Our Story
Black Artist Forward began long before it had a name. On November 1st, 2022, at a table inside the Fayetteville-Cumberland Regional Entrepreneur & Business HUB, two women—April Mata and Shakeyla Ingram—were invited into a conversation that would spark a movement. Neither knew at the time that they were stepping into the very first moments of what would become Black Artist Forward.
From those early conversations, the need was clear: Black artists in our community deserved more resources, more opportunities, and more recognition. On March 10th, 2023, we launched the very first Black Artist Forum. The response was overwhelming—a resounding call for continued action. Just days later, on March 13th, we began the process of becoming a nonprofit, officially completing our journey on April 18th, 2024.
Since that first forum, Black Artist Forward has grown into a vital force in Cumberland County and beyond. We have:
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Hosted over a dozen professional development workshops
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Brought art into the community through a city-wide Black Art Crawl
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Produced three seasons of “Kissed by the Sun”, our outdoor immersive exhibit that has been experienced by more than 200,000 people
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Presented five exhibitions
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Distributed over $1,000 in honorarium awards and paid $850 directly to artists for their contributions
Our work has reached national stages as well. In August 2024, April and Shakeyla were invited to speak at Artists Thr!ve, advocating for the needs and brilliance of Black artists. And in August 2025, thanks to generous donations and community support, we launched the Thrive Fund, an emergency microgrant program providing direct support to artists when they need it most.
To further strengthen connections, we created Creative Sidequests, hosting six events that spotlight and celebrate local Black art and artists.
What began as a simple invitation to a table has grown into a movement. Black Artist Forward is proof of what can happen when vision, community, and creativity come together. And this is only the beginning.