PIGMENT INTERNATIONAL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PUBLIC NARRATIVE, LAUNCHES “TEMPERATURE CHECK” TO CAPTURE THE VOICES OF CHICAGO’S BLACK VISUAL ARTISTS
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Pigment International, a Black woman-founded and led multimedia platform, has received a grant from Public Narrative to launch Temperature Check: Taking the Pulse of Chicago’s Black Visual Artists in a Shifting America.
Visual artists have always documented the times — reflecting movements, mourning loss, inspiring action, and archiving truth through their work. As America faces political, economic, and cultural shifts, Pigment International is using its platform to listen, gather perspectives, and understand how Chicago’s Black visual artists are navigating this pivotal moment.
Chicago has long been a center of Black art and culture, from the Chicago Renaissance to the Black Arts Movement and AfriCobra. Building on the legacy of artists like Dr. Margaret Burroughs, Charles White, Eldzier Cortor, and Kerry James Marshall, Temperature Check seeks to highlight the challenges and triumphs of today’s Black artists.
It is with this history as a backdrop that Pigment International hosts the upcoming Pigmented Black Fine Art Faire, taking place October 30 — November 2 at Zhou B Art Center in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood.
Pigment International invites Chicago-based Black visual artists to share their voices by completing the Temperature Check survey (link below).
The Temperature Check survey will focus on five key questions designed to explore the experiences of Black visual artists in this moment:
- What challenges are Black visual artists in Chicago facing today?
- How has the nature of your work changed during this time?
- How are you processing changes in government, policy, and funding?
- Has direct funding to your projects via grants or other sources been impacted?
- What continues to give you hope?
The Temperature Check survey results will be shared later this year and on Pigment International’s website.
We invite all Chicago-based Black visual artists and those vested in the Black art ecosystem to make their voices heard by completing the survey.
FIERCE WOMEN IN THE ARTS CONVENE FOR NIGHT OF JAZZ AT CHICAGO’S MCA
On Tuesday, July 15, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago hosted The Fierce Women in the Arts gathering, a dynamic evening celebrating female leaders shaping the city’s cultural landscape. The event brought together movers and shakers from across the Chicago arts community, highlighting the power of collaboration and creative vision.
The gathering was hosted by Michelle Boone, President of the Poetry Foundation, and Angelique Power, President & CEO of the Skillman Foundation, both trailblazers in advancing equity and access in the arts. The evening also featured a soulful performance by Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist Shawnee Dez, whose work blends music, visual art, and storytelling to create transformative experiences.
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