Alayo Akinkugbe, @ablackhistoryofart
Black British art has been woefully neglected from the curriculum and it doesn’t get better outside the school gates, an annual report from Arts Council England (ACE) shows just 11% of workers in England’s national portfolio organisations, including galleries, theatres, orchestras, dance companies and museums, are from Black and other Minority Ethnic backgrounds. In London this figure is 15%, well short of the capital’s overall workforce figure of more than 40%.
Supporting the Black British Art community is vital right now and always. Art has the power to inspire, heal, and unite. I’ve loved following Alayo’s account @ablackhistoryofart during lockdown, which highlights the overlooked Black artists, sitters, curators and thinkers from Art History and the present day.
From artists like Clementine Hunter in the US to artists in the UK like Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Alayo shares recent and historic works by Black artists around the world and highlights the stories behind the works and histories of the artists themselves alike.
Alayo recently joined Katy Hessel, @thegreatwomenartists, to speak about featured artist from the grid and her part in decolonising Art History at Cambridge University. When asked what drove her to start the Instagram page she said:
“A frustration that I had at not seeing any or many black artist or sitters really looked into in my degree. I could probably count them on one hand and I’ve had loads of messages from ex art history students saying they can’t even think of any black artist that they studied.”
🎧 The Great Women Artist Podcast with Katy Hessel and Alayo Akinkugbe
I recommend having a listen to the whole ep but to hear Alayo, skip ahead to 26:50 :)
If you are a Black British artist or know one who’s looking for funding or support here’s some great organisations supporting creatives in the UK:
Black Artists Grant - £1,500 is given out monthly to Black artists in the UK, with each artist selected receiving £500 each. The BAG is no-strings attached financial support to help the selected artists in whatever they want – be that make new work, buy equipment or materials, travel, research, visit exhibitions or conferences, or to even just cover some life expenses.
Artquest’s WFH Residency is a £1,000 prize aimed at London-based visual artists who have had work or projects cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Creative Scotland is offering a Bridging Bursary of £500-£2,500 for artists and creatives in Scotland “who are experiencing immediate financial difficulty due to the loss of income as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic”.