BLACK GIRLS WHO PAINT

2020: A REFLECTION OF RESILIENCY

2020 was a very impactful year for us all. We were thrown curve balls from all angles with the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuous social injustice on the Black community, not just limited to the arts. So we're kicking off 2021 with a celebration of resiliency in our main accomplishments as not only a community of Black women artists (painters), but also as a small business and arts organization. Our timeline is as follows:

BLACK GIRLS WHO PAINT Relaunch (February)

We began the year with a total rebrand and relaunch of BLACK GIRLS WHO PAINT, including our website, membership, directory, and new additions. We wanted to focus more on cataloguing and curating our community while providing more outreach and opportunities, as opposed to solely social media exposure. Specifically, our goals included:

Emphasis on safe spaces (representation and security) Importance on art resources (accessibility and application) Inclusion in the art market as a whole (normalizing Black women artists)

We wanted to align more with our vision, "when people see themselves, they believe in themselves and empower others to do the same." We had no idea that 2020 would simultaneously position our platform to share the art and stories of Black women artists to a higher degree and create and influence change in long-term efforts of change in the global art community as a whole!

Cupcakes & Convos: BGWP Washington, DC Meet Up (February)

We had our 4th BGWP DC Meet Up called Cupcakes & Convos at Coffy Cafe on February 22nd! We enjoyed great company, cupcakes, food, and drinks at our Meet and Greet Mixer while discussing topic planned for BGWP in the Washington, DC area, community-engagement projects, artist and business tips, beautification initiatives during the Spring and Summer, and exhibition proposals. We had a wonderful time meeting everyone, exchanging gems to take home, and inspiring each other's art practices! We also incorporated feedback from this event for our first exhibition in Washington DC that was ultimately rescheduled due to COVID-19. We can't wait to see this come to fruition!

Mahyue Magazine Launch (March)

We celebrated the first few days of Spring with the launch of Mahyue Magazine on March 24th! Mahyue Magazine is our quarterly magazine that highlights Mahyue Studios and BGWP Initiatives including member accomplishments,

Rochelle Clark, Rochelle Creative

BLACK GIRLS WHO PAINT Apparel

Korina Isler, Gabrialle Hunt, Sasha-Loriene, Briah Xavier, Teneisha Brown, Renalda PetitBois, and Shelly Solomon at the Cupcakes & Convos Meet Up

Traveling Grace by Erica Puckett

Ritual by Korina Isler

King of Pride by Simone Agoussoye community-engagement events, artist interviews, directory and more. Each subsequent issue has transformed into much more than just artist outreach and exposure, especially while adjusting to our new normal of social distancing. We've since grown to include more transformative storytelling of almost 30 Black women artists and programming while continuing to make connections with other like-minded artists, art organizations, and enthusiasts.

BGWP Awards Fund Launch (May)

We introduced the BGWP Awards Fund, our community initiative that supports actual Black girls, teens, and young adults in their art endeavors - The Girls Awards (monthly e-gift cards to an art store for supplies are rewarded to girls between the ages of 6-18) and the Student Awards (academic scholarship for Spring and Fall Semesters are rewarded students between the ages of 17-21 currently enrolled, at least part-time, in a visual arts program)! Our BGWP Members and Supporters helped us achieve the following new heights in 2020:

Increasing the value of e-gift cards for each Girls Award from $50 to $75 (June) to $100 each for art supplies starting January 2021 Increasing the number of Girls Awards given from 1 to 2 Black girls/teen painters each month (June) Increasing the number of Student Awards given from 1 to 2 Black students/ young adults each semester (June)

In 2020, we were able to grant 17 Girls Awards and 2 Student Awards to Black girl painters across the globe. The BGWP Awards Fund Recipients are as follows:

Girls Awards: Oniya Williams, Chassity Davis, Athena Clark, Kimberly Greenhill, Ruth Hardy, Symone Terrell Newman, Loren Scott, Riley Morris, Kaylah Turner, Isabelle Loobie, Alayjah Robinson, Autumn Cureton, Erin Lally, Tyterrica Graham, Victoria Simmons, Zoe Gillespie, and Ma’at Qadaffi Student Awards: Danae Antoine and Symphonii Smith-Kennedy

A portion of every BGWP Membership fee and 100% of every donation go towards the BGWP Awards Fund. We're so excited to encourage and support our next generation of Black women artists in the making!

Black Lives Matter & Art Activism (June)

During the George Floyd and Breyonna Taylor protests, many members of our community were active in the Black Lives Matter movement. Along with bringing awareness to police brutality and the blatant social injustice of Black communities, many called out organizations for not supporting the Black community and demanded immediate action. We called out large art product companies who were aggressively increasing their marketing tactics

but were silent when it came to speaking out against social injustice against Black and Brown communities. We encouraged our audience to practice social responsibility when patronizing art stores and organizations, especially the ones that capitalize on political art activism but do not publicly support our community.

We also implored prominent galleries, institutions, and organizations to both acquire artwork from Black women artists and hire more Black women in executive and managerial positions within arts administration. We helped bring accountability to those organizations and were a part of the movement that amplified artists voices, specifically Black women artists. Many of our members and audience received more traction on their artwork and services, as a huge wave to support of Black artists.

Resource List (July)

After many companies remained silent or reluctant to make a statement in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, we decided to gather information about Black woman-owned and Black-owned art companies, galleries, and organizations, in addition to art resources catered for Black women artists. We also included a list of art companies that publicly supported the movement and spoke out against police brutality in our community. We wanted to see more accountability and financial responsibility within the art industry. We encouraged other artists and small businesses to fill in the gaps and support where they could, as well.

Partnerships (July)

We partnered with organizations committed to increasing visibility for BIPOC artists and long-term systemic change for racial justice and diversity. Our goal in working with these organizations was to see more Black women artists with sustainable art practices and essential resources needed to navigate the art community. Some of our long-term partnerships included the following organizations:

Royal Talens North America & Royal Talens Foundation: A company that produces, markets, and commercializes art products to distributors and retailers across North America. Royal Talens focuses on art education and connects with artists in colleges, universities, ComicCon, and art retailer events to create an environment that embraces the creative spirit of the artist and the entrepreneur. Their foundation also supports international projects that stimulate creative expression through drawing and painting. Creativebug: A crafting website of volunteers, activists, and teachers who believe the arts deserve to be shared with everyone, giving a percentage of subscription dollars to non-profits in art education. A Creativebug subscription grants unlimited access to thousands of online art and craft classes where artists can watch anytime and anywhere at their own pace.

Can't breath Amerikkka AjaA

Table by Sheneese Rohelia, Sheneese's Pieces

Keisha Finnie

Brittney S Price

Journal by Robyn Thompson-Duong

Sisterhood by L. Wallace

3 Year Anniversary Campaign (September)

We celebrated our 3 Year anniversary on September 4th with a month-long activation and weekly raffles! We highlighted our artist growth and raffled prizes to BGWP Members based on weekly themes to encourage our community to think outside the box in how we see ourselves in the art world.

Sheneese Rohelia won our 1st week prize of a customized BGWP Black Tee and 2 custom pouch bags for paint utensils. Robyn Thompson-Duong won our 2nd week prize of The Growth Journal by Addie Rawr + Show Your Art by Gita Joshi. Lauren Wallen won our 3rd week prize of watercolor sets from Beam Paints + an ArtSnacks Plus Box from ArtSnack. Korina Isler won our 4th week prize of a 1 year subscription to Creativebug. We loved encouraging our community to journal, read, try new mediums and techniques.

Black Girl Ventures DC Pitch Competition (September)

We participated in the Black Girl Ventures' 2020 Washington, D.C. Pitch Competition on September 10th along with 7 Black and Brown womanidentifying founders! Due to COVID-19 concerns, Black Girl Ventures made the competition into a virtual event. We had the opportunity to film our 3 minute pitch that allowed for increased viewership and Black Girl Ventures supporters across the globe to tune in, submit their votes, and make donations through SheRaise.

Our BLACK GIRLS WHO PAINT pitch won 3rd place, received over 40 votes (donations), and were able to raise over $1,500 to help scale BLACK GIRLS WHO PAINT! This is such an accomplishment, as this was our Founder, SashaLoriene's first pitch competition ever that came at a very crucial time during our 2021 organizational strategic planning! What a fun experience to be a part of! We want to thank all of our amazing supporters near and far, as well as the Black Girl Venture team for making this all possible.

BGWP x Dominique Gallery Open Call For Black Women Artists (October)

We collaborated with Dominique Gallery, a storefront and virtual gallery and arts incubator founded by Dominique Clayton, an African-American arts manager and writer, for special consideration for upcoming fairs, solo and group exhibitions, and special programming in 2021. Our goal was to invest in the growth and representation of Black women in the fine arts space, as museums, galleries, art fairs and other organizations were also assessing gaps in their rosters and staff.

We received over 120 submissions for our open call. 9 talented artists, were selected, 4 of which were BGWP Members Erica Holloway, Laura Di Piazza, Robyn Thompson-Duong, and Ashley Cole. Ruth Owens, Ashley Gardner, Alexis Fudge, Alkebuluan Merriweather, and Laneigh Shirley. How amazing!

BGWP x Realism Live Scholarship (October)

We partnered with Royal Talens & Streamline Publishing to offer a scholarship program for BGWP Members. Michelle Lee and Elizabeth Hudson were selected to attend their virtual convention, Realism Live, from October 21st - 24th! Realism Live featured four days of inspiration from top masters in the field of realist painting and drawing that offered live demonstrations, discussions about art history and theory, and a nightly paint along session from top art instructors. Their goal was to welcome a more diverse and inclusive audience and ensure more emerging artists are exposed to the techniques of the masters.

Scholarship winners were awarded with a free general admission ticket, year long demo playback, and a Royal Talens swagbag ($500 worth of art supplies)! Awesome! We look forward to more opportunities and exposure into new arenas in the future.

BGWP x Dominique Galley Virtual Open House Sponsored by Speedball Art Supplies (December)

We co-hosted a Virtual Open House with Dominique Gallery on December 18th. Dominique Clayton of Dominique Gallery extended her office hours for an information session as a continuation of the BGWP x Dominique Gallery Open Call. Artists gained insight into strengthening their art portfolios, navigating the gallery world, and sustaining their artist practice. Speedball Art Supply sponsored $40 worth of art supplies for 5 attendees in support of Black women artists! BGWP Members Shannon Scates, Melisa Brown, and Erica Holloway along with artists Nandi Jordan and Alexandra O'Neale were selected for their active participation and investment during the Q&A segment in support of Black women artists!

It was also great to hear directly from a Black woman arts administrator and gallery owner directly. Our attendees were engaged and asked insightful questions. What a way to close out 2020 on a positive note with some extra tools in our belt!

If it's one thing we learned in 2020, it's the importance of operating in alignment, focusing on community, and working together towards a common goal. We were able to cultivate opportunities for Black women and girl artists across the globe much more than years prior. For that, we celebrate our community and look forward to breaking more barriers and seeing more Black women artists with sustainable art practices!

Written by Sasha-Loriene

Pure Joy by Michelle Lee

Untitled by Michelle Izquierdo

Dynasty by Melisa Brown