It Takes a Village: The Black Genius Foundation Fuels Artistry

Simone Eccleston is an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to art and its influence on society. As the director of hip hop culture and contemporary music at the Kennedy Center, she curates and works to bridge the gap between artistry and community by creating popular events with esteemed cultural presences like Issa Rae’s HOORAE productions and Black Girls Rock!

Last year, Eccleston founded The Black Genius Foundation, an organization that’s committed to transforming the conversation around genius by placing Black artists and the Black creative ecosystem at the center. This year marks the inaugural awards for the foundation. Broken into two types of awards, the Black Genius Prize for more established artists and Strokes of Genius grants for upcoming talent, there will be 15 financial awards distributed this May through the summer. The winners will also gain mentorship from successful artists and join a growing network of fellow Black geniuses. Currently, the organization is still accepting donations for the awards with their “Keep It 100” campaign. We had a chance to speak with Eccleston about her goals for the foundation, art’s innate generational lineage and the value of community support. 

District Fray: Why did you want to create The Black Genius Foundation?
Simone Eccelston: It’s a byproduct of my almost two decades of experience and supporting visionary artists and uplifting Black genius at renowned organizations like Harlem Stage and the Kennedy Center. The Black Genius Foundation is an opportunity to position ourselves in the landscape of providing intentional support to Black artists. It allows us to answer the question, “What happens when we deeply invest in Black artists and express our gratitude for their contributions?”

The foundation offers awards for multiple creative types including artists, journalists and organizations at different levels of experience. What was the impetus behind creating such a range?
Black genius exists in community. We have artists at the foundation of it but it’s thinking about the ecosystem more broadly. There are the arts professionals who work behind the scenes. There are the journalist, scholars and critics that are helping to contextualize artists and their work and also producing work themselves that’s emblematic of genius. There are institutions vital in terms of providing platforms for artists to share their work. Whether it’s a choreographic piece for a dance work or a film, it takes a village of individuals in order to bring the work to life.

For people who may be intimidated to apply to awards and fear they might not qualify as a “genius” and possibly experience imposter syndrome, what do you advise?
Trust your gifts. There’s a purpose you have the gifts and skills you have. It has been given to you for a reason. Trust and lean into it. Because the world is waiting. Walk in your purpose. Honor the gift which has been given to you. It could change somebody’s life. It could provide someone with the permission that they need to pursue their own path.

The awards provide unrestricted financial rewards for prize winners ranging from $5,000 to $75,000. Why is it important for you to make sure that the financial prize is unrestricted?
This is about creating a space for Black artists to thrive. Artists know how to best use the resources given to them. They know what they need. This is about making sure that they can make the decisions and the investments that are best suited towards sustaining themselves and fueling their creativity. We just want to make sure that we’re putting artists in the front seat in terms of the decision-making process.

Why did you to create the “Keep It 100” campaign — where the community donates $100 each rather than large donors — as a significant source of donations for the prize?
The “Keep It 100” campaign is really about leveraging the power of the village. And it is an opportunity for us to encourage individuals to make contributions of $100 or more in support of Black genius. It is an opportunity to highlight the fact that everyone has the capacity to make an impact. This is about us being able to sing a prayer song for this generation and future generations. And this is about investing in ourselves.

There is a great emphasis of generational lineage in The Black Genius Foundation’s mission through mentorships and looking towards the past to influence the future. Who was one of your earliest influences who inspired your career?
Toni Morrison. She’s the first artist that helped me to really see myself. Reading “The Bluest Eye” when I was in high school felt like a breath of fresh air. The work is dark, but it also forces us to think about our humanity more deeply and our responsibility within society. It helped me want to create space for us to see ourselves powerfully reflected.

When I think about my arts career, Toni Morrison is at the foundation. So this feels like a full-circle moment. I remember reading Morrison in high school, and then I remember listening to Black Star in college, and their song “Thieves in the Night.” It picks up the epilogue of “The Bluest Eye” in their chorus, “Not strong (Only aggressive), Not free (We only licensed)…” We’re all tied to lineage. Think about artists within continuums as it relates to genres and disciplines. They’re operating out of generational lineage and inspirational lineage.

I am here because of every single artist that I’ve had the privilege and honor of working with. Every presentation, every song has impacted and imprinted on me and helped to shape who I am as a curator. There are so many artists who have influenced my work [and] where I draw inspiration. This is a part of the lineage and the continuum from which I operate. 

To learn more about The Black Genius Foundation and their inaugural awards, visit here or follow on Instagram at @blackgenousfoundation. To donate to the “Keep It 100” campaign visit here. For other ways to support the foundation visit here.

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Nicole Schaller