Black Artists + Designers Guild to Open Applications for Creative Visionary Grant
Having recently honored leading creatives at its first BADG of Honor awards event, the Black Artists + Designers Guild is preparing to start the application process for its Creative Visionary Grant program.
Geared for advanced Black professionals in art, architecture, design and material culture whose work is both decolonizing their respective fields and also affirming Black diasporic culture, the grant will be awarded to three winners. Each will receive $10,000 for research, production or other project necessities. One will be earmarked for a BADG Maker. The organization will greenlight its submission portal Tuesday and the recipients will be revealed in the spring.
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To be eligible applicants must identify as a member of the global Black diaspora and be a BADG member with at least two consecutive years of active membership and more than 10 years of professional experience in art, architecture, design and/or material culture. In addition, being based in the U.S. or having a U.S. bank account is required. Full-time students cannot apply.
Founded in 2018 by Malene Benett, BADG is a mission-driven organization that is committed to establishing a more equitable and inclusive creative culture by advancing Black artists and designers. The BADG Lab, for example, provides space and support for artists and designers to express their artistry freely. At its recent BADG of Honor fundraiser in Manhattan, the organization revealed what is its second grant, according to a spokesperson.
Five standout talents were saluted at the Interior Design Magazine-sponsored event. ArtLeadHER’s founder Mashonda Tifrere received the Collective Circle Award. The Ontario College of Art & Design’s dean of design Dori Tunstall picked up the Education Award, while Hood Design Studio’s founder and creative director Walter Hood took home the Founder Award. The Pérez Art Museum Miami’s director Franklin Sirmans was given the Legacy Award and industrial and furniture designer Jomo Tariku received the BADG Maker Award. The recipients were celebrated for honoring their ancestral legacies in art and design, taking ownership of their narrative and creating spaces to celebrate Black creativity and culture.
Kesha Franklin, a BADG Maker, oversaw the festivities as emcee. Annie Block, Asad Syrkett, Brad Ford, Isoul Hussein Harris, Ivy Jones, Jamie Drake, Mikel Welch and Nate Lewis were in the crowd. Attendees were among the first to see how four BADG Makers — Tiffanni Reidy, Lana Abraham-Murawski, Johanna Howard and Holly McWhorter — each reimagined a Kravet furniture chair. Their designs are part of BADG’s Black Joy auction that is live online at Charitybuzz through Nov. 10.
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