December 2023 Artist Spotlight
Name: Tara Fay Coleman, 1Hood Artivist and Partner
City/Neighborhood: Bloomfield
Tara Fay is a mother, conceptual artist, curator, writer, arts worker, and member of 1Hood’s 2023 Artivist Academy cohort.
Learn more about Tara Fay and her work by visiting her website linked here.
Tell us about your personal and/or professional background
“I am a mother, conceptual artist, curator, writer, and arts worker from Buffalo, NY. My work consists of a multidisciplinary praxis that is an exploration of identity, motherhood, Black womanhood, and taking up space. Through my practice, I mine my own lived experiences for subject matter, with a goal to intertwine my life with her work.”
How'd you get involved with 1Hood?
“I've been a supporter and a fan of 1Hood for as long as I can remember. They have always supported me as an artist and when I was running a non-profit they helped out and led a lot of programming. They have always made me feel seen, even during times when I didn't feel like I was doing anything important or meaningful.”
What do you enjoy about partnering with 1Hood?
“The level of support they offer, their generosity in spirit, and the work that they are constantly doing to build community and uplift people. It's humbling to see and be apart of. Their work is so deeply selfless, which is refreshing in the context of non-profit organizations.”
What impact do you feel your artistic practice has in our community?
“I never really felt as though my practice had any impact until people shared with me that my work inspired them, or that they were able to see themselves in it. I had a very non-traditional pathway into the arts, and I think people were able to see that, and realize that you don't need higher education to be validated as an artist or curator or arts administrator - there are other channels of access, you just have to create them. I also think that a lot of my work challenges many of the systems we exist in, and calls out a lot of inequities that Black and Brown people experience in the arts. White supremacy is very prevalent, even in creative communities, and I see and recognize how it impacts so many of us and I try to make work that speaks to that. Most importantly I’m making it for people that look like me - I don't make work for the white gaze.”
How has your partnership with 1Hood impacted your artistic practice?
“It has helped me take an approach to my practice that is less focused on labor, and more about the stillness of process, not rushing things, and shifting my focus away from constantly feeling pressured to create work, an idea that is rooted in white supremacy. It's ok to rest and not have a constant output - you are still an artist. You have nothing to prove to anyone except yourself.”
“Their focus on liberation and community building is of paramount importance, and how its done in a way that’s accessible to the people they're trying to reach. Despite how much the organization has grown, the work still feels very grassroots and authentic.”
In your opinion, what is the most important work that 1Hood does?
What does “Our Community, Our Support” mean to you?
“It means take care of yourself and others. We all have a cause, and that cause is liberating ourselves and dismantling white supremacy, and we desperately need each other to do so.”