WE ARE THE BLACKSMITHS:
A coalition of artists, curators, culture producers, and organizers committed to using the arts to support direct action and civic engagement in the service of Black liberation and equity.
WE BELIEVE IN:
- The obliteration of systemic racism in the cultural infrastructure.
- Critical thinking informed by the totality of Black revolutionary thought.
- Equitable access for all Black people to human rights, quality of life, and cultural expression
- Pan-African solidarity
- Working with People of Color and people of conscience who are committed to Black liberation
- Building with Black-and POC-led institutions that lift up Black excellence
- Fair compensation for artists’ labor, anti-hatred.
- Voting rights as sacred,
- And the leadership of people across intersections of identity who are directly impacted by anti-Black racism and who uphold the humanity of Black people across the globe.
“The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.” - Toni Cade Bambara
WE CALL FOR:
Artists across disciplines to create and share community responsive work inspired by Black revolutionary history and the current protest movement.
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Cultural institutions and venues to responsibly and ethically present such work, and eliminate barriers to Black stewardship and leadership.
The Blacksmiths' Origin Story:
In early Summer 2020, following the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent wave of the racial justice movement, NYC-based jazz musicians Russell Hall and Michela Marino Lerman envisioned responding with an artist-led march through Harlem on Juneteenth. A call was put out to convene a meeting with like minded fellow artists, curators, producers and cultural leaders — primarily made up of people of color and women — with the initial purpose to raise awareness of Juneteenth and its deserved recognition as a national holiday. In a nearly 3-hour long impactful conversation with over 60 participants, the group dove deep into discussions about racial sensitivity and equity in the arts community; and advocated for a Freedom Summer of continuous artist-led events supporting the racial justice movement.
The result was the launch of The Blacksmiths: a coalition of artists, cultural curators, presenters, producers, and arts service organizational leaders committed to wielding the arts in support of direct action and civic engagement in the service of Black liberation and equity in cultural institutions and the world at large. Beginning with the Juneteenth Jubilee — presented with The Wide Awakes and The Intersectional Voices Collective — and continuing throughout the rest of the Summer and into the Fall, The Blacksmiths' signature second-line style marching band, led by bassist Russell Hall, brought joy and energy to rallies, marches and protests in NYC and beyond. Alongside supporting actions led by others, The Blacksmiths also regularly produce events that uplift Black liberation including INTERdependence Day on July 4th in Washington Square Park; the Eric Garner Day birthday celebration at Barclays Center, working with Eric’s mother Ms. Gwen Carr; a citywide event celebrating Wide Awakes Day, the Juneteenth Jubilee and more.
In the service of offering guidance towards more racial equity in the arts, The Blacksmiths have launched a pledge and toolkit resource - on this website wearetheblacksmiths.com - to provide paths towards knowledge of justice, equity and accountability in programming, hiring, community outreach, and personal growth. The Blacksmiths’ Racial Equity Resources consist of individual and institutional pledges, resources for social justice readings and trainings, a guide for implementing and developing anti-racism action plans, and more.
The Blacksmiths Collective, Supporters, Contributors:
Gail Boyd - President, Gail Boyd Artist Management, President, North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents, Chair, Pan African Center for Empowerment, Co-founder, Vanguard Arts
Krista Bradley - Director of Programs and Resources, Association of Performing Arts Professionals
Zoë Charlton - Artist; Assoc. Professor of Art, American University; co-founder ‘sindikit
Jean Cook - Board Member, Association of Performing Arts Professionals
Boo Froebel - Independent producer, curator, creative consultant; General Manager, Tamizdat
Russell Hall - Bassist, composer, bandleader
Karen Kennedy - Owner, President, 24 Seven Artist Development
Jarrett Key - Artist
Michela Marino Lerman - Musician, composer
Anisa McGowan - Writer, Art Worker
Brice Rosenbloom - Founder/producer of NYC Winter Jazzfest, co-founder of Jazz Coalition, owner/producer of BOOM Collective
Niama Safia Sandy - Independent Curator, Producer, Multidisciplinary Artist and Educator
Michelle Taylor - Founder/Managing Director, Passion Music Group
get IN TOUCH:
Shoot us an email at wearetheblacksmiths@gmail.com