Queer | Art, an organization that strives to uplift LGBTQ+ artists, has announced a $10,000 annual grant for Black trans women and trans femmes who are visual artists. The award, the Illuminations Grant for Black Trans Women Visual Artists, aims to highlight the work of this underrepresented group.

"This new annual $10,000 grant, awarded to draw attention to an existing body of work, sheds light on the under-recognized contributions of Black trans women visual artists and provides critical support to their continuing work," Queer | Art stated.

The organization partnered with Aaryn Lang, an advocate for Black transgender women, and artist Serena Jara as well as photographer Mariette Pathy Allen to make the grant possible.

“The Illuminations Grant not only highlights the lacking representation of Black trans women in the visual arts but also seeks to confront the systemic barriers that deny them artistic opportunities and a sustainable craft,” Lang said in a statement. “By supporting this grant, Mariette Pathy Allen challenges herself and the art industry to see Black trans women as more than mere subjects, while forging a new pathway for visual artists within this community to thrive.”

The winning artist will also receive a studio visit from various judges who will provide professional development guidance to help them move forward with their creativity. The judges for this year's contest include Thelma Golden, Juliana Huxtable, Texas Isaiah and Kiyan Williams.

Queer | Art staff will also provide consultations and other resources for the recipient.

The applications for the grant are open until Aug. 30. The award winner will be announced in November.

Queer | Art, which also provides grants for filmmakers and photographers, normally names its grants after a legacy figure. The organization defines a legacy figure as "an elder artist who has made significant contributions to their field, or a person who is deceased and merits further recognition in the present."

The latest grant, however, isn't named after a legacy figure. Despite reaching out to historians of trans and queer culture for help in identifying legacy artists, Queer | Art wasn't able to find a name to associate with the grant.

"While there were a number of important Black trans women performing artists and activists whose names came up, our research turned up a distressing lack of documentation of Black trans women visual artists in history, an absence that indicates the systemic exclusion of Black trans women from the art historical canon," Queer | Art stated.

The organization ultimately decided to name the award the Illuminations Grant, with the goal of shining "much-needed light on the work of Black trans women visual artists at large."

According to PBS, the Ohio group Black Queer & Intersectional Collective has created a DIY publication titled OBSIDIAN, which brings together written works and visual art by Black queer people.

Dkéama Alexis, one of the collective's founders, said obsidian is the name of a “very protective stone.”

"We chose these black stones to emphasize the preciousness of Blackness, as well as bringing an additional element of our people needing healing and protection,” Alexis said.

More information about the Illuminations Grant can be found here.

Queer|Art

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