AARLCC Selects Artists for "Art and Activism" Social Justice Art Residency

Broward County Library's African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) has chosen five artists for its first "Art and Activism: A Social Justice Art Residency" project.

Courtesy Broward County Libraries

The Art and Activism Residency will use the arts to address and learn from historical and contemporary issues while simultaneously creating opportunities for our communities to engage and find hope and inspiration through art.

AARLCC solicited applications from artists representing various disciplines within the arts to address issues of Economic Justice, Environmental Justice, Criminal and Health Care Reform, Racial Justice, and Gender and Sexuality Equity. The highly competitive process included a diverse array of applicants representing talent from across South Florida.

It is with great pleasure that we announce the Art and Activism Social Justice Artists in Residence:

Marielle Plaisir – MixedMedia and Fine Art

Anthony "Mojo" Reed, II – Fine Art and Murals

Roscoe B. Thicke, III – Photography

Jose Veliz – Music Composition

Agatha Wright – Performance Dance

Funded by an Art of Community Grant through the Community Foundation of Broward, the residency will create opportunities for emerging local South Florida artists from under-represented backgrounds to use their art to speak to this critical moment within our nation in order to advance social justice and equity. Support has been provided by the following Funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: The Robert Elmore Family Fund; Maxine Powers Hofert Fund; Peter J. and Mary C. Barbare Fund; Mary and Alex Mackenzie Community Impact Fund; and Charles and Ruth Taylor Fund.

To learn more about this new project and hear from our artists in residence, please mark your calendars for 6:30PM on November 4, 2021 to participate in our Cultural Conversation program for a discussion with artists and community leaders about art and activism in South Florida. For additional information, please contact Makiba Foster at mjfoster@broward.org or 954-357-6176.

About Broward County Libraries

Broward County Libraries Division, named 2020 and 2015 Library of the Year by the Florida Library Association, was founded in 1974 and is one of the largest and busiest library system in Florida. Broward County Libraries Division 38 locations provide convenient access to a full range of innovative and cost-effective services that satisfy the changing needs of the people of Broward County for information, education and recreation. Visit our website, Broward.org/Library, or follow Libraries on Facebook and Twitter.