About Us

Mission

Ankhlave Arts Alliance is a NYC-based nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing BIPOC artists in the contemporary art realm. Through our annual programming, including the AnkhLave Garden Project Fellowship, Curator in Residence, and Public Artist in Residence, we provide platforms for artistic expression and exchange. We believe in the transformative power of art as a catalyst for difficult conversations, fostering dialogue between diverse communities.

Our mission extends beyond traditional gallery spaces, as we strive to present programming in alternative public spaces within BIPOC communities. By doing so, we honor the Indigenous heritage of many BIPOC people and their diverse creative expressions, which encompass outdoor sculptures, performances, and displays in nature. Transforming spaces like botanical and community gardens into unexpected exhibition venues inspires curiosity and inclusivity.

We recognize the historical marginalization experienced by many communities within the BIPOC umbrella due to colonialism, where their homeland’s artworks were taken and exhibited for non-BIPOC audiences. This disconnection can lead to a sense of otherness. Additionally, art history has traditionally been authored through the European gaze, omitting diverse experiences and perspectives from around the world. While contemporary art is gradually becoming more inclusive, there remains a need for increased representation to ensure BIPOC audience members feel included in the broader contemporary art discourse.

We believe that the most effective way to elevate BIPOC voices and the communities they represent is by bringing their artwork to the people in unexpected and accessible public spaces. By doing so, we maximize community engagement, foster nuanced perspectives, and work towards greater equity within society’s cultural fabric.

History

AnkhLave was conceived by Visual Artist, Dario Mohr in 2011. Its trajectory was sparked by his 2012 solo exhibition/Open mic night for the official opening of Black owned “Code Blue Juice Bar” in Allentown (the art district of Buffalo, NY). Despite there being a lack of diversity in the art scene at the time, many Black musicians, poets and performers attended, engaging with the art, collaborating and becoming part of the community. Originally intended to run for a month, the open mic’s overwhelming success, led the owner to retain the artwork as a permanent installation, inspiring the continuation of the Black Light Open Mic Show until 2013.
After relocating to NYC, Mohr explored various visual art industries, organizing four consecutive seasons of New York Fashion Week Shows with predominantly BIPOC designers, and Curating exhibitions throughout the city, including 3 Juried Art Shows and pop up exhibitions. After building a registry of artists domestically and internationally, the need for a dedicated platform became evident. This led to the birth of the name, AnkhLave in 2014, inspired by the world “Enclave” to represent the collective of BIPOC artists who’s voices we elevate to the highest level. AnkhLave developed various programs, including live art demonstrations at alternative spaces such as the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, panel discussions at John Jay College, and the Unsung Heroes Award Show at the Harlem Library, all of which took place between 2015-2016.
In 2018, AnkhLave attained nonprofit status and shifted its exhibition focus to highlight Contemporary Art in public spaces, which was more accessible to our audiences and beyond the white walled exhibition tradition that the architects of Art History had established and gate-kept for centuries. AnkhLave now represents BIPOC artists, preserving and promoting their Indigenous heritage in the art epicenter, NYC through programs like the Ankhlave Garden Project Fellowship (since 2019), the Ankhlave Curator in Residence, and the AnkhLave Public Artist in Residence (both launched in 2022). In 2023, AnkhLave expanding its programming to international artists through the AnkhLave African Indigenous Mural Project in 2023.

Through these programs and more international ones on the way, AnkhLave aims to conserve and promote the legacy of Indigenous cultures globally through contemporary public art.

 
AnkhLave

Ankhlave Arts Alliance is a NYC-based nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing BIPOC artists in the contemporary art realm. 

QUICK LINKS
CONTACT INFORMATION
  • 408 B Colonels Row, Governors Island, New York, NY
  • 212-945-8847
  • admin@ankhlave.org
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Photo Credit: Sophia Elizabeth Photo