"Progressive art can assist people to learn not only about the objective forces at work in the society in which they live, but also about the intensely social character of their interior lives. Ultimately, it can propel people toward social emancipation." -Angela Davis
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damali ayo is an artist and performer who believes in social change and the promise of the potential of this country and humanity. That's not always easy, but damali tries to make it simple, accessible, and even fun. Check out her "I CAN FIX IT" project for 10 easy ways to overcome racism as an example of how she infuses energy into tired conversations about race relations in the U.S.
She is the creator of the satirical and controversial web-art-performance site RENT-A-NEGRO.COM
BRING DAMALI TO YOU! : send an email to [email protected] for a rousing presentation that will keep your community talking for months after.
damali recently launched the innovative NOW ART GRANTS program. This program uses your individual donations to fund art and artists that catalyze social change.
damali is also the author of your favorite book: HOW TO RENT A NEGRO A must-read book that gleefully blows past the boundaries of tentative talk on current race relations" - BUST Magazine
How to Rent a Negro is a hilarious and satirical look at race relations that is almost too close for comfort, this pseudo-guidebook gives both renters and rentals "much-needed" advice and tips on technique. Tips are provided in step-by-step outlines for renters to get the most for their money, and how rentals can become successful and wealthy, what they should wear, and topics of conversation to avoid. The book also serves up photo-dramatizations of some of the popular approaches covered in the book, handy tip-boxes, frequently asked questions for renters and rentals, a "How do I know if I'm being rented" quiz, a glossary of important terms, and "quickie" insta-rentals for those who need to rent on the go.
Join the How to Rent a Negro myspace group
NOW ON ITUNES and other digital music outlets! damali ayo LIVE. Ayo turns bookstores into comedy clubs with readings from HOW TO RENT A NEGRO. As an added bonus, ayo shares the stories behind the book about her 30 plus years as a "professional black person."
Do you need a "touch your own hair" t-shirt? Get one now, for you, your best friend, and your best friend's kid at "rent-a-negro TOKENS" for official rent-a-negro.com merchandise.
What Did She Just Say? is a collection of public radio stories about my art including my experience panhandling for reparations and having several paint mixers match paint to different parts of my body.
Living the Green Life and Black.Brown.Green.
On her website and in lectures across the country, damali shares her user-friendly strategies for living a life that is gentle on the earth, easy on the budget, and rewarding to the spirit. She founded BlackBrownGreen.com as a web portal of resources and information that integrate people of color and their needs and issues with the movement for environmental sustainability. It is a place for people of color to learn about green living and develop an understanding of how issues of social justice and environmental sustainability are interlinked not only in the political world, but in daily lives as well.
NOW ART is a series of participatory art/performance projects. damali offers this genre of work as "Now Art" because the works are immediate, accessible, participatory, low-cost, and deal with current issues that we face as a community/society. When you participate you are creating a moment- something that happens in the "now" and hopefully generates a cascade of thought and change for the future.
more info, exhibitions and press at: damaliayo.com
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Artist Statement
I create accessible interactive "Now Art" that engages current social issues through any and all media suitable to the task.
My work has a relentless desire to engage the audience and generate an authentic experiences for our society. I explore social/political issues that permeate our culture and our everyday experiences. I strive to create a shift in a viewer's perspective on our world and our positions within it.
Art should make people think and feel. When we are handed a mirror, we see ourselves and the culture that surrounds us. We can look away or we can look deeply, realizing we have been given an opportunity to change anything in our view.
It is the responsibility of art to be that mirror.
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