Arts writing, public programming, & publishing that builds discourse around contemporary Black art.
Announcement
State of the Field
BES reflects on the search for the 2026 Arts Writing Incubator
Big Ideas
We got a huge number of applications for this year’s Arts Writing Incubator, which focuses not on individual writers per se but people who are creating platforms to cultivate other people’s arts critical thinking. We selected 6 incredible people—learn more about them at this link—and took the opportunity to reflect upon trends, patterns, and insights from the pool as a whole. Read our thoughts by clicking this link or the image above.
Emily Mulenga
Current Resident
Public Programming
Fall-Winter 2025/2026
This year, we are inviting new media artists, digital artists, and internet artists to create work that appears in digital ad spaces—embedding black art everywhere you look online. Our inaugural artist is Emily Mulenga (b. 1991, UK), whose work The Time is Now is adapted for multiple ad-space formats. The work is only accessible to people in Seattle, receiving ~ 50k impressions a month. More details can be found here.
New Merch
Designed by Diana Ejaita
New Things!
We have started commissioning black artists to design merch using one prompt: “You are having a black aesthetic experience.” This year, Berlin-based artist Diana Ejaita whipped up a hoodie, long-sleeve t, hat, and tote bag. You can get yours with a donation to BES! Click over to our Support page for more details.