Formed in 2007

Kente Arts Alliance is an African American arts organization whose mission is to present high-quality art of the African Diaspora. Kente’s aim is to present art with a purpose by presenting programs that entertain, inform and uplift the residents of underserved communities.

Goals:

• Increase the visibility and awareness of African Diaspora art in an effort to preserve it.

• Utilize venues where people live in order to increase access and affordability.

• Build sustainable arts programming to support revitalization in those communities.

• Develop new audiences to expand patronage to the arts.

Presenting African American Arts

Kente Arts Alliance is a professional African American arts organization, with a 501c 3 non-profit status, whose mission is to present high-quality arts programming of the African diaspora that entertains, informs and uplifts the residents of underserved communities.

Exposing the Community to Art that Reflects the Best in Humanity

Kente Arts Alliance formed to address the noticeable disparity between the quality and quantity of cultural programming that takes place in the Pittsburgh Downtown Cultural District versus the programming that is presented in Pittsburgh communities, especially in neighborhoods with a high concentration of African Americans. Kente believes that the disparity is both indicative of and contributory to inner-city social and economic underdevelopment. Kente ascribes to the idea that a vibrant local arts community heightens the quality of life for the residents of those communities.  While the organization is relatively new, individual members of the alliance have many years of experience presenting community arts programming. The members have seen the transformation in those communities and the pride that residents take in well-planned and presented programs.

The Alliance’s goal is to expose the community to art that reflects the best in human ingenuity and creativity. In doing so, Kente aims to raise the consciousness of its audiences in order to help them understand the world around them. In the end, Kente asserts that audiences will develop tastes for an art alternative outside of popular culture and gain a heightened awareness of non-mainstream cultural choices. By consistently setting a high standard, Kente is eroding the myth that high quality art does not take place in community settings.

Serving the Community

K. Mensah Wali

Aisha White

Harry Clark

Gail Austin

Advisor:
Demeatria Gibson Boccella