The Art of Being Black

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The Art of Being Black Welcome to The Art of Being Black, where creativity meets culture in celebration of Black artistry in Newfoundland & Labrador

09/12/2026

The Art of Being Black Dance Artist in Residence Program presented in partnership with Neighborhood Dance Works gives movement artists the time and space to develop their craft.
This year Wesley Aubynn uses the opportunity to explore Ballroom dance and voguing. During their time in the residency, Wesley has built relationships with house mothers in other provinces, followed a disciplined routine of rehearsal that suits their method of learning and showcased a routine. This year they will be performing at the festival for New Dance. WESLEY AUBYNN is definitely an Artist to keep an eye on.

Introducing Wesley Aubynn, the 2026 TABB Dancer in Residence in partnership with Neighbourhood Dance Works.This pilot re...
09/09/2026

Introducing Wesley Aubynn, the 2026 TABB Dancer in Residence in partnership with Neighbourhood Dance Works.

This pilot residency was created to encourage more Afro diasporic dance practices in Newfoundland and Labrador. As a multidisciplinary organization providing institutional support for Black Arts, TABB recognizes dance as a key artistic practice in Black Culture. Dance is a practice that remains consistent across all the shapes and ways Blackness manifests.

For 2026, we’re heading to the ballroom with Wesley Aubynn.

Wesley Nana Aubynn (Wes) is a Ghanaian-born, St. John’s-based performance artist and 2025 recipient of NDW’s Roberta Thomas Legacy Award. Their movement practice centres Q***r Ballroom culture, specifically Vogue Femme and New Way, exploring technical precision, attitude and intentionality while centering Black and Q***r experiences.

Through the residency, Wes is deepening their ballroom practice with dedicated studio time, building relationships with mentors, and laying the groundwork for an inclusive Ballroom community in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Beyond dance, their creative practice extends into theatre production and set design, where they collaborate across disciplines to build immersive worlds, take up space and elevate marginalized narratives.

We’re excited to support Wes as they develop their practice and help grow space for ballroom in Newfoundland and Labrador.

This is your sign to apply. 🖤 Sankofa welcomes Black artists in NL across every discipline, self-taught and formally tra...
07/19/2026

This is your sign to apply. 🖤 Sankofa welcomes Black artists in NL across every discipline, self-taught and formally trained alike. If sustained curatorial mentorship would shape what comes next in your work, we want to hear from you. Deadline July 20.

Sankofa is real investment in your practice. 🖤 Mentorship, an exhibition, a commissioned essay, professional documentati...
07/19/2026

Sankofa is real investment in your practice. 🖤 Mentorship, an exhibition, a commissioned essay, professional documentation, and a $2,500 artist fee. This is what we’re building for five Black artists in NL. Applications close July 20.

What stories, histories, and experiences shape your creative practice?Sankofa invites Black creatives in Newfoundland an...
07/18/2026

What stories, histories, and experiences shape your creative practice?

Sankofa invites Black creatives in Newfoundland and Labrador to reflect, explore, and create. You don’t need a finished project—just a meaningful question worth pursuing.

Applications close July 20 Link in bio.

ArtistOpportunity NewfoundlandAndLabrador

Meet the curator guiding this journey.We’re honoured to welcome Bushra Junaid as the curator and mentor for Sankofa.An a...
07/15/2026

Meet the curator guiding this journey.

We’re honoured to welcome Bushra Junaid as the curator and mentor for Sankofa.

An accomplished curator, artist, and writer, Bushra’s practice explores memory, history, Black diasporic experiences, and the stories that shape who we are. Throughout this ten-month incubator, she will work closely with five emerging Black artists in Newfoundland and Labrador, supporting them as they deepen their practice, ask meaningful questions, and create new work.

Swipe through to learn more about Bushra, her practice, and a selection of her work.

Applications for Sankofa are now open. If you’re a Black artist based in Newfoundland and Labrador, we encourage you to apply.

🔗 Link in bio for details and applications.

NewfoundlandAndLabrador EmergingArtists BlackArt ContemporaryArt Mentorship DiasporaArt

07/13/2026

Application for Sankofa is still open.

A ten-month curatorial incubator for emerging Black artists in Newfoundland and Labrador. Join five artists on a journey of mentorship, reflection, and creative growth with curator Bushra Junaid.

Apply through the link in our bio.

🚨 Reminder: Our information session is happening on June 25 at 11:00 AM.Join us tomorrow, to learn more about the progra...
06/24/2026

🚨 Reminder: Our information session is happening on June 25 at 11:00 AM.

Join us tomorrow, to learn more about the programme. Five artists will be selected for this paid opportunity.

Visit our website for more information and to apply.

>Symbolism:SankofaWe are happy to announce that the applications for our artist incubator programme; Sankofa is now open...
06/14/2026

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Symbolism:Sankofa
We are happy to announce that the applications for our artist incubator programme; Sankofa is now open. We are Calling emerging artist based in Newfoundland and Labrador to apply to become one of the five artist that would embark on this slow paced ten-month project. This programme is designed to help artists of any discipline dive deeper into their practice under the mentorship of curator, Bushra Junaid.
Visit our website for more information.

March last year we were contacted by the team and informed that we would be awarded the CATAPULT grant for the cultural...
04/29/2026

March last year we were contacted by the team and informed that we would be awarded the CATAPULT grant for the cultural work that we proposed to them. We were speechless because we knew what it meant. It meant we had to get to work.
In 2024 we carried out a province wide artistic project called Rooted. One of the pieces from Rooted was described by Rhea Rollman as having “more depth, complexity and beauty in its six minutes than in a hundred NL tourism videos of ginger-haired children in billowing white dresses dancing around precariously perched clotheslines.”
The piece was shown at In the ‘Gather’ exhibition curated by and Mereille Eagan. However upon completion of the project we did not have anywhere to show the work. Exhibition which was scheduled to coincide with BHM was 3 weeks out and we still didn’t have a space for it. BIG ISSUE.
came to the rescue last minute, giving us the space where we held the first Rooted show. Afterward also curated a showing of the works at . The ISSUE remains.
How can we say we are rooted but there is no space for us. This grant represented a collective sigh. We could get a space! FINALLY! We began the hunt in May. Our first space involved a devil of a landlord that attempted to seize our artworks but we threatened to go to the press and they relented.
After much trials, we are finally excited and confident enough to announce the CENTRE FOR BLACK ARTS. Pay attention, this is a Newfoundland First.

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St. John's, NL

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