![]() The consumption of Black culture and dismissal of Black issues rears its ugly head in many forms, most often in the performative allyship of powerful institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, which landed in hot water last year and canceled an exhibition featuring works-including pieces by Black photographers-purchased through fundraising sales and without asking artists’ permission. The seismic shift in recent years in the ways Black art is discussed, displayed, bought, and sold means protecting and preserving the work is critical. While Black artists are in positions to build sustainable careers more than ever before, pressing questions linger: How different is the consumption of Black visual art today from the exploitation of Black creativity during the Motown era, the appropriation of Black cultural forms such as dances, hairstyles, and handshakes, or the sale of Black bodies on auction blocks? And what of the slaves and formerly enslaved who created artwork in bondage? How can a society that’s kept Black Americans in a perpetual cycle of poverty and violence over centuries, in a system of power dominated by white men who’ve intentionally erased the contributions of Black ingenuity from the pages of history, right its wrongs? The celebrated photographer Ming Smith recently told me: “In my day being an artist was like holding hands with poverty.” This is changing for many Black artists, but for others in the industry it may remain true. As the market and collectors’ tastes continue to diversify, who will provide opportunities to preserve Black art in the hands of Black collectors who seek to build a legacy of excellence through culture? Black art advisors are poised to play a singular role in this process, with the power to break down neo-colonialist practices that continue to run rampant in the art world. This limits Black art professionals’ ability to control the narrative around the value and mastery of Black art and culture while building equity and wealth in the process. ![]() From galleries and art fairs to residency programs, private museums, and media outlets, so few are owned or operated by members of Black and African diasporic communities. A lack of Black individuals in leadership and ownership roles perpetuates the problem. As Black artists gain greater recognition, their successes underline how underrepresented Black Americans are in almost all other sectors of the art world.
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