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LXCL:liquid blackness fosters engagement in contemporary Black arts by mentoring scholars and creatives. We organize public programs that connect diverse audiences, enhancing appreciation for Black artmaking through innovative events and research.

On Thursday, September 10 at 7 pm, join liquid blackness&rsquo;s research fellow, Dr. Daren Fowler, as they lead a virtual presentation and Q&amp;A on liquid blackness&rsquo;s research portfolio Opticality: Seeing in the Ways of Things (Spring 2026 event). This teach-in invites you into how liquid blackness&nbsp;studies and prepares for our artists and events. It will put the filmmaking practices of cinematographers Jomo Fray, Shabier Kirchner, and Autumn Durald Arkapaw, and production designer Akin McKenzie in conversation with cultural and political theorists such as R.A. Judy, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Julian Henriques, Katherine McKittrick, and Clyde Woods. It will focus on RaMell Ross&rsquo;s Nickel Boys (2024), Steve McQueen&rsquo;s Lovers Rock&nbsp;(2020), Ryan Coogler&rsquo;s Sinners&nbsp;(2025), and Mati Diop&rsquo;s Dahomey&nbsp;(2024). Following the presentation, liquid blackness is excited to have a dialogue about the films and artists we study, our research practices, and ongoing work and projects. If you are interested in joining us for this conversation, please RSVP for the teach-in. <a fr-original-style="" href="https://liquidblackness.com/opticality-portfolio" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">The full research portfolio can be found here</a>. &nbsp;&nbsp; About the Portfolioliquid blackness portfolios are pedagogical tools for each year-long research project and artist event. Portfolios are built out of reading and screening groups where the liquid blackness team and our surrounding community of scholars and artists engage the aesthetic, conceptual, and disciplinary questions and concerns provoked by the artists, films, and theories of each research project. Each portfolio is a rigorous expression of how we are thinking, preparing, and conceptualizing each event. Our hope is for them to be a guide and tool for those who wish to follow our work and practice more deeply.

Studying for Opticality: a liquid blackness teach-in – Virtual Event

LBL&rsquo;s successful history of public programming (in person and virtual, with established and emerging artists and scholars) has attracted wide and diverse audiences who have requested to stay connected and participate remotely to our events. This past year alone we have received twice as many requests as we have in the past. We are fundraising to purchase dedicated equipment in order to live stream our events, offer a high standard quality in video and sound footage, and continue to increase our remote connection with our growing audiences. Purchase of Video and Sound Equipment, Camera Support and Rigging Equipment, Power Cables and Storage, Streaming Hardware, and Protective Transportation Equipment will cost $8,000. Funding goal: $8,000 Any size donation is appreciated. All donations are tax-deductible, do not include any fee, and we&rsquo;ll receive 100% of the donated funds. -- Who we are Liquid Blackness, Limited (LBL, <a fr-original-style="" href="http://www.liquidblackness.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">www.liquidblackness.com</a>) is a public-facing research group that organizes encounters in the contemporary black arts for creatives, scholars and the general public. Its mission is to mentor the next generation of scholars and creatives committed to the power of black artmaking.

LBL’s successful history of public programming (in person and virtual, with established and emerging artists and scholars) has attracted wide and diverse audiences who have requested to stay connected and participate remotely to our events. This past year alone we have received twice as many requests as we have in the past.We are fundraising to purchase dedicated equipment in order to live stream our events, offer a high standard quality in video and sound footage, and continue to increase our remote connection with our growing audiences.Purchase of Video and Sound Equipment, Camera Support and Rigging Equipment, Power Cables and Storage, Streaming Hardware, and Protective Transportation Equipment will cost $8,000.Funding goal: $8,000Any size donation is appreciated. All donations are tax-deductible, do not include any fee, and we’ll receive 100% of the donated funds.--Who we areLiquid Blackness, Limited (LBL, www.liquidblackness.com) is a public-facing research group that organizes encounters in the contemporary black arts for creatives, scholars and the general public. Its mission is to mentor the next generation of scholars and creatives committed to the power of black artmaking.

liquid blackness&nbsp;has received growing interest in internship roles from students. Purpose:&nbsp;To respond to student interest and create additional opportunities to achieve our mission to mentor the next generation of scholars and creatives committed to the power of black artmaking, we are fundraising to compensate interns&rsquo; and mentors&rsquo; work. Proposition/What we need:We are asking for a donation of $6,000 per intern. $5,000 will fund one intern for a semester of work ($25/hour for 10 hours a week for 20 weeks), and $1000 will pay for mentorship efforts.

liquid blackness has received growing interest in internship roles from students.Purpose: To respond to student interest and create additional opportunities to achieve our mission to mentor the next generation of scholars and creatives committed to the power of black artmaking, we are fundraising to compensate interns’ and mentors’ work.Proposition/What we need:We are asking for a donation of $6,000 per intern. $5,000 will fund one intern for a semester of work ($25/hour for 10 hours a week for 20 weeks), and $1000 will pay for mentorship efforts.

Donate to liquid blackness - Internship Fund

liquid blackness&nbsp;wants to expand our arts scholarship and community-building program by establishing an annual retreat for artists to work on their projects in conversation with one another over the course of a week and then share this experience with young creatives and the general public. Purpose:&nbsp;To establish an annual event centering black artmaking practices and collaboration Proposition/What we need:$30,400 will fund four artists in collaboration ($7600 per artist). For each guest, this figure includes a $4000 honorarium, $300 per night for housing (6 nights), $1,000 for their flights, and $800 for meals.

liquid blackness wants to expand our arts scholarship and community-building program by establishing an annual retreat for artists to work on their projects in conversation with one another over the course of a week and then share this experience with young creatives and the general public.Purpose: To establish an annual event centering black artmaking practices and collaborationProposition/What we need:$30,400 will fund four artists in collaboration ($7600 per artist). For each guest, this figure includes a $4000 honorarium, $300 per night for housing (6 nights), $1,000 for their flights, and $800 for meals.

Donate to liquid blackness - Artist Fund

How to explore Panafrican audiovisual history like a DJ? liquid blackness&nbsp;has designed a digital tool called &ldquo;Music Video as Black Art: The Remix&rdquo; which invites users to &ldquo;dig in the crates&rdquo; of black audiovisual history and select art historical and musical references from an existing archive. Directed at creatives, students, and instructors, this interface makes education in the black arts fun, accessible online, and engaging in the classroom.&nbsp;Purpose:&nbsp;We have completed the proof-of-concept video and its basic functionality, but we need additional funding to strengthen and maintain the design and expand its archive. Fundraising goal: $50,000$10,000 covers 6 months of design, research, dissemination (play tests, teach-ins, workshops), and platform maintenance needed to complete the first tool. Two additional tools are currently at the planning stage: one that begins with principles of sound design and one that begins with elements of architecture. Development of each proof of concept requires 12 months ($20,000) of work (x2 = $40,000)

How to explore Panafrican audiovisual history like a DJ?liquid blackness has designed a digital tool called “Music Video as Black Art: The Remix” which invites users to “dig in the crates” of black audiovisual history and select art historical and musical references from an existing archive. Directed at creatives, students, and instructors, this interface makes education in the black arts fun, accessible online, and engaging in the classroom. Purpose: We have completed the proof-of-concept video and its basic functionality, but we need additional funding to strengthen and maintain the design and expand its archive.Fundraising goal: $50,000$10,000 covers 6 months of design, research, dissemination (play tests, teach-ins, workshops), and platform maintenance needed to complete the first tool. Two additional tools are currently at the planning stage: one that begins with principles of sound design and one that begins with elements of architecture. Development of each proof of concept requires 12 months ($20,000) of work (x2 = $40,000)

Donate to liquid blackness - Digital Design Fund

liquid blackness&nbsp;is excited to invite you to our first benefit screening of THE GREAT NORTH&nbsp;(2024) on November 9th, 8pm at The Plaza Theatre, where liquid blackness&nbsp;will be in conversation with the award-winning writer, director and visual artist, Jenn Nkiru. The screening will be followed by a reception at Sweet Auburn BBQ, with Nkiru in attendance. RSVP required by November 1st for reception tickets and corporate sponsorship logos to appear on-screen at the event. Event Page:&nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://liquidblackness.com/events/encounters-in-the-black-arts-the-great-north-with-writer-director-jenn-nkiru-a-liquid-blackness-benefit-screening" id="isPasted" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">&ldquo;Encounters in the Black Arts: THE GREAT NORTH,&rdquo; with writer-director Jenn Nkiru a liquid blackness Benefit Screening &mdash; the liquid blackness project</a> About liquid blacknessliquid blackness&nbsp;(<a fr-original-style="" href="http://www.liquidblackness.com" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">www.liquidblackness.com</a>, Liquid Blackness, Limited) is a public-facing study group that organizes encounters in the contemporary black arts for creatives, scholars, and the general public. Its mission is to mentor the next generation of scholars and creatives committed to the power of black artmaking. For 13 years liquid blackness&nbsp;has been bringing to Atlanta&rsquo;s communities artists from the black diaspora who, moving nimbly between filmmaking and installation art, high art and popular culture, art galleries and digital platforms, are producing the most consequential visual aesthetics of our times. For 13 years liquid blackness has offered public events that provide young Atlanta artists first-hand encounters with award winning and globally celebrated Black filmmakers, such as Arthur Jafa, Kahlil Joseph, Bradford Young, Jenn Nkiru, Elissa Blount Moorhead, and Shawn Peters. In 2025, these efforts were awarded a $750,000 three-year Mellon Foundation Grant to assist in further developing our &ldquo;Encounters in the Black Arts.&rdquo; Since then, the liquid blackness project&rsquo;s art and mentorship programming has moved beyond the university to expand our engagement with Atlanta&rsquo;s arts communities to continue to grow and sustain the future of the black expression. Please see this <a fr-original-style="" href="https://liquidblackness.com/lbdvd" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">visual dossier</a> for more details on these efforts. To continue this work, liquid blackness needs to raise $80,000 in the next two years from community donors like you.&nbsp; About the FilmCommissioned by Manchester&rsquo;s Factory International to produce works inspired by the city&rsquo;s urban architecture, THE GREAT NORTH continues Nkiru&rsquo;s sensibility by using architectural form to render the intimacies in the unattended to histories of Manchester&rsquo;s Black, Asian, and Irish communities and the histories of African peoples in the US South, Mali, West Indies, and more. Told through original footage, archival research, and oral histories, THE GREAT NORTH captures the Pan-African throughlines that define the city and its diverse people.We are eager to engage audiences in experiencing the work of an artist who has been extremely influential in the contemporary black image-making that informs the visual language of our everyday lives: from fashion to design, from advertising to fine art. &nbsp; Reviews on THE GREAT NORTH:<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a fr-original-style="" href="https://factoryinternational.org/whats-on/jenn-nkiru-film/" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Jenn Nkiru | Aviva Studios | Manchester &ndash; Factory International</a>&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a fr-original-style="" href="https://gagosian.com/quarterly/2025/05/12/interview-jenn-nkiru-the-great-north/" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Jenn Nkiru: The Great North | Gagosian Quarterly</a>&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a fr-original-style="" href="https://factoryinternational.org/factoryplus/dream-space/jenn-nkiru/" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Jenn Nkiru | Dream Space Podcast &ndash; Factory International</a></li></ul>Ways to Support<ol fr-original-style="" style="width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">If you are interested in joining us for this conversation, please RSVP to claim a General Admission seat. A suggested Donation of $25 will allow you to pick up 1 liquid blackness&nbsp;notebook and 1 matchbox at the screening.&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Following the screening, liquid blackness will host a reception at Sweet Auburn BBQ, where dinner and drinks will be served. The reception will provide an opportunity to mix and mingle with the liquid blackness&nbsp;research group and filmmaker Jenn Nkiru to learn more about their work. Tickets are limited.&nbsp;Please RSVP and purchase a ticket to guarantee your spot at both events.&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">For corporate or individual sponsorships, please contact project manager Corey Couch at <a fr-original-style="" href="mailto:couch.coreya@gmail.com" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">couch.coreya@gmail.com</a> for package deals. Our donation tiers are listed below.&nbsp;</li></ol><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1792702424/wysiwyg/puntonwsahuhf55htqtp.jpg" style="width: 156px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: bottom; margin-right: 5px; margin-left: 5px; text-align: center; max-width: calc(100% - 10px); cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 156px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: bottom; margin-right: 5px; margin-left: 5px; text-align: center; max-width: calc(100% - 10px);" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1792702643/wysiwyg/nd2vjqdrm3rqssskfbqc.jpg" style="width: 264px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: bottom; margin-right: 5px; margin-left: 5px; text-align: center; max-width: calc(100% - 10px); cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 264px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: bottom; margin-right: 5px; margin-left: 5px; text-align: center; max-width: calc(100% - 10px);" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1792702606/wysiwyg/wan6zjybnjwwohsjtdct.jpg" style="width: 149px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: bottom; margin-right: 5px; margin-left: 5px; text-align: center; max-width: calc(100% - 10px); cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 149px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: bottom; margin-right: 5px; margin-left: 5px; text-align: center; max-width: calc(100% - 10px);" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"> Donation Tiers for Sponsors:&nbsp;<ol fr-original-style="" style="width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Diamond &ndash; 10k<ol fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">20 front- and second-row seats reserved for screening and Q&amp;A</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">10 tickets to the reception&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Large-sized logo displayed on its own slide before the film screening (if donation is received by November 1)</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Verbal acknowledgment as a major sponsor in the introduction to the event</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Access to a selection of photos taken at the reception</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Listed as a major sponsor on the event page with thanks</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Individual recognition in PR materials leading up to and after the event</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">20 liquid blackness journals and matchbooks, 10 liquid blackness pint glasses</li></ol></li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Platinum 5K<ol fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">12 reserved seats for screening and Q&amp;A</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">6 tickets to the reception</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Medium-sized logo displayed w/in the platinum category before the film (if donation is received by November 1)</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Access to a selection of photos taken at the reception</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Listed as a platinum sponsor on the event page with thanks</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">12 liquid blackness journal and matchbooks, 6 liquid blackness pint glasses</li></ol></li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Gold 2.5K<ol fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">8 reserved seats for screening and Q&amp;A</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">4 tickets to the reception</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Small-sized logo displayed in the gold category before the film (if donation is received by November 1)</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Listed as a gold sponsor on the event page with thanks</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">8 liquid blackness journals and matchbooks, 4 liquid blackness pint glasses</li></ol></li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Silver 1K<ol fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">4 reserved seats for screening and Q&amp;A</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">2 tickets to the reception</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Your name(s) listed as a silver sponsor on the event page with thanks</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">4 liquid blackness journals and matchbooks, 2 liquid blackness pint glasses</li></ol></li></ol>We hope to see you there!

liquid blackness

liquid blackness

liquid blackness

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"Encounters in the Black Arts: THE GREAT NORTH"

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liquid blackness

Upcoming events

Events

Get your tickets

"Encounters in the Black Arts: THE GREAT NORTH"

More ways to support us

Donate now

Donate to liquid blackness - Technology Fund

Donate now

Donate to liquid blackness - Internship Fund

Donate now

Donate to liquid blackness - Artist Fund

Donate now

Donate to liquid blackness - Digital Design Fund

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