N.S. artists form national union for Black creators, celebrate with events
Nova Scotians have founded a new union for Black artists across Canada.
Created by writer and playwright Tara Taylor and actor, writer, and producer Christopher Bautista, the Union of Black Artists Society (UBAS) aims to give opportunities to Black artists in visual arts, music, film, theatre and fashion.
Taylor said when they first began talking to artists, it became apparent that there was strong support for the union in the community.
Bautista agreed.
“It’s been magic; it’s been kismet,” he said in an interview. “It was as if it was divinely guided, and everything just started to unfold.”
The two began talks about forming UBAS when they looked at other unions and guilds in entertainment, such as ACTRA and IATSE, and realized how few members were Black. Now, they can work with other groups to ensure artists can access the resources they need to realize their projects.
“There’s a lot of artists … that have been doing work that is worthy to be on Netflix, but they don’t have that resource, that opportunity,” Taylor said.
According to the co-founders, UBAS aims not only to help connect, promote and negotiate contracts for Black artists, but also to provide training and even housing for artists and crew traveling far from home. There is currently a plan to build apartment units for performance artists in hopes of reducing financial strain.
“Me, personally, I had to turn down a role because it just didn’t make sense financially,” Bautista said. “That’s not a position I ever want to see someone in.”
As a celebration of the new union and a showcase of local Black talent, UBAS is hosting a slew of weekend events from various artists and art media.
Events began on Friday evening, with an opening ceremony at Grand Parade that allowed artists to introduce themselves and share their stories. Featuring local singing talent Kailin Glasgow and Jupiter Reign, the ceremony closed out with a fashion show.
On Saturday, a celebration of east coast hip hop is taking place at The Carleton on Argyle. Featuring a wide roster of rapping personalities, the show is also in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip hop.
Later in the evening, a concert showcasing Black musical artists will be hosted at Grand Parade as part of Crescendo Festival. Most notably: Canadian MC Michie Mee will be performing. The event is free to attend.
“It is time to take charge and carve out our own space, focusing the spotlight on our talented musical community,” organizer Micah Smith said in a news release.
Sunday will feature an afternoon church service, once again at Grand Parade.
Closing out the weekend events is the inaugural Black Theatre Festival, showcasing playwrights young and old. The theatre showcase is also a sort of workshop – playwrights will present one-act plays, and attendees will be given copies of each script so that playwrights can learn and develop them into a full show for the following year.
For more details on UBAS, visit the official website at https://unionofblackartistssociety8.wildapricot.org
