Amazon Prime Video uses Miami Art Week to highlight its new series “Riches”. The streaming of the show starts on December 2nd. Also, from noon until nine o’clock, it is free and accessible to everyone (December 2 and 3). The show is a result of African artists‘ work at Wynwood’s Spring Studios.
“Those who work in a field know they require art in their lives” – Donna Marie Baptise
The organizer of the event is former Art Basel events manager Donna Marie Baptise. “The Crown We Never Take Off” is a title for the brand promotion. The goal is to celebrate Riches, a new series made by African artists.
After the passing of its founder, Riches tells the story of a fictitious Nigerian-owned cosmetic enterprise named Flair and Glory. Founder’s name is Stephen Richards. Also, this news brought shock to his second wife, because he left his business to his estranged children in America.
In order to turn Riches into an exhibition, BlackHouse Events approached Baptise. Baptise watched early drafts of the show’s first season to get ready. “Although Black Americans spend $6.6 billion on beauty and represent 11.1 percent of the national market, ownership isn’t proportionate”, she said.
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Sign up to our Free Weekly Newsletter“What really made me tie the art into the space was that, here’s this black family who, against all odds, became incredibly successful and wealthy”, she said. She also said those who work in a field know they require art in their lives.
Amazon Prime Video and “connecting the achievements of creatives of colour”
For Baptise, it was important to keep Africa in focus. “It’s about connecting the achievements of creatives of colour, of the Black diaspora, and tying that to the achievements of the new creatives in the show”, she said. She picked artists from Cameroon, Ghana, the United States, and the Caribbean.
The Black Beauty Archives’ Camille Lawrence finished a video commission to serve as the centrepiece of the display. Also, Marryam Moma, a Tanzanian-Nigerian collage artist, was already familiar with Baptise. She created a fresh series of five paintings, especially tailored for the program.
“There will be quite a bit of photography in the show, because there’s such beautiful photography coming out of Africa”, Baptise added. “This is not a show for the fine art crowd”, Baptise said. “But I think with the quality of artists we have, we will attract some of that audience”.
