CEREMONIES: A Black-Queer Artist Showcase

HELLO FAMILY, my name is Timothy DuWhite aka Ungrateful Black Artist, and I am humbly coming to you with a dream:

"CEREMONIES is a monthly artist showcase highlighting NYC's most talented Black queer artists of all genders. Inspired by the impactful work of Essex Hemphill, CEREMONIES carries his tradition by leaning into the brilliance that is Black queer imagination and creation. Each month will spotlight four artists of diverse disciplines (i.e. poets, singers, rappers, musicians, essayists, dancers, etc.), who will have the opportunity to share their gifts to an audience of their community. CEREMONIES is a rearticulation of the Harlem Renaissance, where Black queer folks will have the space to revel in their boundlessness in real time."

I decided to create this show because as a Black-queer working artist of over 10 years, I have experienced firsthand how our radiance tends to be mishandled in this city. Too many times have gatekeepers, who do not share my identity, gotten the opportunity to make  final decisions on the space our talent deserves. CEREMONIES is part acknowledgement that queer "BIPOC" efforts are not enough, and part celebration of what it means to be sickeningly Black & queer in an anti-Black world that continues to gag.

WHY DOES CEREMONIES NEED THIS MONEY? 

First and foremost, I need my artists to be paid! & not just the price of a single meal. This is my absolute top priority. Secondly, I need the experience of CEREMONIES to be one in which every audience member feels held in. My goal is for everyone in attendance to feel that each and every detail of the event was specifically crafted to further their comfort and ease. To make this goal possible there are things I must put in place, which will require money. 

I have been trusted by the visionary Shaun Neblett of Brooklyn's own Bed-Stuy Art House to see this dream into fruition. Bed-Stuy Art House is a performance & event venue dedicated to shining a light on Black art, and community building. There is no venue I will feel more comfortable inviting you and this movement that is CEREMONIES into. Though the folks at the Art House have been extremely supportive (even creating a center stage for this event), there are still things I must bring to the table—which is why I am asking for this initial help. 

Payments from month to month:

4 featured artists
2 spotlight artists
Rental
DJ
2 staff positions (Whom will be hired to work each showcase night. Assisting in a smooth run of show)
(As well as miscellaneous items to enhance the space/audience experience)

FURTHER VISION!

Along with being a Black-queer artistic home, I am interested in CEREMONIES being a space where we as a community can openly discuss the impact, necessity and liberatory potential of Black queer art in our day-to-day lives. As the epicenter of culture, historic haven for those on the fringes, and home to such artistic and cultural revolutions (whose impacts are still being felt around the globe) such as the Harlem Renaissance and Stonewall Riots, New York is the prime location for this discourse. CEREMONIES taps into a deep legacy of Black and queer folks continuously creating a new spirit of self-determination and pride, with the same aim of building a new social consciousness. Following the racial justice uprisings of 2020, questions around race-relations and art have reached a fever pitch. Whether it be the alarming uptick in banned books like “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by my dear friend George Johnson, or the incessant attacks on the artistry of lil Nas X—there currently exists a connection between the current vitriol Black folks face, and this era of Black queer abundance. Now is the time for NYC to speak, to take the blueprint offered from the 1950’s & 60’s, and carry us all to a newer, freer destination.

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The plan is to have CEREMONIES run from June until November. Though 4k isn't enough to ensure that goal will be met, it is enough to get the ball rolling and prove that this space is worthy of being kept alive.  I know there are a million and one things you can be offering your money to in this current world of inflation. I do NOT take this request lightly. I know I am asking you to offer your faith (in the form of dollars) to something you can not see. The only assurance I can give you, is that returning to community is always power. It is the only consistent truth I know in this world that continues to disappoint me. I am humbly asking you to trust me to bring our community together in a container that will best position us to heal each other. 

I refuse to let us down. I put that on everything. 


WHERE?

June, 30th 2020
@ 8 PM
Bed-Stuy Art House - 198A Lewis Avenue

Logo: @shaqhester
Flier: @lifeof.don