A Year in Review, Tribes 2022

Mission
Founded in 1991, a 501 c3 registered nonprofit arts organization, A Gathering of Tribes provides a platform for diverse, traditionally under-represented artists and writers, amplifying the emerging and established revolutionary voices of our time.

Tribes is also committed to honoring and memorializing our founder, Steve Cannon’s life and legacy.

Summary of 2022 Programs:

Over the last year, A Gathering of the Tribes has:

• Continued to honor the legacy of our founder, Steve Cannon via participation in the 2022 Whitney Biennial; Quiet as It’s Kept.

• Recieved accolades from multiple major media outlets, including: The New York Times, Art Forum, Hyperallergic, and others.

• Distributed nearly $15,000 to traditionally under-represented artists and writers through live readings and publications. 

• Connected diverse authors with 55,000 + readers via our online magazine.

• Brought an audience of more than 3,000 to our live readings and events.

• Supported diverse artists and writers through our fiscal and visa sponsorship programs. 

• Published Tribes #16: The BLM Issue, featuring the original work of more than 80 diverse artists and writers.

A Year in the Press:

Over the last year, Tribes has received accolades in such publications as The New York Times, Art Forum, Hypoallergic and others.

The NY Times said of the Tribes installation at the 2022 Whitney Biennial: “Over the years, countless artists, musicians and writers came through Tribes’ door, which never closed. And Cannon, who was blind, was always there, ready to give and take ideas, enthusiasms, opinions. The Biennial has recreated, or reimagined, the apartment setting, bringing in old furniture, installing a wall painting by Cannon’s friend, the artist David Hammons, and including personal items, like Cannon’s ever-present ashtray, along with stacks of the books, notebooks and magazines that filled the place. In short, it conjures up the ghost of a utopian situation. That a Biennial, a constitutionally of-the-moment enterprise, would do that, says something about the reflective spirit that sets this edition apart.”

Check out our press page for more info.

Outline of Current Programs

1.   A Gathering of the Tribes Magazine Online serves simultaneously as a web publication, a promotional outlet, a virtual salon creating long-lasting connections between, and providing financial support to traditionally under-represented artists and writers.

 Over the last year, AGOTT Magazine Online has:

•  Published new, original work from more than 100 diverse poets and prose authors.

• Distributed more than $2,000 in stipends for publications of new prose works.

• Connected traditionally under-represented authors to more than 55,000 unique readers.

• Created connections between diverse artists and writers: Tribes Magazine Online Features section regularly publishes interviews and reviews of small press books, independent performance, and art exhibitions. All of our reviewers are artists and writers themselves. Tribes’ nonfiction features are subjective, nuanced, personal essays written by artists and writers, speaking to their experience of other artist’s works. Through the process of writing reviews and conducting interviews, Tribes artists and writers find connections with one another that often lead to booking additional readings, speaking engagements, job opportunities, creative group projects, and most importantly, the inspiration that is unique to finding connection within a creative community.
  

2.     A Gathering of the Tribes Readings and Live Events amplify the voices of traditionally under-represented, established and emerging authors.

Over the last year, AGOTT’s Readings and Live Events have:

• Featured more than 150 diverse authors in our live readings and events.

• Promoted recently released and upcoming books by diverse authors, primarily published through small presses.
  Connected our authors to an audience of more than 3,000 live event attendees.

• Distributed more than $15,000 in financial stipends to diverse authors.

• Taken place in multiple venues and platforms, including Zoom and Facebook Live, as well as live in person at Governor’s Island (Poetry NYC Festival) The Bowery Poetry Club, and The Whitney Museum as part of the 2022 Biennial, Quiet as It’s Kept.

The ongoing pandemic has made it especially difficult for emerging and mid-career authors to promote their work. Authors at all levels found it difficult to maintain the income they once relied on from in-person speaking engagements, book launches, signings, and live readings. Beginning in 2020, Tribes pivoted to virtual readings, ensuring our authors still have a platform to reach their audiences. Now that we are beginning to host blended (in-person and livestreamed events) our readings and live events remain an important aspect of our ongoing programming.

3.     Tribes Magazine: (a biennial print journal) is an 8’x10’ 100-page, full-color journal which  features poetry, prose, (fiction and nonfiction) and visual art by contemporary, traditionally unrepresented artists and writers. 

First published in 1991, each issue features two guest editors; a poetry and prose editor, and a visual art editor, who work together to create a unique publication showcasing emerging and established revolutionary voices of our time. Past editors have included David Hammons, Kathy Price, Paul Miller (D.J. Spooky), David Henderson, and other notable authors and artists.

Released in November 2022, Tribes Magazine #16: The Black Lives Matter Issue:

• Features more than 80 artists and writers of diversity, including Anthony Barboza, Arthur Flowers, Tracy K Smith, John Sims, Quincy Troupe, Sheree Renée Thomas, Tony Medina, Tennessee Reed, Walter Mosley, Nile Livingston, Yusef Komunyakaa, Monique LeNoir, and others.

• Was edited by Ishmael Reed (poetry and prose) and Danny Simmons (art), with Assistant Editor Margaret Porter-Troupe.

• Provides traditionally under-represented artists and writers with financial incentives to continue creating: Each author and artist included in this publication receives a financial stipend ranging from $100 to $500.

• Amplifies the voices of traditionally under-represented authors: Only a small percentage of writing published (in print) in the U.S. is literary, and Small presses account for more than 90% of literary publications. Authors of minority identities still face massive obstacles to accessing representation and public platforms in the literary arts. The vast majority of authors being published identify as straight, white and cis, from middle- and upper-class backgrounds. A Gathering of the Tribes believes that when traditionally overlooked authors come together, our voices become stronger than ever. That is why Tribes Magazine publishes wide array of traditionally under-represented authors.

4.     A Gathering of the Tribes Fiscal and Visa Sponsorship Program: In keeping with the activities put in place by our founder, Steve Cannon, A Gathering of the Tribes acts as a low-threshold fiscal sponsor to select individual artists and collectives, and serves as a sponsor to select foreign artists and writers wishing to practice in the U.S.

Our current fiscal and visa sponsees include: The Toppled Monuments Archive (TMA), Joseph Keckler, Tracie Dawn Williams, The Cynthia Opera, and Eva H.D.

Over the last year, these programs have:

• Facilitated funding for our fiscal sponsees.

• Promoted the work of our fiscal sponsees, via our newsletter and social media outlets which collectively reach nearly 10,000 followers.

•  Acted as an immigrant visa sponsor for a poet and prose author who currently serves as an Editor at Large for A Gathering of the Tribes Magazine Online.

5. Honoring our founder, Steve Cannon: All of our programs accomplish our mission of amplifying the voices of diverse, traditionally under-represented artists and writers, while honoring the legacy of our founder, Steve Cannon. Some aspects of our programming are specifically geared toward memorializing his life and his work.

Over the last year, to memorialize the legacy of our founder, Steve Cannon, Tribes has:

• Partnered in an ongoing campaign with the Village Preservation Society to hold the New York City Landmarks commission to their promise of increasing diversity of historic landmarks, by making Tribes original space at 285 East 3rd Street, previously owned by our founder, Steve Cannon, an historic site.

• Distributed hundreds of artist-designed Steve Cannon Memorial T-shirts, which are now available for sale in the Whitney Museum gift shop, as well as Tribes online store.

• Conducted a series of youth workshops and family days in coordination with the Whitney Museum’s Education Programs, bringing in Tribes artists and writers, teaching attendees about the history of A Gathering of the Tribes, and Steve Cannon’s life and vision. One workshop, Exquisite Poop/Blind Reproductions, had youth reproduce drawing based only on written or verbal descriptions, simulating Steve Cannon’s experience of art as a blind gallerist. These workshops collectively served more than 500 youth and family members.

• Assisted with the production of an installation at the 2022 Whitney Biennial, honoring Steve Cannon’s Life’s work; A Gathering of the Tribes. Our participation in the Biennial included multiple readings and live performances by Tribes’ artists and writers throughout the six month exhibition, reaching tens of thousands. The centerpiece of the exhibition was Tribes Iconic red wall, by renowned artist, David Hammons, long-time board Tribes’ board member and one of main designers of the Tribes installation.

A big shout out to Tribes amazing interns, staff and board for all of your hard work!

Thank you for Tribes’ 2022, major individual and institutional donors, including:

David Hammons

Kati Duncan

Andy Mims

Hilary Maslon

Bob Holman

Jane Fuentes

Poets and Writers

The Whitney Museum

CLMP

Christopher and David Murray Fund of Stonewall Community Foundation

And, lastly, but most importantly, thank you to everyone who was part of Tribes’ Programs this year! We could not continue to provide resources to the artists and writers who need it most, without community members like you.  

Diverse representation does not happen without work! Please help us continue to support traditionally under-represented artists and writers, amplifying the revolutionary voices of our time.