Remember what it felt like when you walked into Toys R Us (R.I.P. to my guy Geoffrey) as a kid? You almost dislocated your parents shoulder out of the socket you’d be so eager to race towards the aisles. You’d see the other children playing with all the newest toys with joy on their faces.
That’s what it felt like to be at Culture Con 2018. Except this time there was no proverbial parent holding me back from indulging in Black Boy Joy. Culture Con is an amazing one day conference that embodied, both visually and audibly, what it feels like to be a black creative in New York City. There were artists of all ilks represented in the room where it happened.
The color pallette featured the bold colors of the African diaspora encapsulated in an exposed brick Industrial event space on the Brooklyn and Queens border. Half of the space highlighted the corporate sponsors who have invested in growing their Black consumer base. Companies like Essence, BET, Dove, Tidal, and Vaseline to name a few. In the front of the space is where the inspiration bellowed out. Interviews were headlined by John Legend, Charlamagne Tha God, La La Anthony, and hosted by Taylor Rooks.
All of the speakers offered a wealth of information and encouragement on how to best tap into their creative inspirations. I could write full pieces on the pearls of wisdom that were spoken in that room but the one that jumped out to me the most was by 23 year old Tyler Mitchell. Mitchell, the first black photographer to shoot a Vogue cover in their 126 year history, shot the iconic Beyonce cover back in September 2018. While the audience gushed over the thought of being six degrees of separation from Queen Beyonce herself, Mitchell spoke of the inspiration behind his photographs, “In my work I try to elevate the Black body into not being a thing… I just want to shoot photos of Black people at peace.”
Black people at peace? Black people at peace? Black people at peace?
The words are still ringing in my hippocampus as I continue to wonder if my people will ever be at peace with the cultural gnats that continue to nag us on a hourly basis. Let alone capturing what that would look like in high end photographs. Here’s to Tyler Mitchell as he continues on his journey!
However what was most gratifying was the collective soulful vibe of the folks who were in attendance. The style was impeccable and the unity was palpable. You could almost reach out and touch it or taste it dancing on your taste buds. There was heaps of denim, leather, silk, suede, and a smattering of statement pieces that unapologetically affirmed our blackness. My personal favorite was an all black hoodie that read, “I’m Black yall, im Black yall, im Blackity Black I’m Black yall.”
Culture Con was a modern Black Gatsby style celebration of Blackness and boy did it feel good to be surrounded by a room full of like minded humans who not only want to create but continue to leave our indelible mark on American Culture. After all as Jay-Z once said, “We are the culture. Nothing moves without us.” Nothing.
Until we meet again to experience peace and joy together, Culture Con!