Dear 456 Followers,
Like many of you, I’m in a period of deep reflection and (irrational? improbable?) optimism as we move into 2021. It has been a doozy, to say the least. Racial capitalism is really doing a number on us all.
I’m working on series of different projects about creativity, commodities, and how artists are used and abused within various economies. Within these projects, I find myself constantly coming back around to questions of accountability and the potential for transformative change in my life and communities. What does it mean for me, as an artist living through late (hopefully) capitalism, to be accountable to movements and people that I care deeply about? What does it mean for me to be accountable to my own self as a living, breathing, human person with material needs? How do those questions impact how I engage with cultural institutions, consumer driven economies, and the fact that my landlady does not accept robust Marxist analysis as payment for my rent?
I’ll share news and updates on these projects via email, as well as my newly reconstituted blog, Yours Truly, Naima.
Tonight I’ll be part of live stream hosted by OK#1 I’m going to be discussing the (lack of) accountability by the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, the program that I opted to leave several months before the end of my contract due to ongoing abuses by the program’s Executive Director. This decision to leave came with considerable financial strain, but it also opened me to the idea that I could be more accountable to myself by refusing to accept poor treatment in exchange for a paycheck. More and more artists are speaking out about predatory and unaccountable art institutions that rely on artists remaining precarious and dependent. I’m hoping that this talk can build on those conversations while offering some insight the specific concerns raised at Tulsa Artist Fellowship.
Thanks for reading and for your ongoing interest in my work.
Yours Truly,
Naima
Info on the Talk:
The Trouble That’s Brewing At The Tulsa Artist Fellowship
Join us Thursday, January 7th at 7pm CST for a conversation with Heyd Fontenot, Naima Lowe, and Lucas Wrench (OK #1's proprietor), discussing our experiences in the Tulsa Artist Fellowship that led us to speak on the record for Catherine Wagley's recent article "Trouble is Brewing at the Tulsa Artist Fellowship." We'll discuss past efforts to push for change and accountability within the fellowship, our motivations for speaking out publicly, and what we hope will happen as a result.
Streaming at okno.one and
