We are here.

Black Women in Visual Art (BWVA), founded in 2019, is on a mission to promote and celebrate the contributions of Black women impacting the art world past, present and future. Being the change we want to see is how BWVA emerged from idea to reality. It is an organization we would want to be part of, a community that nurtures the growth of Black women arts workers by providing opportunities, resources and insights for thriving careers.

BWVA launched as a leap of faith, and our journey has been challenging and rewarding. Our rapid growth has come with many lessons but also a tremendous sense of gratitude for where we have come and where we are going.

As we promote and celebrate the contributions of Black women impacting the art world past, present and future, we are also nurturing the growth of arts workers. We aim to create lasting equity in the visual arts and cultural ecosystem by providing opportunities, resources, and insights for thriving careers.

BWVA as consultants, assist in fostering diversity in creative spaces and serve as creative partners in the arts ecosystem as consultants, curators and programmers. For any organization seeking to build equity in the arts through The Work, how we ensure safe work environments for Black women and POC in art spaces.

Expanding these actions to reach every major art institution and any Black woman entering the field is critical to establishing equity in the arts.

BWVA is here, and we are thankful to discover that our organization has IRL fans and supporters. Thank you, and follow along for more!

Lauren Jackson Harris

Co-FOUNDER

Lauren Jackson Harris is from Atlanta, GA. As an experienced arts worker in curation, direct sales, consulting and special projects for 15 years, Harris began her received her BFA in Graphic Design and Art History from Howard University and MA in Creative Business Leadership from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Lauren was the Manager and Curator of ZuCot Gallery, a black-owned fine art gallery exhibiting the works of notable Black artists in Atlanta, Georgia. She worked with the AUC Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective, a program that prepares undergraduates for careers in the visual arts. Harris is currently the Director of SCAD Art Sales and continues to work with artists and collectors as a consultant.

Daricia Mia Demarr

Co-FOUNDER

Daricia Mia DeMarr is from Los Angeles, California. She launched her collegiate career at Clark Atlanta University but received a BA in Art History from Georgia State University and MA in Visual Arts Administration from New York University. DeMarr served as assistant director at the NYU Kimmel Center Galleries, organizing and curating over 100 exhibitions in 6 years. She curated, ‘Respectfully Yours,’ at Queens Museum and was a member of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Art Program Public Art team. She founded Pi Arts Projects and is the co-founder of Black Women in Visual Art. DeMarr is the Director of Peg Alston Fine Arts in NYC and an independent curator, arts administrator, writer and art consultant.