Collective aims to serve as ‘launchpad’ for Black trans femme artists

These days, under an administration that has made several cuts to arts funding, creative resources may be difficult to secure for marginalized communities — particularly for Black trans femme folks.

“Black trans femmes were often left out of crucial art scholarship and art history,” says Jordyn Jay, who founded Black Trans Femmes in the Arts (BTFA) in an effort to produce and preserve Black trans femme art by providing resources, support, and building community with such artists.

Jay's work to uplift Black trans femme artists has connected community in Botswana, Brazil, France, Germany, Ghana, and Jamaica.

“I wanted to figure out how I could offer my expertise and my resources to contribute to building black trans femme art and culture,” said Jay, who has a Master's degree in Art Politics from New York University.

To combat exclusion and erasure, Jay's mission through BTFA is to create a canon of Black trans femme art.

BTFA launched the artist residency program in 2020 as a visual arts program to help Black trans femme artists grow their craft. Later, it expanded into other practices.

“This program was created really to be a launchpad for Black trans femmes to another level of their career,” says Jay.

The Artist Residency is open to all Black trans femme artists with no more than two years experience creating cinematic or photographic work. The program will last approximately six months, but is flexible to the needs of the selected artist(s). Selected residents will receive an education and equipment stipend, career development counseling, and grant writing support for future endeavors. The deadline to apply is Oct. 31.

This cycle, BTFA's Artist Residency hones in on film and photography because the organization is expanding to provide a brand new 1,000 square foot studio for the resident to create in for free.

“We want an artist that's going to work closely with our team here and with the equipment that we have,” Jay said.

Jay added how important it was that BTFA continue this program not just to amplify the often neglected work of Black trans femme artists, but also to document a legacy for future artists.

“We're always looking at how can we preserve what we know to be our history that's already been in continuing to be erased," says Jay. "While also creating history for future generations and imagining what our future can look like."