From the Newsstands: This story appeared in The Eagle's December 2024 print edition. You can find the digital version here.
With a mural depicting three Black women at the center of nature, surrounded by quotes about the beauty and empowerment of blackness, the Black Arts Collective left its mark in the ever-
bustling Bridge Cafe.
Gifty Boanoh, who graduated from the School of Public Affairs in 2023, founded The Black Arts Collective at American University to create a community for members of the African diaspora at a predominately white institution. The Collective celebrates all forms of art, from songwriting to upcycling clothing.
The Collective is now led by president Isysis Shaw, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Teo Nouvé, the vice president and a senior in SPA.
Shaw said one thing the Collective aims to do is showcase Black women at the center of art.
“Especially because a lot of things are westernized and hyper-focuses on whiteness in many ways,” Shaw said. “I feel like art is a way to break out of those boundaries.”
Nouvé said the club provides a much-needed creative space since there is “a severe lack of space for Black artists at AU, and there’s a demand to create that space.”
Nouvé added that the absence of these spaces can be a great source of stress, and the organization is one solution to opening the door for Black students.
“For artists, a lot of what it means to be creative is to explore your mental health and be able to deal with some of those issues,” Nouvé said. “Some of the problems that come with both being an artist and being Black at AU is isolation, additional stress, feelings of not really belonging. So by having that communal space, I think it can alleviate a lot of those additional stressors.”
The Black Arts Collective, and Shaw herself, want to uplift their members’ mental health with events that are a “soothing spot” for students. This semester, the Collective held a sip and paint event, where members could partner up and paint freely with snacks and drinks.
“It allows me to kind of work through things that I’m going through and be able to express myself in a different way, and have an outlet for myself,” Shaw said.
K.C. Lynch, a junior in SPA and CAS and the Collective’s event coordinator, said they come together with a unique understanding each other’s art.
“I know my club members are going to understand my work more than maybe other people would. It just allows us to be more honest with the work we make and more comfortable when we make it,” Lynch said.
The Collective has become a space for Black students to comfortably express themselves. Whether it be through music, fashion or painting, the Collective is first and foremost a community.
“For the Black students on campus, your voice is important, and that being able to have a space where you can try new things in a safe space where you feel like you won’t be judged is the most important thing,” Shaw said.
This article was edited by Maria Tedesco, Marina Zaczkiewicz and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Emma Brown, Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Ariana Kavoossi, Ella Rousseau, Nicole Kariuki and Charlie Mennuti.
