A Marvelous Black Boy Art Show
What is it:
The Marvelous Black Boy Art Show is a national traveling exhibition tour that showcases the work of Black male visual artists and artisans. The show celebrates Black men's creativity, ingenuity, and brilliance, displaying their artwork in various forms of media. The exhibit has previously featured artwork from 50 Black male artists, a large-scale custom-built interactive art installation, the presentation of a Community Impact Award, and a live band. The exhibit has been held in various cities across the United States, including Charlotte, New Orleans, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
Here are a few words from the founder on how the show got started and what to expect at each event
Why it’s important to me
The black boy art show is important to me because it is a radical narrative shift to the black male identity in American Society. When someone says “black man” and the word “artist” in the same sentence most people default to one image….a musician (or to be more specific a rapper). From personal experience, I know how important music is for my creative development and when no one is looking I too feel as if I can ‘drop a few verses’ in a free style. BUT the contributions that black men have given to the arts are far more expansive than one genre can allow. The black boy art show has created a space for black men to come together and to offer a full range of expression. The mediums represented, the individual styles, and the context of each artist help to provide a more comprehensive view of who we are and how we interpret the world around us. Black men are strong, black men have style, and black men are intelligent. I think these are just a few truths that are self evident, but once people walk away from this exhibit, they understand in a visceral way that black men are emotional, black men are expressive and reflective, black men are hopeful, and black men are magic that deserve to be protected.
What I’m excited for
As a black male artist, I’m excited to participate in the Black Boy Art Show because it is a national exhibit that celebrates and supports black male artists using varying forms of media. The goal of the exhibit is to showcase the work of all black male artists and to celebrate their diversity and power in unity. Additionally, the exhibit provides an opportunity to connect with other black male artists and to potentially sell your artwork, regardless of whether you are just starting out or have been selling art for 20 years.
HERE IS SOME OF THE ARTWORK I’LL LHAVE AT THE SHOW:
Where is it and how long has it been going
A Black Boy Art Show was founded in 2017, after the creation and positive feedback from the Spectacular Black Girl Art Show. Since then the team has worked diligently to bring this movement to an increasing number of cities around the US (and if we are lucky around the world). Here are a few of the cities that they will be showing up in over the next few months.