Creatives After Curfew :

BIPOC/Queer artists & allies creating art to soothe, build & imagine a future rooted in justice + liberation.

Creatives After Curfew is a decentralized collective composed of local/independent BIPOC, white-accomplice and Queer artists from the Twin Cities. The group initially mobilized to gather resources, share knowledge and respond to injustice surrounding the killing of George Floyd. Our collective has since transformed into a platform used to create temporary and permanent murals as a source of healing, possibility, and activism for communities in need. 

Creatives After Curfew is run by a core team of eight established working artists and curators who identify as a mixture of BIPOC and white accomplice individuals. Other members of the group identify as part of or have deep relationships with local Queer and immigrant communities. Our core team of eight meets regularly to discuss projects, strategize next steps, deepen our relationships with each other, and communicate with the wider network of artists. The core group formed organically based on shared morals, values, and artist goals and ranges from emerging artists to experienced muralists. Through our collective, we invite leaders for each mural project based on interest and or personal connection to the communities and/or values the project serves, with priority given to Black and Indigenous artists. As mentioned, Creatives After Curfew is a non-hierarchical decentralized collective, people take on roles according to their capacities and skills. Since then, we’ve split into teams and painted multiple murals a day, sharing resources, ideas, and knowledge. We believe that artists have more power when we lift each other up, and prioritize BIPOC voices and narratives all while continuing to self-govern our artists-led collective.

Creatives After Curfew’s approach to artmaking is through community building, education, and allyship. We prioritize uplifting narratives rooted in liberation, accessibility, and exploration. A major impetus for convening was to amplify the voices, narratives and perspectives of the communities we see ourselves reflected in through public artmaking. A crucial component of our artmaking is not only our ability to build trusting relationships with residents while incorporating their feedback and experience into the design but also the ability to showcase futures rooted in equity, health, belonging, and safety. Our collective believes in putting artists at the forefront of benefit, by pairing them with projects that complement their abilities and reflect the communities they serve. Creatives After Curfew is an example of how our collective is accountable for the communities we serve.