Herstory LIVE was the first event series I curated and produced independently, the night showcased music, poetry, visual art installations and local black businesses selling food and goods. It was initially set up as a university fundraiser but following the failure to crowdfund my university tuition I decided to push the event further and ensure we paid Black artists in Birmingham properly during a period of time when the only featuring opportunities were unpaid or open mic slots. Herstory toured venues across Birmingham as a means of bringing new audiences into contact with already existing spaces that weren’t as well advertised or accessible to black audiences. It was a vibe. We did takeovers of Centrala, Impact Hub Birmingham, Wolverhampton Art Gallery & Eastside Projects.
As with most of the things I work on, Herstory LIVE needed variety. Every event included local artist showcasing artwork, live history installations made of articles on black histories, visual backdrops and food vendors. It was also the space I launched my first ever exhibition showcasing 5 Birmingham Photographers who documented the 2016 Black Lives Matter Protests in Birmingham City Centre.
Herstory LIVE ran from 2015-2017 and featured the likes of Mahalia, Shaés Universe, Anita Barton Williams, 4i, Victoria Ann-Bulley, Lex Amor, Vital, Jabez, TrueMendous, Deja, Barbella, Jolade Olusanya, Sophia Thakur, Lumi HD and many more. We showcased visual artists Faffabout, Letisha Stewart, Olivia Twist, Myah Jeffers and so on.
I stopped running Herstory LIVE in 2017 but it remains one of my favourite projects to date.
Follow the #HerstoryLIVE twitter thread
