A fine arts fair created by cultural development firm GANGGANG beat the sales record from its first event with BUTTER 2, which ran from Sept. 1-4.
This year, BUTTER, which has a goal of uplifting Black artists and promoting equity within art, nearly doubled its attendance and sold 109 works totaling $250,005 with all of the profits retained by the artists. The fair included pieces from local and national artists such as April Bey, Kiah Celeste, Julian Jamaal Jones and Will Watson, and featured performances from entertainers such as Dorian Phelps, 81355, Deckademics and DJ Grapevine.
Several pieces were purchased for permanent collections as well. Local artist Courtland Blade sold three pieces to Eskenazi Health and the Central Indiana Community Foundation for their permanent collections. Jones, an Indiana University student, sold a piece to the Richmond Art Museum, and Newfields bought a textile piece from Bey.
“Artists are the heroes of society. It’s a dream to be able to narrate that through something so impactful and immersive like BUTTER. Happenings like this test new models of power in the arts industry,” Malina Simone Jeffers, BUTTER curator and co-founder of GANGGANG, said in a press release. “It’s been very exciting to watch it all unfold.”
To see the daily list of talks, live performances and special appearances at BUTTER 2, visit butterartfair.com.
Contact staff writer Jayden Kennett 317-762-7847 or email jaydenk@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @JournoJay.
