“September 11, 2001, was a specific inflection point that challenged everything I had known before and for myself. It was catalytic in shifting how I thought about the impact of artists and the utility of artistic labor.” - Ashara Ekundayo

Artists gave us mental escapes during quarantine last year. If you got lost in a book, binged a series or watched films to not think about COVID, you know what I mean. And artists helped us try to make sense of the civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd.

Ashara Ekundayo's organization and platform Artist As First Responder recognizes and supports BIPOC artists who use their work to heal communities and save lives.

In this interview, Ashara talks about how she provides Black artists the resources to do this work through the Black [Space] Residency.

BLATANT is a forum and live zine series authored and facilitated by Independent curator and cultural strategist Ashara Ekundayo that centers the lived experiences and radical imagination of Black womxn artists and cultural workers creating across discipline and geography. Presented in conjunction with her “Artist As First Responder” platform, this monthly discussion highlights artists whose creative practices heal communities and save lives. Follow Us on IG @blublakwomyn @artistasfirstresponder @moadsf

This month Ashara Ekundayo will be in conversation with April Bey and Niama Safia Sandy.