As part of our commitment to amplifying the voices of artists and communities who shape the future, Creative Capital has just announced a new public event series to be held around the country called Inside/Out. The first event, Inside/Out: The Money Machine, will feature artist Kenya (Robinson) in playful dialogue with activist Avery Jackson in Atlanta, Georgia on November 2. Each event in this series will be hosted in a different city, pairing a recipient of the Creative Capital Award with a leader from outside the “traditional” art fields to reveal new perspectives on issues related to their work. The venues are also chosen to remove barriers and deepen engagement with local communities — audience participation is not only welcome but encouraged!

 

“The machine don’t make the man, the man make the machine” – Gucci Mane

Inspired by the Gucci Mane song of the same name, The Money Machine will look at how Kenya’s specific practices as a working artist and Avery’s efforts as a community organizer overlap within the confines of the American financial system. The event will take place at the historic night club The Royal Peacock (once the preeminent performance venue for top African-American musicians in the 1950s and ‘60s) on Auburn Avenue, or “the richest Negro street in the world” per a 1956 issue of Fortune. Since then, the city has weathered decades of economic change and become an incubator of American culture. The location provides the perfect backdrop for exploring how wealth interfaces with artistry and activism. “The Money Machine” promises to be a fun and illuminating lens to examine how individuals can rethink prevailing institutional norms and evoke change.

(Robinson) will kick off the Inside/Out series as a catalyst for expanding the boundaries of conversation. In her 2016 Creative Capital project, CHEEKY LaSHAE: Karaoke Universal, (Robinson) uses the structure of a college-level course to perforate the limitations of the traditional audience-performer dynamic. With work that often depicts themes of privilege and consumerism and explorations of perceptions of gender, race and ability, Robinson will connect her core values to activism efforts in Atlanta.

Avery Jackson is an Atlanta based activist. After finishing their studies in Sociology and African American Studies at Morehouse College, Jackson remained in Atlanta to focus on community organizing and activism. They are a member of the community collective, ATL is Ready (AiR). The mission of AiR is to raise public consciousness on police accountability and violence, as well as other intersecting issues facing the Atlanta community.
More Inside/Out events will be announced in the coming months as part of our Cultural Amplifier Program, a new initiative that seeks to work deeply with local artists and organizations in select cities. As part of our mission, we are working with partners around the country to support artists in developing sustainable, thriving practices in their own communities and help connect them on a national level with creative resources and peers. Inside/Out is a part of our commitment to creating public programs that benefit anyone who is passionate about the arts.