Crowdfunding art across the african diaspora

Overview

The independent nature of crowdfunding has the potential to be used as a way of circumventing traditional funding structures within the arts, which have historically excluded particular groups. Facing a variety of challenges depending on location and infrastructure, African communities both on the continent and across the diaspora have utilised a number of methods of support, of which crowdfunding is just the latest manifestation.

Case Studies

Starting with a selection of crowdfunding campaigns by arts professionals across the African Diaspora highlighted a number of similarities but also unique approaches.

Andrea Chung

Andrea Chung is a California-based artist who in 2014 won a residency at an arts organisation in Jamaica which required crowdfunding to support its additional costs. The project was in partnership with Dr Alicia Bonaparte, professor of Sociology at Pitzer College, and involved researching historical practices around fertility, maternity and child rearing in the African diaspora within a colonial context through archival sources. Andrea frequently explores colonial history within her work.

The campaign was highly detailed in terms of the breakdown of costs, which imbued it with a sense of professionalism and transparency that is to be expected in more formal funding applications. The project was very much dependant on the receipt of funds, particularly since it covered international transport.

An established and widely exhibited artist, Andrea managed the campaign herself using the platform Indiegogo, which does not require the entire target to be met in order to receive the funds. In fact, she was able to exceed the target by over $1000, which was then used to cover un-anticipated costs. Andrea reflected that in many ways raising money through a crowdfunding campaign was easier than applying for a grant, as a result of not having to compete with 'unknown variables' and being able to 'directly draw on the strength of the project.'

Susan Caldwell

The Three Great Loves of Sean Bravo was the first major project undertaken by mixed-media artist Susan Caldwell. Having previously worked for an arts funding organization in New York City, Susan had a considerable amount of insight into the lengthy process that is undertaken when applying for funding through a traditional route. Crowdfunding was appealing to the artist because it was 'seeking funding from the end consumer.'

Using Indiegogo, Susan managed to raise approximtely fifty percent of her goal, which was not based on an outlined budget for specific costs. She explained:

I considered my amount a form of “help” towards my costs. In other words, I will produce the art anyway, no matter how much I raise, but I will not be able to do it as quickly

Additionally, the artwork itself is an web-based graphic novel, and so the crowdfunding campaign was also utilised to create a buzz around the launch of the series. Indeed, one of the perks that Susan offered to her backers, and which turned out to be the most popular, was the opportunity to be featured in a cameo role in the series.

Cecile Emeke

Cecile Emeke is a film-maker and lens-based artist who has produced a number of films and series, both fictional and documentary, which focus on telling the stories and experiences of young people of African and African-Caribbean origin.

"Funding is a hard thing to come by for all artists, but that challenge is heightened when you are making content that is uncompromisingly by and about black people. We've all heard the age-old, irrational arguments to justify this; if we exclusively tell our stories then our work will no longer appeal to a 'wider audience' and so forth. We live in a world where dragons and goblins are "relatable" and "universal" but human beings with slightly more melanin in their skin are not.

It's a shame. Regardless, we are determined to keep making content and work that unashamedly and unapologetically focuses on the black experience in all it's various nuances. We want to keep making work with holistic intersectionality at the heart of it. There are a huge lack of authentic, good quality narratives starring black actors on our screens. It is no secret that the Film and TV are industries where black actors, writers, producers and directors are simply not given as many opportunities. We are tired of the shallow characters, lazy stereotypes and boring clichés that often come along with black characters. "'' - Cecile Emeke

She has been very direct in her pitch that the work of black artists is underfunded and underrepresented, and this was a key point in her plea. From my anecdotal observations in conversations and on social media, there is a strong desire for wider, non-stereotypical representations of the black experience which is not being offered by mainstream art, culture and media. As a result, Cecile was able to galvanize a significant social media following and unusual for crowdfunding, many of her donations were not from individuals in her immediate network of contacts. In addition, her work has been featured in a number of high profile international press and media organisations including the New York Times and the TriBeCa Film Festival.

While Cecile felt that her expertise as a film-maker did not give her any additional advantage in attracting supporters and funders, in comparison with other less professional campaign videos, it was clear that the high quality of both the campaign and the work itself were an incentive for potential donors to seriously consider her projects. This is particularly significant as this instance of crowdfunding is on an ongoing basis, in the form of direct donations, rather than towards a particular financial goal, temporal deadline or through an 'official' crowdfunding platform. In this case, the way the funding operates can be seen more as a form of patronage as the rewards are not in the form of 'perks' but in the work continuing to be produced.

Charlie Phillips & Photofusion

This project was unusual in that it was a partnership between an artist and an organisation, which brings to light the issue that funding is being reduced not only for art production but also for it's display and dissemination. How Great Thou Art was an exhibition at Photofusion, a photography co-operative and community arts organisation based in Brixton, South London, of a series of photographs by Charlie Phillips, who has spent many decades documenting African-Caribbean funerals in London. The collaboration came as a result of an archival project, and the exhibition itself was produced using Arts Council funding. However, the organisation's decision to publish a catalogue alongside the exhibition meant that there was a gap in the budget. It was proving difficult to obtain traditional funding as the project was considered quite niche, however the organisers felt that having a publication was an important way of solidifying the legacy of the work, and in extending it's reach and lifespan beyond those who were able to attend the gallery during its opening period.

The Importance of the Archive

For African diasporic communities, the act of archiving is not only part of artistic practice, but of negotiating identity and preserving unrecorded heritage. The collective experience of creating an archive has a parallel with the nature of crowdfunding, both acting as what John Akomfrah deemed a space of intervention, within existing structures of power and knowledge production.

Remittance payments

The concept of collective financial support is not a new concept in the African Diaspora. Remittance payments are a way for fragmented communities to maintain trust-based relations across both local and global networks.

Conclusion

Tension between the physical, tangible yet static space of the archive in comparison with the fluid, dynamic of the notion of crowd, community and diaspora.

Problems:

• Lack of sustainability
• Extra work
• With whom does the responsibility lie to fund the arts? Do black artists have to disproportionately rely on private funding?