on Black culture express a need to engage with the information on a deeper more personal level that is relatable and enjoyable. This comes at a moment when Black Studies curriculum has been approved to be taught in K-12 schools, but not many schools are interested in implementing it. 

Our Solution

Artivism Community Art is a production company that produces community led media.

Through our subscription based services we provide resources we call the "Art Box". The "Art Box" is a package that contains resources that teaches the philosophy of the African Diaspora through art. Members can design art work utilizing the resources in the “Art Box” and upload their designs to the website/app. During the conferences, virtual reality galleries, and art shows we produce we display the work and gather to have interactive experiences. 

Our products and services are designed to accommodate the the lack of participation in creative fields among African Americans of all ages. We address the problem by providing resources that teach African Diasporic philosophy and design. This is an interdisciplinary practice, for which the “Art Box” has been created as a tool to help. This product also helps sustainable development in healthy communities by providing a tool to increase participation in Black culture because a large amount of African American culture is located within the arts.

Funding to Pivot

The Art Box is a tool to communicate Afrocentric knowledge through design.

For the past four years we have been practicing art socially around the topic of education, Afrofuturism, and design and during that time we received a lot of feedback on how we can help our community succeed in building a creative practice where education can be used to teach Black culture. The "Art Box" is the culmination of many conversations about how to effectively design a product that meets the needs of those who wish to engage with Black Studies through art. We are in the beta testing phase of our product "The Art Box" and we are seeking funding to bring the product to market. The funds will go towards 1.) Costs for ecommerce 2.) printing and shipping the product, 3.) marketing, 4.) Buying Equipment to create and produce media (such as cameras, VR headsets, computers, software like Adobe, and subscriptions like Vimeo), 5.) Hiring so that we can increase customer service for subscription members.

Our Team 

We are a community of artists that utilize artwork to teach cultural perspectives through education and interactive/hands on learning. Our job? - Create a system of learning for our community through cultural art projects.

I am a Cultural Educator, Entrepreneur, Pan-African Studies Scholar and Artivist that specializes in utilizing art to teach cultural perspectives. My background is in interdisciplinary higher education, studio arts, K-12 education and grassroots organizing. I specialize in facilitating community projects, large-scale projects that not only require several volunteers, but also transform into gathering spaces for residents.

Through Artivism Community Art, a mobile Afrofuturist art production company, myself and a collective of other artivists create K-12+ resources and content for Black Studies that is both interactive and relational. The company has 5 main goals and objectives: supplement the lack of cultural education through communal art; increase comprehension of complex symbolism; synthesize traditional concepts of the African Diaspora with current information; for every community to create their own system of learning and provide spaces for cultural social interaction with the community at large. This practice is a part of the Black Speculative Art Movement, which is an ongoing creative, aesthetic practice that integrates African philosophical concepts with science or technology to interpret, engage, design, or re-imagination the contested present and catalyze change for the future. I believe that participation in the arts is essential to the health of Black and Brown communities and through this participation, we can create sustainable practices that increase our community’s wellness. Education is a vehicle of creation. Just imagine the self-empowerment of Black and Brown children manifested through cultural education.

Thank you for your support, and I am so excited to be creating with you!