ARTNOIR, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing equity and visibility for artists, curators, and cultural producers of color, and Sotheby’s have announced the recipients of the 2024 Jar of Love Fund for New York. This year’s esteemed cohort features six exceptional artists, designers, and cultural producers: Daria Harper, Zalika Abdul-Azim, Dominique Petit-Frere, Danielle Berger, Samantha Hopkins, and Emmanuel Massillon, selected for their outstanding contributions and innovative approaches to their fields.
These grantees have been selected by a distinguished committee of art industry leaders for their exceptional talent and dedication to their craft. Each will receive an unrestricted grant of $5,000 USD, along with access to professional development opportunities and a supportive network of fellow artists and cultural producers through ARTNOIR’s community and network within the arts.
Congratulations to this year’s extraordinary Jar of Love Fund New York grantees. Their bold creativity and distinct perspectives embody the richness and diversity of New York’s creative community,
says Larry Ossei-Mensah, Co-Founder of ARTNOIR.
We’re excited to support these talented creatives as they push boundaries and make meaningful contributions to the arts.
Sotheby’s is proud to support the visionary work of the 2024 Jar of Love Fund New York grantees. Each artist and cultural producer in this cohort brings a unique perspective that enriches the cultural fabric of New York City. The transformative power of art and culture lies in the ability to unite people. Through our ongoing collaboration with ARTNOIR, we are not only amplifying the voices of these artists but also strengthening the future of the arts.
says Cat Almonte, Sotheby’s Global Head of Equity & Impact.
Daria Harper is a cultural producer and co-founder with Camille G. Bacon of Jupiter Magazine, dedicated to reshaping arts and culture writing with a focus on Black contemporary artists. The Jupiter platform not only amplifies diverse voices, but also seeks to push editorial and industry boundaries. Harper applied for the Jar of Love microgrant to fund research and development for Jupiter’s forthcoming print issue, covering creative collaboration with BlackMass Publishing and cementing the issue’s legacy in cultural history.
Zalika Abdul-Azim is an interdisciplinary artist and cultural producer whose practice explores Black movement across the U.S. and the Caribbean, influenced by her heritage in South Carolina and Trinidad and Tobago. Her work profoundly engages with themes of belonging, placemaking, and preserving Black communities, particularly in the face of gentrification. Through the ARTNOIR Jar of Love Fund, Zalika seeks support to establish a dedicated studio space in Brooklyn—a dynamic hub for collaboration and artistic growth.
Dominique Petit-Frere is a spatial designer and the founder of Limbo Accra, a design practice dedicated to transforming unfinished buildings into innovative, creative opportunities. Since its founding in 2018, Limbo Accra has led public events, exhibitions, and projects across West Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Dominique aims to further this mission with the ARTNOIR Jar of Love Fund by supporting Limbo Accra’s most ambitious project: developing a permanent research and exhibition space in central Accra, housed within a brutalist unfinished estate. The microgrant will enable the transformation of this structure into a hub for exploring new approaches to repurposing African architecture, fostering sustainable community engagement, and driving innovation.
Danielle Berger is a graphic designer whose work delves into the complex intersection of Christianity and colonialism in America, viewed through the lens of her Filipino-American heritage. Growing up in a small Baptist church of Filipino immigrants in New Jersey, her designs reflect themes of religion, family, and cultural identity, focusing on Filipino-American womanhood. Through print and digital media, her work grapples with the binaries that define the Anthropocene—such as male/female, religion/secularism, and digital/analog—while challenging internalized colonialism. The ARTNOIR Jar of Love Fund will enable her to return to her primary medium, risograph printing, by covering the costs of studio time and materials in NYC.
Sami Hopkins is an artist, musician, and writer-researcher whose work spans black liberatory strategy, critical disability studies, and Mad studies. Their interdisciplinary practice includes sound archives, community convenings, and curatorial projects centered on black and queer experimental practice. The ARTNOIR Jar of Love Fund will support their participation in the Maumaus Independent Study Program in Lisbon, allowing them to expand their research and organize educational programming that bridges artists in New York and abroad, fostering alternative pedagogy and community engagement.
Emmanuel Massillon is an African American conceptual artist whose work spans painting, photography, and sculpture, exploring the complex histories of race, identity, and culture, particularly among people of African descent. Raised in Washington, D.C., his narrative-driven art is shaped by his urban upbringing, using materials like bullet shells, found objects, and wood to reflect his environment and cultural history. Massillon’s practice draws on African American music genres such as Jazz, R&B, and Rap, infusing his work with layers of meaning through language and visual puns. With the ARTNOIR Jar of Love Fund, Massillon plans to further his exploration of race and identity, acquiring high-quality materials to create sculptures and mixed-media pieces that tell powerful stories.
Founded by ARTNOIR in 2020, the Jar of Love Fund is an unrestricted microgrant program designed to empower artists and creatives by alleviating financial burdens and fostering artistic growth. Initially launched in response to the uncertainty and unrest of the pandemic, the fund has since distributed over $100,000 USD, evolving into a vital resource for emerging and mid-career artists of color. Now in its second year of partnership with Sotheby’s, the 2024 Jar of Love Fund continues to expand, awarding grants in both New York and London. Following the success of 2023, where 50 grantees received over $50,000, this year’s program includes an exciting collaboration with Dr. Samuel Ross MBE and SR_A’s Black British Artist Grants Programme. The London cohort will be announced in October 2024, as the Fund continues its mission to support and uplift diverse talents, offering professional development opportunities and fostering a global community of creatives.
About
ARTNOIR is a female-majority and black-brown owned, NYC-based global collective and 501(c)(3) with a mission to celebrate and highlight the work of creatives of color, while catalyzing cultural equity across the arts and culture industries. We seek to empower artists, enthusiasts, curators, forward-thinking organizations, storytellers, designers, and patrons to explore alternative perspectives to the traditional arts narrative while leveraging the intersectionality of art and culture to develop new access points for discussion, exploration, and collaboration. @artnoirco
