Help Fund Black Owned Art Supply Store for NOLA
Donation protected
First of all, THANK YOU for considering a donation to help me start this black owned art supply store for Mardi Gras Indians and other creative artists. In the city of New Orleans.
I am Spyboy Rico Brown, an Alum of New Orleans Center For Creative Art. I’m one of the youngest black masking Indians of New Orleans. I have spent the majority of my life and energy trying to keep the tradition alive. The personal passion and knowledge I’ve gained from practicing this culture has allowed me to take my art to the next level. My hopes for the future are to open my own art supply store to provide more accessible prices on a number of materials for Mardi Gras Indians visual artists, textile workers, and graffiti artists in my neighborhood.
Launching this storefront in the Bywater-Lower Ninth Ward area will not only become an important pillar of historically Black neighborhoods but instate a new Black-owned business in its community. The rise in gentrification in the city has also impacted Black artists’ ability to access materials. In a city so focused on festivity, homemade costumes are not just a staple of the Mardi Gras Indians, but all locals. There’s a year-round market for craft stores that is mostly controlled by larger stores like Michaels, JoAnn Fabrics, and Hobby Lobby, all located far from downtown New Orleans. We know that the number of masking Indians is dwindling and the lack of resources for them is a big part of that. The store, while focusing on the components needed to craft a Mardi Gras Indian suit, will be able to provide more accessible prices on a number of materials for visual artists, textile workers, and graffiti artists. Essentially a for-us-by-us establishment centering the culture of its neighborhood. Donations would go toward securing a rental property, initial store supplies, website design, and additional resources. Anything helps!
history and culture
The 300 year history of the Mardi Gras Indians has been passed down through oral tradition. The culture itself dates back to the 1700’s when Native Americans were said to have helped many enslaved Africans find refuge within their community. In 1857, the first Mardi Gras celebration was held. Stripped of much of their heritage and barred from congregating in public, African Americans learned to participate in the festivities in their own ways. Some decided to pay homage to the Native Americans that gave them refuge by blending their own culture with suiting up in different styles of feathers, beads, and textiles popular to the Native groups of the area. They performed traditional songs and dances, creating their own traditions that are now passed from generation to generation. Each hand sewn suit takes a year to complete and can weigh around 150 pounds due to thousands of sequins, beads, rhinestones, and ostrich plumes
Organizer
Rico B
Organizer
New Orleans, LA