color creatives
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Kadir Nelson Puts Iconic Moments in Black History on Canvas
Renowned artist Kadir Nelson paints to reflect the strength and spirituality of black history to remind black people of their own beauty, divinity and inner hero. His work has been featured in many prominent institutions, including the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the U.S House of Representatives and museums around the…
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This Producer Helped Craft Ariana Grande's Sound and He's Working With Your Other Faves, Too
Khris Riddick-Tynes and Leon Thomas make up the production duo The Rascals. They’ve produced Ariana Grande, Ty Dolla $ign, Zendaya and Kehlani, to name a few. Riddick-Tynes also knows the value of mentors, one of which is legendary singer-songwriter Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds. The 11-time Grammy winner, along with music giant Antonio Dixon, took the young…
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Creed II Director Breaks Down Importance of Showing Black Families in Cinema
Creed II broke box office records its opening weekend. Not bad for director Steven Caple Jr.’s second feature. “When I got the call to do Creed, I was working on this TV show Grown-ish,” Caple told The Root. “I was excited like anyone else would be but at the same time, you know, it came…
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Director Malcolm D. Lee on Breaking Out of the Limiting Label of 'Urban' Films
Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of director Malcolm D. Lee’s first major film, The Best Man, which hit theaters in October 1999. Since then, he has directed multiple movies with predominately African-American casts, including this year’s Night School and last year’s blockbuster comedy smash, Girls Trip. But does he get the respect he…
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Painting Black Men to Be Seen and Respected as Powerful Figures in the Art World
Jordan Casteel wants to change the staleness of the high art world and how it views black men. The Denver artist has been painting portraits of people in her community before she was an art student at Yale and it evolved as she made a home in Harlem, N.Y. “As I moved to Harlem,” Casteel…
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Watch: Inside the Mind of a Random Fly Director
Terence Nance is the lead visionary behind HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness and was recently named as the director for Space Jam 2. His first film, 2012’s An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, won rave reviews at Sundance and put Nance on the map in the indie film world. The film even impressed Jay-Z, who became…
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Artist Hank Willis Thomas Shines Spotlight on the Power of Protest
America’s No. 1 protest artist? Forget Banksy—meet Hank Willis Thomas. The African-American conceptual artist challenges ideas and oppression through themes of pop culture. He’s gained a huge following in the art and celebrity community, among them art lover Swizz Beats. Whether it’s photography, sculptures, installations or video, the messages are deeper than they appear on…
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Watch: Ava DuVernay’s Magical Journey to A Wrinkle in Time
The self-proclaimed “film geek” Ava DuVernay spoke to The Root about her transition from film publicist to director and her love for making documentaries, and she shares strong advice for African-American filmmakers: A lot of us wait for permission. We have been indoctrinated socially in our society to ask for permission. It’s our unfortunate legacy…
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Watch: Artist Lina Iris Viktor on the Misconceptions of Blackness in Art, and Painting With Pure Gold
Artist Lina Iris Viktor is known for creating works using a palette of black, majorelle blue and pure 24-karat gold, but she refuses to be tied down to any particular aesthetic. She has a background in film, photography and performance art, so her work is expressed across multiple media. When we spoke, she was intensely…
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Watch: Meet the Designer Who Lets Your Smartphone Talk to Your Clothes
You may not have heard the name Christopher Bevans, but you have, no doubt, seen his work. From his tenure with Head Tennis and Nike to styling Jay Z and LeBron James, Bevans has his finger on the pulse of the fashion industry and its trendsetters. Today he is breaking new ground with his brand-new…