The Black Utopia Project

As Create Change Artists-in-Residence, The Black Utopia Project, consisting of Genel Ambrose, Faith Hannah Robinson, Shanna Sabio, and Aisha Shillingford, provided opportunities for rest, reflection, and replenishment to Black femme and non-binary residents who had been cultivating their visions of cultural and economic power amongst Black Brooklynites. Rest/replenishment took shape as “Sunday School,” six intimate sessions for multigenerational Black femmes to gather and find collective healing through conversation, creative-making, meditation and more. We reflected during walking tours that honored Black Brooklyn’s rich history and visioning salons infused with joy and food that fostered collaboration, connection, and collective power. We produced a series of archival images and corresponding futurist collages inspired by our salon conversations that were displayed throughout Bed-Stuy at sites of historic significance. We compiled the collages into an artifact: a photo book that lived at the Laundromat Project space and distributed posters/postcards featuring the collages and information about the Black Utopia Project throughout the community.