Workshops led by artists of today – Emonee LaRussa, Blue the Great and Sophia Victor – will be part of the experience. These will focus on criticism and discussion around original artwork, live painting with space for the public to ask questions and, to bring more modern vibes, social media and art difficult to publish and share the work as an artist. All of this will take place in a space where attendees are surrounded by artifacts from the original Little Paris band and selected pieces by Loïs Mailou Jones for added inspiration and creative warmth.
Uniting to flourish is a great key to success. Being in a community – especially the Black queer community, for me – is not just about uplifting each other, but also about influencing, teaching, connecting and, therefore, building our own new age living rooms where creativity grows and n is not forgotten.
The fact that this event is taking place in a black-owned art gallery is no coincidence. Initiatives like this could be a driving force in making art more accessible to our own community, as they let people know they are welcome in a world that so often wants to exclude us. “Why not come directly to us? Why not keep it in our community? I would have liked to know more about Loïs Mailou Jones [when I was] in Kansas, having grown up in Quindaro and one of the poorest black communities,” says Monáe. “I wish I had access, and could go to art galleries and see the works of people like her, and that any version of the Little Paris Group existed when I was home, but that was not not the case. So who knows who will show up as we make noise about this collaboration.
As Black Futures authors Jenna Wortham and Kimberly Drew or the Somewhere Good community, this event pushes access control into the art world. “I see artists as storytellers. Musicians, writers, fashion designers, visuals artists— we are all storytellers, and we need as many stories as possible to keep us connected, to keep us vulnerable, and to keep talking,” says Monáe.
