AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTISTS COLLECTIVE
1522 Holmes Street
Kansas City, MO 64108 www.aaac-kc.com
The African American Artists Collective is an organization run by artists in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2014, a group of artists—Diallo Javonne French, Glenn North,
Gerald Dunn, Jason Piggie, NedRa Bonds and Sonié Joi Thompson-Ruffin—met at Gates Bar-B-Q on Linwood and Main in Kansas City, with “Rev.”, better known as U.S. Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II and his assistant Jim Vaughn.
The six artists, Cleaver and
Vaughn, discussed the African American arts movement in the city and what they were doing as artists in the community.
After the initial meeting, the group met regularly while members of the group continued to work in their respective fields of practice as professional artists. The group, which counts the six artists and Cleaver as its founders, continues to grow as more artists hear about who they are and what they do.
The mission of the African American Artists Collective is to support and advocate African American and black artists in Kansas City, regionally and nationally. Its members cover a multiplicity of practices in the arts and culture community; they
represent a broad range within the arts applications, such as painters, muralists, sculptors, public artists, art educators, curators and performers. The collective advances and encourages the professional development of the artists as well as shares networking opportunities, provides peer support and arts education opportunities.
Artists who are members currently operate from three locations—ArtsTech, 1900 Main Artists Collective Studios and Bruce R. Cultural Heritage Center, which is the site for its exhibitions.