“A space where all they need to do is show up”: in Conversation with Co-Presidents of the Black Artists Society

Saranka Maheswaran speaks to the presidents of the newly created Black Artists Society.

Aishat and Tia- Renée at the launch event. Photos by Amanda Yebuah.

‘CREATIVITY, COMMUNITY, COLLABORATION’ reads the first instagram post of the Black Artists Society. It’s a slogan that perfectly embodies the atmosphere of their inaugural launch party event on the 17th of October, where poetry and spoken word, written by students, was performed. What initially began as a late night phone call between Aishat Olawumi, a History of Art student, and Tia-Renée Mullings, a History and Politics student, has soon flourished into a society which works to inspire confidence and create a space for Black creatives to meet, grow, learn and celebrate. 

BAS aims to promote collaboration from across creative disciplines as well as confidence within students in an industry that can often be white dominated. Following the ‘Night of the Arts’ event held by the African Caribbean Society (ACS) at the Cambridge Union, Tia-Renée wondered “why did I not know about this then? Why is there not a space for us to discover these things about each other, to collaborate?”. The society was also in part borne out of a desire to counteract the lack of encouragement that ethnic minorities receive when it comes to creative pursuits. Often ethnic minorities are pigeonholed into STEM oriented or corporate careers. Whilst this is changing, it is doing so in an overwhelmingly white space. BAS aims to work against this, building a space that nurtures Black creatives and contributes to legitimising their presence in creative circles.

BAS also aims to bridge the divide between creating and exhibiting art; tackling student anxieties about being understood and received as artists. As artists themselves, Aishat and Tia-Renée have both reached a point where they believe that there is no need for anyone else to understand their art but them:“When you’re a beginning artist or creative, you want everybody to like your work so you’re going to tailor your art to what everyone likes”, Aishat told me, but “once you get to be comfortable in your craft you decide you don’t care anymore”. This need to have your work appreciated by everyone is something that fades with the right support, support which BAS works to give. As Black creatives, says Tia-Renée, “we need to let go of the notion that we need to tailor ourselves to the gazes of people who are never truly going to be invested in our work”, and trust that your “audiences will find you”. 

Without societies like BAS, Black art in Cambridge would be created in “people’s rooms” Aishat put it, without an accessible place to share. Creating art has the potential to be a lonely experience if there is no space to discuss and collaborate. While other art societies do exist in college spaces, it does not mean as Black creatives they are heard or understood with the same ease as their white counterparts. Aishat told me that she was met by surprise by her white peers when she went to one such society and demonstrated her knowledge of Renaissance and Classical art. BAS is a space where there is an intrinsic, almost unspoken understanding of one another, which dissolves the pressures of a need to validate yourself. You don’t need to perform, but simply be.

Cambridge currently plays a somewhat performative role when it comes to promoting Black creativity, choosing to fund certain events like the Black Creatives Festival (in part funded by Queens College) during Black History Month, but without prolonged support. BAS is a permanent space, that is choosing to move away from the temporary highlighting that is given to Black art by providing a platform which is consistently accessible and open to artists. BAS is, for now, self funded and, whilst the society is looking for other sources of funding, its longevity can only be guaranteed with a, currently missing, commitment from the university.

The co-presidents are keen to also assure students that viable careers in the arts are possible for them to pursue: “If Goldman Sachs can know Black Cambridge students, the National Theatre could”. As they look towards the future, the ambitions of the society are full of promise in ensuring that Black creatives at Cambridge can thrive. Aishat and Tia-Renée are both keen to harness the power of Cambridge as a university to open up opportunities for Black creatives, whether it be workshops in collaboration with museums, or being able to connect students with creative opportunities. The passion and support the society has is bountiful and burgeoning; in front of our eyes a permanent legacy to Black creativity in Cambridge is forming.