Collective Relevance: Curating Black Art & History Through Independent Praxis

The purpose of this interactive presentation is to introduce participants to ART | library deco an online African American digital library and repository. Participants will have the opportunity to subscribe to the library online in real time, interact with the library while listening to the presentation, visit the repository, and learn how to be included in two open access projects: ARCHIVE-it! & Black COVID-19 Index. Track:Why Museums?

Transcript

Unknown Speaker 00:47
you're muted. Hi, how are you? I'm good. I'm Carolyn with MCM. I love your glasses. Thank you.

Unknown Speaker 00:57
Just like it's been a long week already.

Unknown Speaker 01:02
Yes, it has. So I wanted to just really quickly go through a couple technical things. I think we have plenty of time. So are you planning on presenting slides or Okay, so when we get towards the end and you have 10 minutes left, I'm going to start chatting at you just 10 minutes, five minutes, two minutes so that you know that the time that you have left, can you pop out the chat box because I know when you're in presentation mode, it's really hard to see the chat. Do you have two screens by agents? Uh huh. Okay, cool. Maybe you can put a chat on one. Okay. So yeah, it is and you know, people are going to be asking a lot of questions. So I suspect it's going to be you'll have to keep your eye on the chat because you're the only speaker right right. That's a big lift. There's not very MANY of you doing one session, one speaker on the session.

Unknown Speaker 01:53
It's good. Well, I created it, and hopefully they'll see we're gonna hire someone next year to go Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 01:59
that's right. Okay, I think that's really all I did. We are already transcribing and you can see that the closed captioning is going. I will press record when it's time when we open the meeting. Okay, and I'm going to make you a co host just in case anything should happen with my Wi Fi. It's crazy windy here today. But please don't admit anybody to the meeting on that. Take care of that. It's a distraction. And I know you're gonna see it when you're presenting but just ignore it and I'll take care of

Unknown Speaker 02:33
it. Do you have any questions for me?

Unknown Speaker 02:37
Can I just share my screen? Please do Yeah, a presentation is where it needs to be.

Unknown Speaker 02:44
Do you have any audio or video in your?

Unknown Speaker 02:47
Uh, yeah, like I do. Have Canva canvas. I think there's one of those Canva Microsoft. I'm not a Microsoft girl. I'm a Google girl. So this was very interesting creating this PowerPoint. I put a few like things that will move but it's something that I have to control.

Unknown Speaker 03:08
There's no audio. Yeah, no.

Unknown Speaker 03:11
Okay, great.

Unknown Speaker 03:13
So let me put it on present real quick. And then let's just go through the slides to see.

Unknown Speaker 03:32
So you see that little thing moving? Did you see that?

Unknown Speaker 03:36
Sorry. I was locked away for a second 200 refresh it.

Unknown Speaker 03:40
Oh, I did that. Yep. That's great. Cool.

Unknown Speaker 15:16
So this is gonna be interesting. We have 45 minutes

Unknown Speaker 15:23
for be great, a nice cozy conversation. Get some smiles in. Yeah. I was smiling under the underneath

Unknown Speaker 15:32
the mask. The mask says I'm actually smiling. That was like, I am like, good. Like chill out people.

Unknown Speaker 15:48
Yeah. I feel like I need to use like more than my eyes to show it like body language. You know, like, just show that I'm smiling.

Unknown Speaker 15:59
Yeah. I mean Hello, I hope I'm saying your name right. The New

Unknown Speaker 16:12
Day Anita. Yeah. Donita

Unknown Speaker 16:17
that pronunciation and kindergarten. helps out. Nice to meet you. Thank you for coming. So appreciate the brave souls

Unknown Speaker 16:37
it doesn't take a whole lot of bravery. On our side, at least.

Unknown Speaker 16:44
Jason Smith thank you for joining us. Just Carolina. Nice to meet you. Oh, okay. She said there's an issue with his only will still be good. Okay. Jason, Miss Anna

Unknown Speaker 17:03
Carolina. It yourself a nice Carolina. I liked it.

Unknown Speaker 17:09
Kira Lena. Oh, Cara. sounds even better. MANISH So Hara Nina okay. But I it's like he Okay, I just didn't want to change my pronunciation. Thank you. everyone for joining me today

Unknown Speaker 17:39
chat box

Unknown Speaker 17:48
and I'll go ahead and give you like a little activity if you want to do this

Unknown Speaker 18:02
you can go ahead and pull up the screen for every deck out get you a free library subscription. Or you become an art patron and you'll learn about that later. Just to get familiarized with what we're about to talk about. And I just like to let everybody know I am in the state of Texas, Austin, Texas. I don't know if you hear that Twain. Some people say I have it. Some people say I don't. It just depends on what day but I do say y'all so you will hear that. Okay. It's gloomy outside. My dog is here. Her name is Roxy blue. She's a girl. She's an Australian Shepherd and blue healer. She's nine years old. I've had her since she was two months. She's chilling. So she makes it through without barking she'll get a treat. Maybe she's kind of bougie but thank you, everyone. for joining me. Thank you, Texas Twain. If you're interested, you can put where you're from. I would love to know. Oh, you were born in Dallas. I was born to Fort Worth. So you know Dallas and Fort Worth you but we are we act completely differently

Unknown Speaker 19:35
Wow, she was born in Dallas. Whoa

Unknown Speaker 19:42
California. Oh my God, my good friend is coming down from LA in two weeks. Am I gonna get the front of my crib together? Canada. Okay, I haven't visited Canada yet, but I will be New York. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker 20:00
Cold at times.

Unknown Speaker 20:04
Chicago American Library Association black librarians. So I think we are Yeah, we're gonna go ahead and get started. So I'm going to do is share my screen like about 14 slides but it's not a lot of information but it is a lot of information. So I once I'm done, I'll log back on with you. And we can talk. You can ask questions. There's a small survey with three questions that I would just like to know what you thought about the presentation. So here we go. We'll start out with the quote a great leaders courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position, John C. Maxwell.

Unknown Speaker 21:26
Okay, here we go people

Unknown Speaker 21:37
first of all, I want to say I'm very animated so you're gonna laugh we're gonna smile and have a good time. I am not a Microsoft shit, but I did this in a PowerPoint. So I want to pat myself on the back. Okay. Collective relevance curating black art and history through independent practices. My name is Kimberly Keaton. I have a master's in library science certified archivist and I'm a PhD student at the University of North Texas and Information Science, majoring in interdisciplinary studies.

Unknown Speaker 22:20
So today, what we're going to be talking about is our ever deco

Unknown Speaker 22:28
so you've just met me briefly. I'm going to give you a presentation overview creative influences, artists practices, the future and just a little small, interactive session.

Unknown Speaker 22:45
Okay, so as you can see, my hair has changed. And, yeah, that was a big deal. But I feel like art, how did that happen? How did that begin in my life? So I want to talk to you that you can read the slides I'll make come in and out my mother introduced me to art, like at the age of six, I kind of pride myself being that I'm African American. And my mom made sure that I knew who Giorgio Keef was. Yes, she did. I'm very thankful. For my upbringing. As an art practitioner, as an artist, as a writer, as a creative, I began creating collage art at the age of eight. I used to take these collages and I would like make massive installations. My mother's home, okay. He allowed this to happen at a very young age for me, which is why you see these glasses that I have on today. Because I'm always thinking outside the box, always thinking about what can I do different to help society from an artistic point of view? Through my journey as an African American Vivino, file librarian, archivist, archivist, an art collector I've always wanted to own an art gallery. I'm doing my graduate student practicum is when I met the future art library Deco. And we'll get into more about that

Unknown Speaker 24:30
I have always wanted my art to service my people to reflect us to relate to us to stimulate us to make us aware of our potential we have to create an art for the liberation and for life, Elizabeth Catlett. I got to stay with Elizabeth Catlett, who passed away probably about five years ago and Cuernavaca Morelos Mexico. And I was with her for a whole summer she's a sculpture artist. She was a sculpture artist, very well known internationally, and I just remember her telling me, Kim, you need to get on a train and you need to ride. You need to ride and you need to see life you need to ride and you can do that by yourself.

Unknown Speaker 25:21
I was 30 Today I'm 45 I just turned 45 In September, by the way. So

Unknown Speaker 25:35
the presentation overview. During this presentation you will be introduced to art library deco and online African American virtual art library. And like manner you will learn about like artists, elements, spaces and places that helped make this vision into a reality in the 21st century. I'm engaged with the Virtual Art Deco. Now while watching this presentation by subscribing. Just go to www dot art library deco deskspace your free library subscription so before I get into this this pictorial of these black women, what I want to say is that when I was getting my undergrad now remember my mom used to take me to museums, she introduced me to the art world she was into fashion my brother's an architect, my sister's a chef, I'm the librarian, and so much more. Um, and I just remember going to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston like in 2006 Okay, now remember I was introduced to art like at the age of six. I go into the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and I see that they have an art library. And I was just like so taken aback. I was like, that was like an art library in a museum. So there's another institution within an institution and I didn't know that so I kind of like channeled my mom in her spirit. And I was just like, you know, why did you like what happened to that door? Like, why don't we go in there? And I'm lonely and behold, you know, I'm trying to figure out once I get my undergrad degree like Well, how am I going to survive in these United States as a creative writer? Like how am I going to do this? So I'll just say one day, I'm in my studio apartment in Houston, Texas, and just the word librarian just like, just like flashes across my screen. I'm so serious when I say that. Like for me and God, we're different. And I look around my room and I see all these books and art that I've collected over the years and I'm like, I think I need to be a librarian. So enter into the University of North Texas, and that is when my life just completely opened getting my master's degree. Um, so we'll segue into these women, whom I met during that time. Here you have Jean Blackwell Hudson, who was the first African American librarian and director of the black Schomburg in Harlem, New York. She was an arts advocate writer and you see fashionista like I just I love fashion here we have Regina and Andrews, who was the first dubbed the first African American Harlem Renaissance librarian. Then we have Lillian B. Horace, who is from what Fort Worth, Texas she opened up the first African American Library at I am, I am Tarl High School, which was the first African American High School in Fort Worth, Texas, as well as being in ours kind of soar club woman and just a fantastic writer. Then, we have here I'm quite sure you know Felicia Rashad, if you don't from the Cosby Show, and her sister Debbie Allen, where their mother was a librarian from Houston. Vivian Ayers. She was the first black art librarian hired and given tenure at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Then we have Miss Mamie Clayton, who opened up the first African American Museum and Library in California. Then we have Miss Gwendolyn Bennett, who is from Giddings, Texas, who was a part of the Harlem Renaissance movement. An artist kind of sore was the second in charge of the Harlem community art center. Augusta savage founded the Center in Harlem then we have this Camille Billups who was also an archivist. Um,

Unknown Speaker 30:05
I mean, she just I mean, and I actually got to meet her and she archives like one of my pieces of artwork that I created, like just an amazing person when she was alive. And then we have Miss Bella Decosta Green, who was the first librarian to JPMorgan Chase and built his library collection and was an art librarian and an art kind of store all of these women, my ancestors from afar have played a role in who I am today as an art librarian, as someone who says that, in spite of being in a world that doesn't look like me, the museum world, the visual arts world, I still can be this person. And though you don't want to give me a seat at the table, I decided to take my own seats. So here's a little bit more about these individuals that I'll let you read briefly.

Unknown Speaker 31:14
And I would say the person who has influenced me the most would be Vivian Ayers, and maybe a Clayton being that they both were, quote unquote librarians quote. UNQUOTE, in the arts world, but these librarians were all creative in their own right and made a name for themselves contributed heavily to scholarship. Some received their PhDs others master's degrees, and then some just you know, geniuses while they were out.

Unknown Speaker 31:56
So, you know, I take pride in this little thing I made y'all see that movie. Did y'all see that? Like, I take pride in that I gotta do that one watch. Polo real quick. I had to do that one more time. Sorry about that. But I wanted to put like a little mind map for you to see. You know how this all started. You know, I've been an entrepreneur all my life. Um, but here goes spring 2012 Remember, I told you that like, came across my screen and I was like, okay, I can become a librarian. I can eat every day and be this person and have health insurance and all these other things you have to have in society, to be an artist to to be an artist to be an artist to be an artist. I had to do this to be an artist in these United States. So I enrolled in the School of Information department of Library Science at the University of North Texas, and decided that art librarianship was the best fit for my career as an entrepreneur and I did not steer wrong with that fall 2013 I applied to the harsh library. Remember that library I have walked into in 2006 You know, life, it's just like ever turning, it's ever turning. Go back to that same place. And ask Could I do my practicum there as well as the African American Museum around the corner of the Houston Museum of African American History and Culture, I go inside of there, and there is no art library. But in every institution, every museum, major institution in these United States

Unknown Speaker 33:32
that are white, European

Unknown Speaker 33:35
to have art libraries, but what about the black library? Okay, so I'm thinking about this in my mind during this whole process, spring fall, completing practicum I began working on art every deco because I was just like, I gotta do something like that's just the type of person I am like, if I don't see it, like Toni Morrison says if you don't see free, why not? So I started like with WordPress with these tabs, just like you know, okay, here's a tab. Let me put something here and maybe I should put a post up and start. I don't know what I'm doing. But it started to develop, it started to develop and I had no idea that I was curating information because all of these times we're starting to use now. You know, digitizing, curating, and you know, everybody's a curator. Everybody's famous, you know, we're all famous if you have a social media account. So graduation takes place. And I'm still working on art library, DECA on the side in the background. I get my first job at Lincoln University there for three years where remember, I'm an entrepreneurial you know, you have that mindset. You don't stay in places long working for other people. Okay. So I was like okay, I think I'm gonna take one more position, and I did. That's why I'm in Austin, Texas right now. accepted the role of the African American community archivist and librarian at the Austin History Center, Austin Public Library from yo 2018 to July 22. Once you see those years, three years, that's a wrap for Kim Kim. We can't do it after three years. We can't. So I told God in July that if you let me walk away financially sound I won't walk into another institution and work for anyone else. I mean that too, but I love my freedom, independence. I love being able to walk wake up and you see this right here, like

Unknown Speaker 35:30
yes, like, yes, yes.

Unknown Speaker 35:35
What is the moment when art went pop? That's my look. That's my monitor. That's that's art library. Deco. Like I know, it's fading in and out. But yeah, I kind of liked it. That's kind of cool.

Unknown Speaker 35:49
So,

Unknown Speaker 35:51
today throughout this journey, I've realized that I will always serve others and in doing so continuing to develop art library deco throughout my professional career led me to want to forget the minutiae in the field and build a legacy. What is it my new show? microaggressions I'm a black woman in America. Who was a publisher, an archivist, a librarian, degreed, now working on a PhD, how dare you what, are you serious? Yes, with these glasses on I paid so why not? Where do you feel me when I'm saying like taking that road? of entrepreneurship and librarianship is so unheard of. I'm the co chair of the Society of American Archivists, the women's section war.

Unknown Speaker 36:46
I'm the arts Commissioner for district one. In Austin, Texas. I'm in so MANY other roles.

Unknown Speaker 36:57
But what's for me, what am I leaving? What am I leaving? art library Deco? I find it to be a part of wealth building for my family. generational wealth from an intellectual and financial standpoint so here we go people let's get let's get into it y'all see that is moving well. So I very deco sweet as the moment when art went pop is an online African American virtual art library, documenting the visual experience of art and literature through the eyes of various artists and institutions in the United States and abroad. We are more than just a website like I'm having to train people in terminology. Okay. The methodology used to develop the virtual art library is in conjunction with galleries libraries, archives, museums, called glam and refers to cultural institutions with a mission to provide access to knowledge, glands, collect and maintain cultural heritage materials in the public interest and preserve and make accessible primary sources valuable for researchers as an open source collaboration. The black galleries, libraries, archives, and museums be glam practice emerged. That defines art library deco as an independent glam institution. See in these United States, you gotta have scholarship behind you. You just can't walk them through selfie while the library No, that's it's not where we are. The Virtual Library features curated Alright, news, exhibitions, collections, and original reporting. And so much more. Hopefully you visited hopefully you have a subscription right now. And it's all by the Velo media, LLC. This is a real business people were for profit, but we still give out free library cards. Always forever. Yes, I'm a real business woman. This is not a game Okay, so let me give you a little bit of my business. I'll put you on our business a little bit. So continuing artists practice so how MANY patrons do we have how MANY subscribers because I know you want to know at this point, we got 300 Well 300 free virtual library subscribers. Um, as far as the our patrons is $36 to invest in art library deco annually, you can pay that in 369 12 or 36. Those increments and my goal going forward is to have five to 10 new art library patrons beginning in 2022. As far as our new marketing plan, we do have paid our patrons now but of course you always want that number to go up. I will never disclose that because that's where the money comes. Um, the number of library visits for this year I just thought that was fair to just focus on this year we had close to 2.5 So that's 2500 New visits in February 2021, which is the highest thus far the most visited space in the library in that particular month. Um, the art of the art LibGuide. So if you click on the art loop guide, you'll see what that's about. And the goal now is to turn you know those individuals from that 2.5 turn them into virtual library subscribers of countries visited like when I was looking at this, I was like, like, you better do it. I mean, we had in February where people as far as from Germany, Greece, France, Ireland, China, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom and Canada. And we're not just talking about one person. A lot of evil sounds like you know, please know if you're in this you know, as an entrepreneur as a thought leader or creative. Don't give up. Don't look at numbers either. Look at the practice, look at what you are giving back to the community. Everything isn't about numbers, but it is by numbers. Okay. Don't forget to keep that in your subconscious

Unknown Speaker 41:34
Okay, so, a little bit more about our business, giving you a little bit more of the business from the background. So in February, we only had two words that were key word search in particular, and that was for an artist by the name of Charles Mingus and Sarah maps, Douglas so if you don't know who those people are, you need to research for it. Um, there were 43 Unknown search terms entered in the search engine. So what that means is, the terms that they were using didn't resonate with our search engine as it pertains to art or African American art. The number of found downloads which I thought was very startling our manifesto, um, was heavily downloaded 41 downloads which basically tells you about what the art library deco was about. The most. I think the most I would say the most popular download would be the Flint, Michigan exhibition about African Americans and water. It's an interview in particular lit for downloads for that. Oh refers social media has been a blessing to us. We had 960 People who refer people to our redeco Facebook being the medium

Unknown Speaker 43:00
Okay, so now here's another grand moment in my life with PowerPoint. And here is just what you know some things that we curate in art library DECO, the hip hop Libguide, which is a hip hop information Literary Resource, which has its own platform, the Texas Artists Collective, which is a collection of web pages documenting work by black artists in Texas in conjunction with archive it, which we are web partner with them. Then we have our own repository, where we also archive original artwork by black artists from around the country. And then we have the black COVID-19 index, which will commence on December 31. And we're still collecting stories. I would like to say we were the first African American virtual entity that actually started collecting stories at the beginning of 2020 in March. I started this in March when I left to work remotely at home, and I've been interviewed like I don't know how MANY times about the black COVID-19 index. So if you're interested, you can click on any of these for the PowerPoint that's been uploaded for you to download and you can access these entities to learn more about them. So I just want you all to see her eyes and you'll see that we amaze Johnson mom and dad title of this piece. I'll let you look at it one more time. I love it. So the future where are we going? So, of course, I'm a librarian. So you know, we got to have a strategic plan. Right, come on. So we're gonna create our first two year virtual strategic plan, former virtual docent program, develop virtual art library fellowship. establish relationships with academic libraries. And what that means is I would like to be, um, how in art library sections of academic libraries virtually as a web guide as a resource and creating a new marketing plan. Now, art library deco will be opened in the future in the physical eye as a Biblio file have collected over 4500 African American books, which are housed in Houston, Texas, and my storage as well as artwork collected from all over the world donated some pieces I collected some pieces, you know, just artists just sent them to me because they just, you know, they they saw something in me. I'm quite a baby.

Unknown Speaker 45:44
of that place.

Unknown Speaker 45:44
I've decided that it's going to be in Fort Worth, Texas as of like, earlier this month, realizing that you know, the real estate here in Austin is just like it's just I don't have a million dollars today. I got a little money but I'll have a million so you know, I'm dollars makes sense. Location makes sense when you want people to come in the doors so I'm working on that blueprint as of now, but what I just share with you is for the next few years of what the virtual art library will be focusing on. And here is a little presentation interactive feedback survey. You can take if you like, you should be able to just click on it now. If you can't, I'm sorry. Remember, this is PowerPoint. Okay. So I tried to do something different within PowerPoint. Hopefully it works for you. If it doesn't, it's okay. Um, and I'll put that screen back up. But

Unknown Speaker 46:53
in closing

Unknown Speaker 46:55
in regards to the presentation, I would offer you today to go to our library deco check it out, become a subscriber and best support African American institutions in these United States and abroad. Here is the link and I will put it back here and if you can access it, then I'll just I'll leave it up here for like, a minute or so it's only three questions

Unknown Speaker 47:24
and then you can just press them in

Unknown Speaker 47:38
but if you can't access it, it's uploaded on the I guess the dashboard that we have set for presenters.

Unknown Speaker 47:51
Catalina

Unknown Speaker 47:53
Can you access it? Can you tell me if you can access it? I only called out you because you're right next to my screen

Unknown Speaker 48:07
Okay, so let me go on the chat. Oh, you can't access it. Okay. Oh, she goes on dynamic sighs

Unknown Speaker 48:17
okay. Okay, so I'm gonna start. Hopefully, we still have people here. Okay, so Well, I haven't uploaded. Um, that was my first time ever doing that, like PowerPoint. So we just need to go clap again. And we made it through. Because I use Canvas and Google. So you know, yeah, I'm a Google gal. But questions, comments, feedback. I wasn't as comical as usual, but you know, it's going to be outside or in Austin. Got a lot of issues down here. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker 48:56
Thank you all for attending. You see if we have anything in the chat don't be shy because I'm not sure No,

Unknown Speaker 49:14
thank you and how do I curate more monthly content? Oh, I research. I research as MANY art events as I can. Art News, I'm always reading and someone else asked me that they sent me an email and said do the museums reach out to you? No, they don't. You know, like, do you see the color of my skin? Do you see the world and I'm in the visual arts world. How MANY black curators Do you see on a daily basis? How MANY what librarians do you see on a daily basis? You know, like so. There's a lot of research and it's just taking claim and you know, I'm one of those people. I truly believe what you're seeking is seeking you. So we need more black art libraries. And not just the museums. You know, we need them to be in communities just as public libraries. Um, so again, that's why we have art library deco which is rings off your tongue art every day. Hope we all get to come visit. I hope to have the institution open right after my PhD right after I graduate. So we're shooting for 2025 people, okay. 2025 I'll be in year three after next semester. And art library Deco is a part of my dissertation as well as community archives. So if you've been ready to go you can see like it's a lot going on. So is that dissertation is going to be a lot going on but this is you know, a part of my life's work is much more to me. But this is the major facet of what I want to give back to the community and I would hope during this virtual conference that you think about things like that, what are you contributing to your society? What are you going to leave behind, you know, for your family, for your legacy for your name?

Unknown Speaker 51:26
You know, remember we're all celebrities.

Unknown Speaker 51:32
We are so I have a question for you. I'm Erin. I'm so I am also a consultant and I also run my own business and yeah, I am not a charity, which I think is important to know because it's confusing for people who want to hire me because I work with museums. They think I'm going to do stuff for free or for not very much money. Like I don't have to bills to pay rent. So I am super excited that you are you know, this is an entrepreneurial adventure. Go good. stuff costs money. We can't do it for free.

Unknown Speaker 52:20
No, I put my company address in there Novello media is how long the Velo media. She said 10 minutes. novella media dot x, y, z and I'll give you a little formula for that real quick. Because people reach out to me all the time. How did you get paid? I take them straight to the LLC and the brochure. And the rates, sir. And that's how it goes. You know like you have to be adamant about who you are. Like I mean, I have my uniforms. My uniform I have a different shirt on every day entrepreneur black bunch and you need to know and ask me questions, you know, still carry your business cards, like you know what if the internet goes down?

Unknown Speaker 53:01
Yeah, I have some money in my bank right next, you know?

Unknown Speaker 53:03
So it's like, it's been adamant about you know. And it's, I mean, I think being a consultant in this thing, and it's just the best thing since sliced bread. I mean, they're paying you for your knowledge. And I went back down on the prices either. I wouldn't Oh, no,

Unknown Speaker 53:21
no, no. No, I'm just glad that you just came right out of the gate. charging people money. That's excellent.

Unknown Speaker 53:28
We got to eat

Unknown Speaker 53:33
I'm not your these are not gifts. They are not tax deductible.

Unknown Speaker 53:38
And these glasses cost Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 53:41
mine too. Like expensive eyewear.

Unknown Speaker 53:44
But I think we're going into an entrepreneurial society, which is what I started out with, with um, and, you know, I think people need to really think about that, you know, we all have a hustle in us. We all have a hustle it's just do you want to work for somebody and give them your time? Or do you want to manage your own time? And I love managing me. I do and I do it. Well, I do like and you have to be able to do it well to be able to be successful. So it's not you know, it's not a game to me. But I do love managing my time and my mother raised three entrepreneurs. We're all entrepreneurs. My brother owns his own architect firm in Dallas of all places, and he's black like what? He has billboards up. Like I'm so proud of him, but also is that

Unknown Speaker 54:32
there was a guy on one of the NPR like quiz shows who called in and said, Yeah, I'm an architect in Atlanta and one of the one of the 2% of architects that are black. So yay for brother.

Unknown Speaker 54:47
Yeah, and you know, just the art world is not an easy world to get into. If you're of a darker hue. That's just, I mean, it's always been that way. And that's why, you know, I had to come I had to maneuver in the way I have, um, and I just thank God for my mentors are really seriously my mentors have helped me in so MANY different ways, opening up doors for me to be able to walk through to do this work, um, and in librarianship, I get a lot of support to because there are not MANY entrepreneurial librarians. So but, you know, I had to figure out a way to be able to survive, you know, at the beginning, to be able to have this conversation with you today. You know, you got to figure out a way as an artist of how you're going to survive the United States, because it's like you're an artist. Okay. What? You don't live in New York? No, I live in Texas. I live in Austin, you know, um, you know, and if you're an entrepreneur, oh, so can I get a discount? No, you get a brochure you can pay. But, you know, advice for fostering mentor relationships. Um, I'm all about again, what you're seeking someone seeking so there's a mentor who wants to mentor you. I also am about knowing who they are because everyone is not good for you either. I don't care if they are smiling. Everybody's not good for you. So interviewing those individuals, um, and aligning yourself with people that you want to be like his most important. Okay, err. But that's what I would say about mentors. aligning yourself with the people that you want to be like, and that you don't have to talk to them. I just showed you like what six of my mentors, like, I only met one Camille beliefs and that was because she was alive. But from afar, read the work, you know, I study their lives. And that's what pushes me to continue to keep going and lo and behold, my co chairs away and within like, is just, you know, seeing the world from a totally different perspective to and realizing that, you know, we're all a part of this melting pot called gumbo. So again, I just want to say thank you for attending my presentation today. Hopefully you walked away with something that will help you in your own journey. And if not, that means that you need to start a chat. How about that and I just like to thank MC N, on my technical technical support, and just making sure that everything ran swiftly.

Unknown Speaker 57:47
Thank you so much, Carol, Carol Lina. Carolyn.

Unknown Speaker 57:52
Thank you, Jessica. Thank you. The new time, I think I'm Santa

Unknown Speaker 57:59
Ana, and everybody else. I have a blessed day.