About Us

The Black Arts Matter Festival is an interdisciplinary presentation and celebration of Black artists. With a focus on performance art, BAM provides a platform for Black artistry that grapples with a myriad of topics including but not limited to Blackness and intersections. The Black Arts Matter Festival is both an entertainment and educational experience, providing shows that inspire, challenge and inform audiences on the so-called Black experience through art activism. 

 

Mission

 

• Providing artistic opportunities and community for Black artists

• Prioritize accessibility for artists, staff and audiences by selecting venues with intention in regards to mobility and providing disability services.

• Prioritize Black artists who are LGBTQIA+, disabled, women, and or hold other marginalized identities.

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History

The Black Arts Matter Festival started in Madison, Wisconsin in 2019 was a creative change project created and produced by Shasparay Irvin while a student at UW-Madison.