My first memory of time spent at The Roll Up CLT shakes out to become clearer like a polaroid capture. Through the haze of late summer on southern porches, I recall a curated kinship, community, and a shared love of Black art in close space. In the passing of wine poured into red solo cups, I was introduced to the petite powerhouse known as Jessica Gaynelle Moss. While most galleries, institutions, curators and collectors remain committed to supporting the work of white male artists, others like Moss are taking it upon themselves to advocate for the Black creatives, who without aid, may never reach their full potential.
Moss is an artist, Black art advocate, and purveyor of potential. According to her bio, she is considered to be a “creator of platforms and spaces that invest in the historically excluded.” One such platform is that of her Charlotte, North Carolina based artist residency, The Roll Up CLT.
“Investing in my own community, watering my seeds in the places they were planted and vesting my interests in the neighborhoods that I came from, and that I call home.” Moss shared.
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Lee, who Moss had become acquainted with during an artist retreat in Chicago, is a critically acclaimed photographer best known for his photo essay “Father Figure”, documenting Black fathers and their children throughout Harlem and The Bronx. While Lee’s work is known worldwide, other artists of color are more in need of the type of backing and assistance that Moss and her program provide.
As reported by popular online portal Black Art in America, “Many collectors and curators make acquisition and exhibition decisions based on what’s on an artist’s CV.” Their participation and attendance of a prestigious art residency such as the Oxbow or the Whitney Independent Study Program is enough to launch a career.
Unfortunately for most artists of African descent, opportunities for residencies are sparse. The Roll Up CLT aims to level the playing field for Black artists who require this same type of launching pad. Participation in the program can last anywhere from 6 to 8 months. Artists are provided housing, access to transportation, and an unrestricted honorarium to provide food and supplies.
Source: Jessica Moss Connects Artists and Community in North Carolina with Artist Residency, The Roll Up CLT
