The 5th Annual Black Art Matters Festival took place on Thursday, March 24, 2022 in the Powerhouse at Amherst College. The 5th Annual BAM comprised a performing arts festival, visual arts exhibition at the Mead Art Museum, and an exhibition of literary works curated by The Common in the Beyond the Words Gallery at Frost Library. Learn about the 2022 featured student artists and watch the recording of the performing arts festival. 

Meet the BAM 2022 Festival Artists

A Black woman lays in the grass on a bright day. The image focuses on her face and crops out her chin. Her hand is strewn across her forehead and a flower rests on her palm. Her braided hair lays in the grass, sprinkled with flowers.

Maëlle Sannon (she/her)

Maëlle Sannon (Class of 2024) is a economics and LJST whose photo series, "Maëlle in Bloom" is feature in this year's BAM Festival Exhibition. Maëlle writes "Amherst has given me the opportunity to venture into photography for the first time."

@maellesannon
Photo of Amherst College student, Kendall Greene. Greene wears a green camo jacket and sits in front of a forest and stream.

Kendall Greene (she/her/they/them)

Kendall Greene (Class of 2024) is an Art and the History of Art major with a focus in the Practice of Art. Kendall first participated in BAM as a freshman and this year is one of the BAM student program coordinators. Her piece, "I'm your doll" will be featured in this year's BAM student exhibition.

@kendalllikesflowers
Photograph of Amherst College student, Zora Duncan. She wears a dark grey tank top and her hair rests just below her shoulders.

Zora Duncan (she/her)

Zora Duncan (Class of 2023) is an Anthropology major with three pieces showcased in the BAM Student Art Exhibition. Duncan writes, "in terms of inspiration, I usually find myself most inspired by the emotions and experiences of people close to me, and thus the friends I’ve made at Amherst have been a huge source of inspiration."

@gabourah
A selfie of a Black man in dreadlocks wearing a light turquoise tee, looking away from the camera, his mouth slightly open. Sunlight falls across his face.

Ernest Jr (he/him)

Ernest Jr (Class of 2023) is a Black Studies major, a poet, a writer, and a saxophone player who credits his ancestors, family and close friends with helping him find the will to share his art. Ernest will be performing his poem "Where does my joy begin?" at this year's BAM Festival.

@ejsmarty
Photo of Amherst College student, Quincy Smith. Smith has short dreads and wears a white Champion sweatshirt.

Quincy Smith (he/him)

Quincy Smith (Class of 2025) is a English and Black Studies major. At the BAM Festival, Smith will perform his spoken word piece, "I Don't Believe in Anything but Cashmere Sweaters." Smith writes, "Black art is in its own league that deserves a physical place of celebration."

@theanybodyproject
A Black woman in long dreadlocks wearing a pink tank top smiling at the camera and giving a thumbs up. There are green trees, green hills and a vast green field behind her.

Alana Bailey (she/her)

Alana Bailey (Class of 23) is a Mathematics and Economics major and a flexible artist who does not have a method set in stone. She considers the upcoming annual Black Arts Matter Festival “a space where black art can be appreciated and understood through a shared connection.” Her photograph, "Reflect", is featured in this year's student exhibition.

@picsalanatakes
Photograph of Amherst College student, Abadai Zoboi. She wears a purple and blue facemask and sits on the back of an armchair.

Abadai Zoboi (she/her)

Abadai Zoboi (Class of 2024) is a dancer and Black Studies major who has “sparked the beginning of a project exploring the way Black women use dance as a tool of freedom at Amherst College.” Abadai pencil drawing “Mother Nature” and live dance performance– “BreatheTouchFeelRelease Revived”– will be featured in this year’s BAM festival.

@aba_zoboi
A group of seven people in black shirts and black pants stand close together, their clasped hands raised above their heads and their legs spread mid-dance. The setting is lit dark blue.

DASAC (Dance and Step at Amherst College)

DASAC members Zulimah Sawab (Class of 2022), ACora Hickson (Class of 2025), Anniyah Rawlins (Class of 2023), Corri Hickson (Class of 2025), Iryna Sobchyshyna (Class of 2024), Justin Ruiz (Class of 2024), Lemara Williams (Class of 2022), Mica Nimkarn (Class of 2024), and Quincy Smith (Class of 2025) will perform "Back Again: Ode to the Past" at BAM!

@danceandstep.ac
A Black man with short dreadlocks and facial hair is smiling and wearing a multi-colored sweater with different shades of blue, green, white, and brown. The backdrop is an image of foliage in various shades of green.

Joseph-Jerome Raymond (he/him)

Jerome (Class of 2024) is an Environmental Studies major with a passion for both the natural world and music. He plays guitar, sings, writes, records, and will be performing at this year's BAM Festival. He hopes that the Black Art Matters festival can serve as a tool to inspire people to start creating art, especially if it’s something that they typically wouldn’t do.

@j.jeromeee
A Black woman sitting with ahnds clasped together and resting under her chin. She is wearing loop earrings, and a light pink and white hoodie. She has a 4B afro and a slight smile.

Tiia McKinney (she/her)

Tiia McKinney (Class of 2025) is an English major who found that the art class, “Translating Nature” helped her expand her work away from just portraiture to include landscape. For Tiia, the upcoming Black Art Matters Festival is an opportunity to focus on the “‘black experience” and provide students a space to share. Her painting "Roots" will be featured in the BAM Festival Exhibition.

@tiia.maleah
A Black nonbinary person with short dreadlocks gazes at the camera. There is sunlight shining through the window that makes their skin and silver jewelry sparkle. They are wearing a purple sweater.

Ayo Eniola (they/them)

Ayo is pursuing an interdisciplinary major and is not afraid to forge their own path. They see art as a critical aspect of life, especially Black life and culture. Ayo has three of their pieces features in this year's BAM Festival Exhibition. Ayo hopes that one day Black Art Matters Festival can expand into the entire Mead with more mediums and artists.

@inretrograde__
A selfie of a black feminine-looking person with a 4B afro and glasses, wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt and smiling up at the camera. There is a white pillar and green scenery behind them.

Neviah Waldron (they/them)

Neviah Waldron (Class of 2024) is a prospective Interdisciplinary major who says their visual artistic practice did not start large, but has nevertheless grown into something “fun and liberating.” Their painting "Floating in a Gentle Abyss" will be featured in this year's BAM Festival exhibition.

Amherst College student, Zachary Rivers, stands with his hand in his pocket in front of a brick wall.

Zachary Rivers (he/him)

Zachary Rivers (Class of 2024E) is a Biology major who believes that art is "a vital part of community and spiritual life." His print "Moonsight," which he created in the course, Hand-Drawn & Hand-Printed, will be featured in this year's BAM Festival Exhibition. Zachary writes, in Garand's course "I pushed my own boundaries and worked with a medium I had little experience in; printmaking."

@zach.rivers.art

Watch the 2022 Black Art Matters Festival