About

Art 25: Art in the 25th Century is a dynamic collective comprised of artists Lisa Jarrett (Portland, OR), Lehua M. Taitano (San Francsico, CA), and Jocelyn Kapumealani Ng (Honolulu, HI). It is the culmination of years (and ancestral lifetimes) of shared curiosity, vision, and an outright insistence to see their culture thrive within contemporary art. Art 25 investigates how Indigenous and Black art lives in the 21st century and collaborates with contemporary artists worldwide who envision how it will flourish in the 25th century and beyond. In forming a future archive, the collective interrogates historical access, curation, collection, consumption, and preservation of Indigenous and Black art and culture.

Art 25 has been featured in exhibitions by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, Orí Gallery, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Arts Research Center at UC Berkeley, Arc Gallery and Studios, Delisted ( created by Jennifer Calkins), Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum in Long Beach, and Pilele Projects in Los Angeles.

Interested in supporting Art 25’s work? Please read our statement below:

Beyond Collecting–On Economics and Supporting Contemporary Black and Indigenous Artists 

The violent history of collecting Black and Indigenous art means that too often the work we produce has lived outside of our communities, denying its accessibility to future generations. In many cases, our cultural objects and artworks have been stolen and misappropriated without attribution or compensation. 

Today, the cost and labor of making art are substantial, yet artists of color still have little access to resources and funding. In order to receive compensation for our work, most artists rely on the sale of individual art pieces. Prices can seem arbitrarily determined, and the “value” of an art object becomes subjective. In this capitalist model, collection and consumption take precedence over collective experience and process. Further, the relative unaffordability of a work of art limits our communities’ participation as both financial contributors and contemporary practitioners. 

How do we repair this model? 

Support Art 25’s ongoing cultural work by helping us keep our work within our communities. Consider participating in a community-based economic model to financially enable Black and Indigenous artists. Instead of collecting our work, let us decide where our art should live: be it in our schools, libraries, or community centers. Contribute what you can, based on your personal resources. Whether it is $5 or $5,000, your commitment is deeply valued.