BIPOC Gallery Day
BIPOC Gallery Day provides a platform for the BIPOC community to come together, fostering new connections and relationships among artists, art enthusiasts, and supporters. This sense of community is essential for mutual support, collaboration, and the growth of a diverse artistic community.
During this time, our gallery and Maker Space will be operating as normal, but will be reserved for BIPOC community members, who are invited to come out, have a cup of tea or coffee, view our current exhibition, and learn about the Maker Space.
We hope to support the work and creative practices of artist in Peterborough and in doing that we recognize that BIPOC artists face a unique set of barriers to accessing the arts.
In the creation of BIPOC Gallery Day our team imagined it as a meaningful step towards creating a more inclusive, representative, and equitable art community that reflects the diversity of our society. It is important for several reasons:
1. Representation and Visibility: By dedicating a day to open exclusively to BIPOC community members, the gallery is actively promoting representation and visibility within the art community. This helps address historical underrepresentation and ensures that diverse voices are heard and celebrated.
2. Inclusivity and Diversity: The event fosters a sense of inclusivity and diversity within the art world, creating a space where individuals from different backgrounds feel welcome. It contributes to breaking down barriers and challenging traditional norms, promoting a more open and accepting cultural environment.
3. Community Building: BIPOC Gallery Day provides a platform for the BIPOC community to come together, fostering connections and relationships among artists, art enthusiasts, and supporters. This sense of community is essential for mutual support, collaboration, and the growth of a diverse artistic community.
4. Empowerment and Recognition: Opening the gallery to BIPOC folks in this dedicated manner empowers them and acknowledges their contributions to the art world. It sends a positive message that their voices matter, their stories are valued, and their presence is appreciated.
5. Challenge to Systemic Inequities: Such events contribute to challenging systemic inequities within the art industry. By deliberately creating opportunities for BIPOC art enthusiasts, galleries play a role in pushing against historical biases and promoting a more equitable art ecosystem. The aim is to redress historical imbalances and work towards a more inclusive and equitable future.
Lastly, we want our community members to know that we are open to feedback in order for us to better serve the needs of the BIPOC artist community in Nogojinawong!
Like many artist-run centres, Artspace has been complicit in reproducing/upholding systems of oppression and exclusion though the centering of white voices, art, perspectives, staffing, and knowledge within our 50 year history. The work of past directors/staff members has been key in redressing this imbalance, but, this organization still has a long way to go if we want to be in collaboration and see that reflected in our membership, patrons, staff, etc.
We hope that BIPOC Gallery Day will happen once in every exhibition!
