The Arts Alliance of Africa + the Diaspora (AAAD) was born out of a growing need to expand the narrative of Africa + its diaspora and to create a central resource (historical, social, professional, economic, and educational) that ensures the lasting legacy of our cultural institutions, the preservation of our work and our art, while directly benefiting Black communities around the world.
To learn more about our vision for a more equitable world for Black creators:
EVENT SCHEDULE
Here’s a series of our upcoming events, made possible thanks to a generous gift form The Open Society Foundation.
September 14
9:30AM EST / ZOOM
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Karen Carter, Black Artists’ Network and Dialogue (BAND)
Meet AAAD Founding Member Karen Carter (@kcintoronto) as she shares some principles that you can apply to both short and long-term planning to create financial models for your work.
✨ About Karen Carter ✨
Karen Carter is co-founder of Black Artists’ Network and Dialogue (BAND @blackartndialog) an organization dedicated to the promotion of Black arts and culture in Canada and abroad. Karen’s most recent projects include CArt, a Caribbean art gathering connecting artists from the region to the international art world, and the BIPOC fellowship to help support the development of a more diverse cultural landscape in Canada.
May
11
9:30AM EST / ZOOM
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Melissa Howell, Diascope
Meet AAAD Founding Member Melissa Howell as she shares key learnings from The Diascope, (@thediascope_ ), an experiential learning project that examines the alchemical design and practice of the African Diaspora.
✨ About Melissa Howell ✨
Melissa has 22 years of experience as a systems strategist working with a robust network of seers, thinkers and doers across 40 countries in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas. Through emergent, participatory and human-centered program designs and direct engagement, she has supported 400+ institutions, brands and their leaders in forecasting paradigm shifts, building impact solutions and organizing transformative collaborations across local communities. She is also the founder of the edTech platform GRPTHNK and Social Impact Design Studios.
FOUNDING ORGANIZATIONS
32° East | Ugandan Arts Trust (Uganda)
AfricaNXT (Nigeria + South Africa)
Black Artists Networks in Dialogue (Canada)
Black Cultural Archives (United Kingdom)
Fondation Dapper (France)
Fondation MAM. /. Galerie MAM (Cameroon)
Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (US)
Mwasi / Oiapoque (France + Brasil)
New Local Space (Jamaica)
Nubuke Foundation (Ghana)
Sakhile&Me (Germany)
Social Impact Design Studios (Barbados + Kenya + US)
WaWaWa Diaspora Centre (Benin + Haiti + Togo + US)
WaxPrint Media (Ghana)
STEERING COMMITTEE
AfricaNXT
Black Artists Networks in Dialogue
Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art
Sakhile&Me
Social Impact Design Studios
WaWaWa Diaspora Centre