We are proud to be partnering with visual artist, community organizer, and creative entrepreneur Mercy Emelike in presenting CHATROOM, an art conversation series featuring Black women and non-binary artists. The conversations are more sitting-in-your-friend’s-living-room than panel presentation.
CHATROOM exists to facilitate warm dialogue between artists and the community with the belief that art communities thrive when there’s healthy exchange between artists and audience. The first installment in the series will be facilitated by filmmaker B.B. Araya and features Dawn Okoro, a Nigerian American artist who lives and works in Austin, Texas.
If you’re an artist, an art enthusiast, or just like to chat, we’d love to have your voice there!
— MEET THE FEATURED SPEAKERS —
About Dawn Okoro: Nigerian American artist Dawn Okoro lives and works in Austin, Texas. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Texas, and her law degree from Texas Southern University. Her desire to become an artist spawned from her love of fashion illustration, photography, and design. Using oil, acrylic, and pencil, she incorporates photography, collage, and ideas from popular culture. Her artwork embodies space, movement, pattern, design, texture, and color; as well as lived experiences and self-reflexivity. Self-reflexivity is a process by which she critically examines the experiences (exterior and interior) that shape her everyday life and those that surround her. Okoro’s work has been featured in Forbes, Drawing Magazine, and The Austin Chronicle. Her work has been shown at the Texas Biennial, New York University, Notre Dame University, Rice University Museum, George Washington Carver Museum, and MoCADA Museum in Brooklyn. Find her on Instagram at @dawnokoro.
About B.B. Araya (facilitator): B.B. Araya is a Texas-based filmmaker. After interning for director Richard Linklater, she created and directed the short film series, We Are, which was was picked up for distribution by Issa Rae Productions. Her latest short film, Yirga, had its world premiere at SXSW 2019 and she’s currently penning her feature film debut.
— HOW TO RSVP —
As a part of the CHATROOM series, this event is the first of three discussions held at the #BBATX Headquarters on November 18, December 2 and December 14. This series is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department and is free and open to the public.
— VENUE ACCESSIBILITY NOTES —
This event is located within Canopy. A parking lot is available and the venue is accessible by public transportation. This venue is wheelchair accessible and all activities will occur on the ground floor. ASL interpreters can be provided upon request. :) If you need accommodations, you can let us know by emailing thebabes@bossbabes.org.
— MEET THE PRODUCERS —
About #bossbabesATX: We’re a Texas-based nonprofit that amplifies and connects women and nonbinary creatives, entrepreneurs and organizers. We create space to share our crafts, catalyze multi-industry coalitions, promote intersectionality across disciplines, seek guidance and provide each other with practical and emotional resources. Anyone interested in our mission, core values, and initiatives are invited to participate—and learn more about how intersectional gender equality can improve their daily lives. We provide 1500 opportunities to women and nonbinary creatives, entrepreneurs and community organizers per year. More than 15,000+ community members also annually attend our showcases, markets and dialogues—and in the last three years, our programs generated an additional $1million for the Austin economy. So, whether you apply to participate in one of our programs, attend our workshops, conferences and dialogues, or come out to a festival or market to support the community we’re building, you’re a member of this movement. All babes, all people, are welcome. :) Learn more at bossbabes.org.
About Mercy Emelike: Mercy Emelike is passionate about the visual arts, community/economy, and business. She mostly paints, thinks about business, and brings people together to talk about art. Her artwork centers on patterns, and she believes that pattern-finding/creating smoothly spans disciplines. Mercy spends 8+ hours a day helping businesses grow and playing with data. In her remaining time, she works on her art and organizes art events. She is also the co-founder/textile surface designer of MARIELLE|EJIAMA. Find her on Instagram or Twitter: @mercyejiama.