The Color Network

In 1991, Bobby Scroggins, Professor of ceramic art at the University of Kentucky School of Art and Visual Studies, attended the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference. There, he recognized that artists of color were significantly disadvantaged from accessing opportunities and recognition for their work. He felt similarities reverberating between NCECA and many other organizations that were “at best, indifferent to the plight of artists of color, Black artists in particular.” During the conference, he arranged meetings and conversations with other Black and Brown artists as well as with allies.

In 2018, thanks to Natalia Arbelaez, April Felipe, Salvador Jiménez-Flores, and Yinka Orafidiya, The Color Network (TCN) formed as an organization. The Color Network is an active and visionary organization with a stated mission “to aid in the advancement of people of color in the ceramic arts,” and maintains a Leadership Committee of at least five people, each holding the title of Co-Organizer. Today, TCN welcomes artists of color at all stages of their artistic journey, meeting annually at the NCECA Conference, hosting exhibitions and panels, and attending community events. To help give these artists a platform, TCN maintains a database, featuring the fantastic and diverse work and websites of dozens of artists of color, many of whom maintain online shops through their websites. By maintaining an active Instagram page, TCN reaches even more broadly into the community by highlighting esteemed and emerging ceramic artists, in addition to offering resources for the community.

One of TCN’s most exciting recent projects is a partnership with Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts to offer artist residencies for TCN mentors and mentees, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts Grants for Arts Projects. These residencies take place at Watershed in Maine to encourage TCN mentors and mentees to build and strengthen relationships while creating their artwork.

In 2021 and 2022, TCN artists from all over the country gathered at Watershed to participate in the residency. Natalia Arbelaez is a Colombian American ceramic artist who is also a TCN Co-Organizer. She attended the residency and said, “As someone who has had difficulty asking for help or even connecting to teachers and immediate communities I was in, I wanted to make it easier for other artists of color to feel comfortable.”

Salvador Jimenez-Flores, who also serves as a TCN Co-Organizer, expressed similar sentiments. “Most of the art residencies that I have done in the USA are not very diverse from staff, board of directors, and artists in residence. I often felt like I was the one or one of the few artists of color and often felt like I couldn’t fully be me. The Color Network residency was the opposite, everyone showed respect, love and vulnerability.”

Creating community is a key achievement of TCN, not only limited to the artists that participate directly in TCN’s Watershed residency, but also for the growing number of ceramic artists of color nationwide. Through TCN’s active, persistent, and intentional work, these artists now have many of the networking, resource, and mentoring opportunities that were previously out of reach. As TCN continues their work into the future, such opportunities will continue to expand and help level the field for everyone in the community.

Note: This blog article has been updated from its original version for accuracy.