Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Darren W Jordan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Darren W , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project that I have worked on is 5 Artists 1 Love. I started this project roughly back in 2017. I often Lamented about The lack of representation. From the black community in galleries around town. At the time I doubled in visual arts and enjoyed painting.
Artist, I knew put me in contact with the gentleman by the name of Alex Patterson who had a start up art gallery on 124th and 107. It is currently where Duchess Bake Shop is now. It was called the TU Gallery and it’s specialized in unique local artisan furniture. We collaborated and rather than do a one-man show I opted to put out a call for submissions to our community to see if in fact they were any Black artist doing work. Turns out in fact there were. I settled on having 5 Artists in each show and have done so for the last 16 years.

We ran five waters one love for the next five years out of the two gallery. Every February during the first Saturday we would do our opening gala which in itself was fairly unique at the time. And every year at that time, the place was full. it was a small space, but it was wall-to-wall people, and it looked like a Scene from a United Nations party. They was very important to me that the event was run professionally, so there was a great deal of Attention to detail . It was catered as Duchess. He was a brand new entity in the city provided the baked goods, and we would have some other choice items the menu. A friend of mine was a wine rep so she poured taught people about the wine she was pouring and it didn’t cost me anything, every 20 minutes there would be some sort of entertainment. It would range from something like spoken word which at the time is very new to perhaps a trio and even on occasion of full on choir. All the wild there was music, good vibes, and access to the artist who are always at the ready.

It all changed when the new director of the Art Gallery Of Alberta, Hebert, approached me after sitting quietly in the back of our event. In Short, he. Me where all these people came from and if I would be interested in bringing 5 Artists 1 Love to the AGA. He later explained that what he meant was he was impressed by the diversity that was in the room celebrating and enjoying the visual arts. He said that had not been his experience and his gallery, but he wanted it to be. He put us under the umbrella of a special list of programs. He was allowed to support as director and we ended up moving the show to the AGA and its community gallery, which is downstairs in front of the lead core theater. With the exception of one year that is where we have been since.

One thing that was very interesting What is the fact that even though under his special program we were given discounted rates and now was costing much more than what we have been doing for the previous years. Jeff Hendrick, a good friend And exceptional Musician had a gig at the Yardbird suite that month we engage in a grand experiment where I wrote a musical show that Chronicles black music as it left shows of Africa hit the shores of North America and it’s Evolution up to current day. The narrative was carried through the music but through spoken word artists between different acts. The idea was, we could generate some money to offset the costs of show at the AGA. The show was a hit and sold out and as result we have been doing that show praise generations over the last 11 years. The music show now has a life of its own home at the Winspear last three years.

Darren W , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Greetings, my name is Darren W. Jordan, a visual artist and mental health professional based in Edmonton, Alberta. Originally from the UK with Caribbean roots, I’ve had the privilege of immersing myself in diverse cultures throughout my life.

In 2007, I founded the renowned Black History Month event, 5 Artists 1 Love, to showcase the exceptional talent within Edmonton’s black community. The event blossomed from a local art show to a grand celebration of visual arts, music, and performance, attracting record-breaking attendance each February.

From humble beginnings at the TU Gallery to prestigious venues like the Art Gallery of Alberta and Winspear Theatre, 5 Artists 1 Love has evolved into a must-see cultural extravaganza. The event not only highlights the diversity and richness of Edmonton’s black community but also serves as a platform for collaborative creativity and mutual appreciation.

Through the power of art and music, 5 Artists 1 Love continues to inspire, unite, and elevate our community’s creative spirit. Join us in celebrating black arts and culture at the “All Black Wear Gallery Affair” and witness the vibrant tapestry of talent that defines our city. Thank you for your ongoing support, and here’s to many more years of artistic excellence and cultural exchange ahead!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Was there a particular goal or mission driving my creative journey seems like a straightforward question with a straightforward answer. Initially the drive was to create something that I felt was lacking in this City. There simply wasn’t any representation that I could see of black artists being displayed in galleries around the city. It became particularly evident to me during the month of February, Black History Month. The mission was if you can’t find a scene or there is no scene make a scene. Over the years, the mission is expanded and includes things like;

Providing space for Black creators to connect , network and foster future collaborations

Highlight and elevate Expectations and the level of excellence in performance and visual arts within the Black community.

Educate the public at large on the diversity and complexity within the Black community.

Unite the many groups in Edmonton from across the diaspora through the Arts.

To bring our Talents out from the halls and basements To the most celebrated and dignified venues for the arts in our city.

To create opportunities for creative where there were a few or none before.

To inspire people in our community by displaying Excellence by people that look like them.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I guess share a story of a time where we had to pivot with 5 Artists 1 Love. My long-term goal had always been to get our musical production and the most celebrated and recognized music auditorium not only in the city, but the side of Western Canada. That is the Francis Winspear Centre for Music. Aloft the goal, but I thought that we would reach over a few years of growth. In February 2019 at the end of one of our Black History Month performances at the Triff theater, the CEO of the Winspear centre came backstage celebration of the success of a fantastic performance. She invited us to bring the event to the Winspear in 2020 right there on the spot. it was a surreal moment for many reasons.
As you know and as history will attest the next two years drastically altered life as we know it on this planet. There simply was no performing at the Winspear or anywhere for that matter.

We need to keep 5 Artists 1 Love in the Publix eye, in spite of the absence of life performances. we watched how people desperately trying to reach out and connect with Music. People were posting daily from their poorly lit homes just to get the music out. We watched and even tested the water with some small content of our own. We took a leap of faith , and decided to do three episodes. Insured it was video content of a higher caliber. Each episode told a story of the journey and evolution of. 5A1L.
The first part chronicle the genesis of the music production. The second chronicled the art show on highlighted what was at the time our biggest retrospective art show held at the Art Gallery Of Alberta during Covid, as some of the restrictions began to be lifted. The third tells the story of what it would be like to perform in the Winspear as initially expected. These videos are currently on our YouTube channel for viewing. At a time where Generally were not being seen our artists had the opportunity to display their work and at a time where musicians and Vocalist find it hard define work we could employee hours for the project.
Although we couldn’t get on stage at the time we had hoped to we still created something beautiful that people seem to really appreciate and that first year we could actually do the show at Winspear. It was an emotional and amazing evening. It ended up being the first major Event in our community since the pandemic.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.5artists1love.com
• Instagram: @5artists1love
• Facebook: 5artists1love
• Twitter: 5artists1love
• Youtube: 5 Artists 1 Love
• Other: TikTok

Image Credits
[email protected]