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Currently Reading + On My Radar March 2021 | Middle Grade March [CC]

Prompts: A Book with SILHOUETTE on the cover A Book with a strong FAMILY (or found family) A Book featuring a JOURNEY or ADVENTURE A RETELLING (or book with a fairytale vibe) A Book written (or set) in the DECADE YOU WERE BORN
 

World Book Day Social: Black Girls Book Club founders, Nat and Mel, talk about books

Did you know Reading is Power? This year, World Book Day is talking to YA authors about just why reading is important and how it can help entertain, inspire and heal. In this video, we hear from the brilliant Mel and Nat of Black Girl's Book Club, authors of the forthcoming Grown.
 

Essential Black Authors to Read | The Daily Show

Need a book recommendation? We got you. Here are some essential Black authors we’ve had on the show.

Five 2021 Releases by Black Authors + The Importance of Intentionally Reading Diversely

Just here today with some 2021 releases by Black Authors on my radar and a rant about working intentionally reading diversely and respecting the work of Authors of Color, Blessed Be✨
 

How Black Contemporary Art's Founder Kimberly Drew Amplifies Black Artists | SEEN | NowThis

Kimberly Drew is a curator of experience. An internship at The Studio Museum in Harlem led Kimberly to dive head-first into the art community. It didn’t take long to see the disconnect between Black artists and meaningful opportunities to showcase their art. That's how Kimberly's blog came to be —On Black Contemporary Art, she works alongside several editors to put out as much art by Black artists as possible. The mission is that simple. Art is an industry that is opaque, and intimidating, and exclusionary — this is why it’s important to Kim to make sure that people know that there's so many points of entry. Even in spaces where people of color don’t always feel welcomed. Kimberly explains it's not just about the galleries, it's not just about the museums, or just the studios, but about the proliferation, so that then, people understand that art, and specifically Black art and Black culture, are just a part of everyday life. Apart from being an art curator and writer, Kimberly also works for the inclusion of all identities as a queer, Black woman and self-proclaimed nerd. There is space for everyone; don’t let the norm discourage your goals, dreams, or talents. Learn more about Kimberly’s work within the NYC art community, and beyond, and the hopes she has for Black artists on this episode of NowThis Entertainment’s SEEN. #BlackArtists #Representation #Art #Seen #NowThis Connect with NowThis » Subscribe to NowThis News: http://go.nowth.is/News_Subscribe » Like us on Facebook: http://go.nowth.is/News_Facebook » Tweet us on Twitter: http://go.nowth.is/News_Twitter » Follow us on Instagram: http://go.nowth.is/News_Instagram » Find us on Snapchat Discover: http://go.nowth.is/News_Snapchat Seen is about two of NowThis’ most important pillars: inclusion and representation. 'Seen' shines a spotlight on the game changers in pop culture; the people who are seeing a void in the zeitgeist and carving their own niches. These are the people who wish to see themselves reflected in fashion, beauty, film, and television. These are the people who are using their platforms to make a lasting difference on the landscape of culture — regardless of their status or recognizability. These are the individuals who deserve to be seen. NowThis is your premier news outlet providing you with all the videos you need to stay up to date on all the latest in trending news. From entertainment to politics, to viral videos and breaking news stories, we’re delivering all you need to know straight to your social feeds. We live where you live.
 

Art Exhibitions by Black Women That You Need to See in 2021

Black women are taking over the art scene in 2021. Whether you’re an art lover or a curious observer, here are some must see virtual art exhibitions at museums nationwide.

The Young Black Artists Defining a Generation in Images

The presentation of black figures and black runway and cover models in the media and art has been one marker of increasingly inclusive fashion and art communities. More critically, however, the contemporary visual vocabulary around beauty and the body has been reinfused with new vitality and substance thanks to an increase in powerful images authored by an international community of black photographers. In a richly illustrated essay, Sargent opens up the conversation around the role of the black body in the marketplace; the cross-pollination between art, fashion, and culture in constructing an image; and the institutional barriers that have historically been an impediment to black photographers participating more fully in the fashion (and art) industries. Fifteen artist portfolios feature the brightest contemporary fashion photographers, including Dana Scruggs, Micaiah Carter, Quil Lemons, Arielle Bobb-Willis, and Tyler Mitchell. Alongside a series of conversations between generations, their images and stories chart the history of inclusion, and exclusion, in the creation of the commercial black image, while simultaneously proposing a brilliantly reenvisioned future. Antwaun Sargent is an independent writer, curator, and critic whose work has been published in the New Yorker, New York Times, W, Vogue, VICE, and various museum catalogues, among other publications.

Black Excellist: 10 Trailblazing Black Visual Artists

African American artists have helped shape the visual culture of the United States by working outside of the convention of their respective fields while defying discrimination and professional stereotypes. Often channeling their familial backgrounds and personal experiences in their work, these creative figures have influenced and inspired much of American art's evolution. Collectively, their bodies of work should not only be seen as a narrative of the African American experience of their time, but also a powerful expression of cultural protest. Unfortunately, throughout history—both in the United States and beyond—artists of color have not aptly been recognized for their talents, achievements, and contributions. However, contemporary audiences are becoming increasingly interested in diversity in the arts, prompting museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions to shine an overdue spotlight on the work of African American artists.

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