We recently connected with Black Creatives Circle of North Louisiana and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Black Creatives Circle of thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
BCCNL exhibitions directly reflect our mission, “Increasing Black creatives’ visibility and emphasizing Black talent and culture in a white-dominant art community in a majority-black region. Our current exhibition, “This Is Us” showcases the work of members of the BCCNL. Allowing for our mission to be fulfilled and also for our very own BCCNL members voices to be heard. “This Is Us” represents various artists’ themes, collectively depicting our growing participation, reach, and impact in the NELA Arts and Black community.
Another project of ours that shows the same representation and holds a lot of meaning for us, is our “BLM” project. “Black lives should matter, and the conversation should be separate from what people have been using it as a political thing. It’s really about people. The black lives saying was started way before the organization started, and it was just about people saying that my life mattered,” said Vitus Shell, president of the Black Creatives Circle of North Louisiana. This project helped to increase representation and that is a major component of what we are about.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Black Creatives Circle of North Louisiana (BCCNL) to link black creatives and increase our visibility in a white-dominant art community in a majority-black region.
BCCNL emphasizes Black talent, teachings, voices, and culture. We are at the forefront of shaping, guiding, and creating a rich culture for the next generation of black creative folk. By sharing the knowledge of seasoned and integrated professional creatives with emerging and novice creatives and art appreciators, we are eliminating the gatekeepers from all spectrums and classes.
BCCNL brings flavor to north Louisiana. We fuel the necessary traits to pursue artistic and professional endeavors: confidence, ambition, passion, patience, discipline, optimism, and courage.
The world wouldn’t exist without creatives. BCCNL’s presence is vital to push Black Creatives forward — creating cultural events and community projects exposing black folk to lives, spaces, and places they wouldn’t know otherwise.
Black Creatives Circle of North Louisiana is an artist think tank designed to nurture, encourage, & discuss art-related issues with North Louisiana amongst artisans from the African Diaspora.
The art group encompasses animators, cartoonists, stylists, designers, filmmakers, graphic designers, illustrators, sculptors, painters, photographers, printmakers, poets, orators, screenwriters, writers, & more.
The think tank provides creatives with resources, skills, & confidence required to be relevant in North Louisiana.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
BCCNL started in 2018 and we started to become more known after our first exhibition in February of 2019. This lead to more community discussion with potential partnerships and group projects. Then a year later, the whole world shut down. Like everyone else, we found ourselves in a unique position and needing to pivot. Having a solid team, a vision and momentum allowed for clarity during a team when there was so much confusion. BCCNL too this time to take our organization to the next level by developing a board, solidifying our programing and building a partnership with North East Delta HSA that lead to more murals being painted across Northern Louisiana. Helping to create a safe space for both, healing and art.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
There are many great ways for society to support artists and creatives. They include spreading the word and going out to local galleries to view the work on display. Signing up for workshops and purchasing art from the artists. Other unique ways for society to support artists is to open their spaces up to give art a place to be seen. Any space can be turned into a gallery space, whether its for visual, performing or culinary arts. Be open minded and think outside the box. Lastly, society can donate to local artists, creatives, projects and program that add to their communities. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.blackcreativescirclenl.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackcreativescirclenl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackCreativesCircleNLA
- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bccnl318