By Alanah Nichole Davis
We got a chance to catch up with Black and woman founder of Creative Nomads, Kayenecha Daugherty or Kaye as she’s better known to folks who have crossed paths. In the essence of our CLLCTIVLY #28DaysofBlackFutures campaign, we asked this dynamic founder and Executive Director why Creative Nomads does what they do in their mission to advocate for the professional development of arts entrepreneurs and to provide access to art, music, and cultural education and programming for youth and families. Kaye says, “At Creative Nomads we believe that art has the ability to have a powerful impact on all of our lives and can be used as a tool to improve our collective existence.
Inspired by some innovators and leaders in art and in the nonprofit/philanthropy space who inspire her including Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Diane Bell-Mckoy, Cheryl L. Dorsey, Ava Duvernay and so many more, Kaye saw a gap in her community and went to work feeling very simply that, “Everybody loves art, but could care less about the artist”. Creative Nomads was founded to change that. With the firm belief that art makers are just as important as the finished work of art and that supporting their craft with resources and tools benefits us all Kaye has been creating access to art and art experiences for everyone in her Baltimore community for what she calls, “community cousins” since the early aughts, “Knowing what our community cousins think and feel is serious to us”, she says confidently.
Through Creative Nomads art is being used as a tool for elevation self-discovery and preservation to fight back against oppression in marginalized communities where art might be seen as exclusive. “Art should never be exclusive”, Kaye says firmly.
At Creative Nomads their goal is to make a wide variety of art available to support what she says is this organizations mantra:
“Art is the universal expression of our souls and is powerful enough to influence the course of our lives. Art, music, and culture are tools used to build the appreciation of one’s humanity and the humanity of others. These tools should not be a luxury for some. They are a right for all to be enriched by, engaged with, and enjoyed. Creative Nomads is committed to providing access to art for all”.
We all know well the universal expression of our souls as Black people is powerful enough to influence the course of our lives and others and we’ve seen that time and time again through our culture. Kaye envisions a #BlackFuture where if money were no object, Creative Nomads would host our Comrades In Arts programs (Navigation, Excavation, The Exchange, Comrade Chats, and more) monthly to bolster and fortify area arts professionals’ personal and professional development in our own Creative Nomads craft innovation space (a fully funded and functioning building of course). She says they would also have their Where Art Starts arts programming for youth at every school in Baltimore City and throughout the Mid Atlantic that included parent engagement experiences while ensuring that their Learning Leaders (program facilitators) were paid fairly and abundantly for passing along their craft. This leader says that in addition to all that they would host one annual festival, conference, and even an international arts exchange program!
Black History Month is not the limit for this Black founder who believes that she’s watching the magic in her heart and head manifests into the physical, most times against extreme opposition and with a staggering lack of resources and traditional knowledge to be able to pull from.
At CLLCTIVLY we know that being a Black Founder means making things happen against all odds with joy and enormous vision, we support that work 365 days of the year. Creative Nomads has not even scratched the surface of the programs and experiences they want to provide to support arts professionals or to provide access to arts to youth and families. We believe they’ve designed some pretty innovative platforms, pipelines and visions which is easily why they and so many others are being highlighted in the month of February. For more information and to volunteer or contribute, visit cllctivly.org/listing/the-creative-nomads/ or follow them on Instagram @creative_nomads
All February, we’re honoring a few of the many Black leaders in our community making history every day with #28DaysofBlackFutures.
This is a crowdfunding and narrative power campaign that amplifies and mobilizes resources for Black-led organizations serving Greater Baltimore.
Throughout the month, we will highlight 28 dedicated Black leaders and organizations on the ground creating programs and initiatives that drive health, wealth, safety, and culture in #Baltimore.
Let’s CELEBRATE these changemakers and SUPPORT their work! Our goal is to raise $100,000 by the end of this campaign.
Head over to 28DaysofBlackfutures.org to donate today! ❤️🖤💚
Let’s show up BIG for our Black leaders and their organizations!
