“THERE IS A MASSIVE SHIFT WHICH IS AMAZING, BUT IT’S TAKEN THEM 50 YEARS TO WAKE UP.”; “THEY’RE GETTING FUNDING TO DIVERSIFY, WHY AREN’T WE GETTING FUNDING TO SET UP OUR OWN SPACES?”; “WE SUPPORT THE SHIFT. BUT IT’S ALSO ABOUT OUR AGENCY, OWNERSHIP, GOING BEYOND INSTITUTIONS.”; “DON’T LET OTHER PEOPLE USE YOUR CULTURE - WE SHARE OUR POTENTIAL VERY CHEAPLY; MUSIC OF BLACK ORIGIN, DANCE, CREATIVITY - AND YET THE BIG ORGANISATIONS HAVE NO BLACK STAFF AT SENIOR LEVEL.”; “JUNIOR LEVEL OR TIME-LIMITED POSITIONS WON’T DO. HIRING BLACK TO POST IMAGES ONLINE IS NOT THE SAME AS HANDING OVER CONTROL - CHECK OUT THE CONTRACTS, IT’S ALWAYS TEMPORARY.”
Black Art is inherently political. We are aware of the political and social dimension of our work and ourselves. We are politically and socially aware, and understand our role as agents for change in our communities and beyond. We see this as our burden, but also our potential. It is our ambition to re-imagine a truly equal Wales. This is not work that can be done just at the high tables of organisations and institutions that have
historically left us feeling marginalised and excluded. Yes, we want to collaborate, speak truth to power and help make change happen across the Welsh cultural scene. But we also want to create our own tables. There is a dependency in being continuously forced to work within white institutions and processes, and freedom in holding our own space.
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