50/50 Update
Rob Forbes
February 6th, 2024
Showing some love—
I don’t remember a time in my life when there has been greater social anxiety and uncertainty locally, nationally, and internationally. I just listened to a smart journalist who predicted that 2024 was going to be brutal socially in the US. The drumbeat of US election will intensify. The attendant anxiety and Trumpian PTSD will send most of us scurrying off for some safe place to hide. The journalist’s suggestion was to keep our friends and family close and to patch up relationships that have slipped away. We will need more empathy and support for those less fortunate, more time in nature, more dog walks, longer meals together. We will need to show more love. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words seem especially relevant.
"Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love."
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
For our part, we are highlighting several Black-owned businesses we continue to support. Check them out. These small businesses are the antidote to shopping from the corporate giants: buying from them directly supports their local community. Consider making a purchase from one or more of them to start off 2024. Click here to learn more.
Studio 50/50 in 2024
We’ll also show a little love for some new friends and partners that we have gotten to know this past year, voices that give us a sense of optimism in this messy and anxious world. If you’d like to support and partner with us on this in 2024, just send a note. Mentors and supporters welcome.
Dario Calmese
Institute for Black Imagination
New York, NY
Dario is an American creative director, photographer, and design theorist and a “generally curious guy”. Check out his exceptional podcast. His work is expansive and includes an innovative retail offering, “Space 001”, that will open at the Oculus at the World Trade Center in NYC later this Fall.
Tasha Schumann
Artist
Toronto, Canada
Tasha Schumann is a Canadian creator, community-builder, and explorer of the mind. A Juno-nominated recording artist (Tasha the Amazon), her work has been featured widely from HBO to Netflix, Comedy Central to video games, and she’s been profiled in media like Billboard Magazine, FADER, and New York Magazine. A passionate community-builder, Tasha works with organizations like Women in Music Canada to make opportunities for emerging artists.
Steven Burks
Designer
New York, NY
Stephen Burks is a prolific industrial designer, professor, author known not only for his personal work but also for his collaborations with artisans, political and cultural activism, as well as incorporating craft and weaving into product is the first African American to win the National Design Award for product design. His book, Shelter in Place, documents the breadth of his work and focus.
Eric Williams
The Silver Room, Founder
Chicago, IL
Eric has been rocking it in Chicago since 1997 with The Silver Room, a Chicago institution and brand whose mission is to create a global community through art and culture. His work includes podcasts, epic music block parties, cool restaurants and numerous other activities to support the Black community.
Maurice Woods
Inneract Project
Richmond, CA
Maurice “Mo” Woods has been leading this 18+ year nationally recognized non-profit working with historically marginalized people of color, from middle school to early career, to explore design in college, career, and life.