Cultivating the Artistic Development
of people of Black and Brown descent.
Our Mission
Indigo Arts Alliance builds global connections by uniting Black and Brown artists from diverse backgrounds to engage deeply in their creative processes while fostering relationships rooted in co-mentorship.
We are committed to expanding access and opportunity for artists of African descent — particularly those connected to Maine — by connecting local creative communities to national and international networks of artists, scholars, and cultural workers.
At the heart of our mission is the belief that artists are vital thinkers and culture bearers whose work strengthens communities, challenges inequities, and shapes the future.
Our Values
Love
Investing in the spiritual growth of all; honoring humanity, and uplifting Black and Brown creatives’ energies,
relationships, and communities
Justice
Addressing systemic and institutional racism, access to arts resources and equitable representation in arts
institutions and industries.
Freedom
Embodies the spirit of independence and the courage to express our true selves while honoring the ethics, values,
aesthetics, traditions, and concerns of Black and Brown people.
Nurture
Growing, mentoring, supporting, resourcing, amplifying—allowing us to build the world we envision and create.
Innovate
Expanding the narrative of cultural contributors and
changemakers to include those who cultivate the arts and preserve the culture of Black and Brown people past, present, and future.
Legacy
“Carrying the torch”: honoring our ancestors and elders while ensuring their histories are held, preserved, and told by centering cultural wisdom and knowledge. Intergenerationality highlights the role and importance of elders, as expressed in two African proverbs: one from the Akan people— Sankofa = “take wisdom from the past to guide the present and future.” The second, from the Yoruba, states: “Culture, like a river, dries up (dies), if it forgets its source.”
Here to amplify — not silence. Through strength, resilience and community, we will survive the storm.
We are living through a time when the stories, archives, and institutions that hold the histories of Black and Brown communities are under direct threat—from executive orders that seek to limit cultural expression, to the defunding and shuttering of museums and archives, to active efforts to rewrite or erase historical truths. These are not abstract threats—they are daily realities with generational consequences.
Artists Profiles
Profiles of our creatives at work in the studio and community.
Apply
Submission details for our Artist in Residence program.
Artists Videos
Videos of our creatives at work in the studio and community.
Events & Programs
Explore our dynamic lineup of programming.
Watch & Learn
In the News
Our ongoing impact as seen in the media.
Investing in our Community
Commit to the growth of our organization.
Featured Video
Deconstructing the Boundaries: Tending to Communities
On Saturday, July 26, 2025 IAA in partnership presented Deconstructing the Boundaries: Tending to Communities. The morning panel explored ways we, as concerned citizens of the world, can bear witness to social shifts and remain steady through political opposition, economic strife, and social unrest. Questions on what frameworks, models, and guides do we think are necessary to demonstrate ways to be together and share resources and organize for the betterment of all peoples? Moderated by Carolyn Finney with panelists: Sherri Mitchell, Sarah Workneh, and Imani Uzuri.