The Remix Project

Honouring Creativity and Community: The Voices of Black Artists

“I hope that my art creates possibility in the minds of black creators for what they can do and how they can leverage technology in their creative practices. This is why I teach 3D modelling and 3D printing at The Remix Project— to allow racialized youth, the chance to fall in love with and learn and use the tools that are not marketed towards them. Technology can be a new frontier for art, in ways that don’t require AI, but put creators at the forefront of creation, allowing black symbols and art and iconography to be immortalized in the digital age.”

“As a Black creator, I often find myself pigeonholed into specific corners of the art world. Rather than offering Black artists a seat at the main table, the professional arts sector tends to relegate us to the kids’ table. However, my time as an emerging artist has confirmed what everybody already knows: the kids’ table is way more fun anyway.”

“My identify as a Black nonbinary artist is where I draw my inspiration from, as it’s something I’ve been very aware of since childhood. I think a lot about how others perceive me in terms of feminity, approachability, success, and more, along with how Canadian and American history has shaped such perceptions. For my own sake of experiencing joy and self-love, I also create work that celebrates all the uniqueness of Black and Queer individuals or media, as a way to normalize non-restrictive images of Blackness. I love using oil paint as a nod to masters of paint and their mastery, and using this medium to illustrate stories centering my identity feels like I’m adding Blackness to the art canon.”

“Not feeling like right fit, seeing open calls for artists and knowing they’re not looking for work like mine – that’s something I’ve felt often. Growing up, I didn’t see enough cheesy love movies centered on Black women. Instead, we were often portrayed as the “strong”, “independent”, “angry”, or “jealous” character (thank you, Tyler Perry…). We were rarely the girl who moves to a new city and falls in love. Seeing these narratives growing up made me want to create space for the ditzy Black girl or the dark fantasy thriller where we’re the main characters who don’t die first. I’m so happy to see a big wave of Black representation in horror media and love stories now, and I just hope to add to it – making it bigger, more accessible, and completely normal.”