Till Arts Project

[Image description: The words “till arts.” in white lowercase letters on a canvas painted a gradient of sky blue at the top to a purplish blue at the bottom. Thin white lines are on the left and right side of the words.]

[Image description: The words “till arts.” in white lowercase letters on a canvas painted a gradient of sky blue at the top to a purplish blue at the bottom. Thin white lines are on the left and right side of the words.]

 
 

Since Autumn 2016, Till Arts Project has been a labor of love for me. Even though it actually started in the Fall, it really began when I was contacted to be told that I didn’t get an artist residency, and that out of the five available slots I was in sixth place. After one of the selected five declined the residency, I went from being #6 to #5 and became one of the resident artists. I felt that it was only right to share my year-long studio space with other local artists who didn’t have art studios or who may not have been selected for the residency. Out of this practice in deep resource sharing, Till Arts Project was born.

Till Arts Project has three main programs: the Emergence Program, the Youth Arts Advocacy Program, and the QT Noir Arts Festival. The Emergence Program, presented in partnership with 40th Street AIR, is an artist micro-residency, in collaboration with 40th Street AIR, that provides transgender, gender non-conforming, and nonbinary artists of color with artistic support and a month-long exhibition in the 40th Street AIR gallery. The Youth Arts Advocacy Program is a summer internship for LGBTQ+ youth to explore arts activism and LGBTQ+ advocacy, while also getting hands-on experiences with leaders in the arts and culture sector. The QT Noir Arts Festival is an annual festival uplifting the creativity of Black LGBTQ+ artists, craftspeople, and performers. The Festival has also brought about the QT Noir Arts Fund which distributes microgrants to Black LGBTQ+ creatives who were born in and continue to create in the Philadelphia area.

I am not paid by Till Arts Project, and as the Founder and Artistic Director, that is a personal decision. Aside from the fiscal sponsorship fees, every dollar that comes into Till Arts goes directly back to LGBTQ+ artists, performers, and writers (with a focus on artists living in Philadelphia) to expand their artistic careers and sustain their lives. Donated funds have paid for transportation, food, rent, medical needs, and of course, art supplies for LGBTQ+ artists because at the center of Till Arts mission is the understanding that artists are people, first and foremost, and should be treated as such.

If you’d like to donate to sustain the work of supporting LGBTQ+ artists in Philly, please contribute here.