Back with a few updates
Last weekend, I had an amazing time as a vendor at Zine Fest Houston.
Greetings friends,
I don’t want to think about how long it’s been since I last sent out a newsletter. This year has been very interesting (derogatory). And for the past few months, I’ve been furiously working to finish my book draft.
I'm someone who has never enjoyed the actual act of writing, I love generating ideas, talking to people, getting lost in research. I love it when the writing is done. Writing a book is the hardest work-related thing I've ever done. And I’ve been trying to produce some of my best creative work while navigating a tremendous amount of personal change. It’s been rough over here, y'all.
Despite the pulling-teeth of it all, I'm really excited about the project, a coffee table book about roller skating culture. And it’s been satisfying to imbue the essence of the art rebellion throughout — there will be an entire chapter dedicated to activism and roller skating. The book also centers Black people, people of color, and queer people throughout. Not biased or anything, but I think it will be a vibe. Please send me all the good writing vibes as I race to turn in my draft next month!
📝 in other news
🌻 Last weekend, I had the pleasure of being a vendor at Zine Fest Houston. (If you signed up for my newsletter then, welcome!) This summer, I printed the first copies of the Artist Pay Project zine, which pulls together 10 Artist $napshot interviews. The zine is designed by the super talented Charlie Camuglia of Themselves Press, and I'm so excited to have a physical manifestation of the work I've been doing the past couple years.
I enjoyed sharing the zine at the fest, but more importantly I loved talking to artists, creatives, and anyone who wanted to share their thoughts about the dire need for a living wage and the resources artists need to thrive. I had some incredible conversations and was reminded of the power of connection and community. I hope to do more of this work in 2026.
Once I finish my book draft, I’ll work on making the zine available for purchase online, so stay tuned. For now, there should still be a few copies at Inga in Chicago, my favorite bookstore in the city. And if you're really, really wanting a copy, feel free to email me and we'll make something work.
🌻 Last year, I traveled to Indianapolis to cover the Butter Fine Art Fair, which has a rare model where artists retain one hundred percent of the proceeds from sales. My story and interview with founders Alan and Malina Bacon was recently published in Fortunately, a magazine dedicated to anti-capitalism and the solidarity economy in the arts.
Words by Makeda Easter
Photography courtesy of the Butter Fine Art Fair
Here's an excerpt:
Butter’s model is unusual. Traditional commercial art fairs like Art Basel and Frieze function like shopping malls for ultra-wealthy collectors. Galleries selected to participate in these fairs can spend over $100,000 in booth rentals, travel, and shipping costs. Additionally, artists represented by these galleries typically split sales proceeds 50-50–a far cry from Butter’s operating model.
At Butter, sustainability for Black artists is baked into the fair’s operations. The Bacons say they’re dedicated to building a pipeline for artists to thrive, not just to show and sell their work. Artists and galleries are selected by the fair’s curatorial team through artist-submitted portfolios and the team’s network. Artists neither pay to submit their portfolios nor pay booth-rental fees, and the fair covers their travel and accommodation during the fair. Months before the fair, artists are supported through studio visits and mentoring around career advancement and financial sustainability.
Ever inspired by YouTube, I also made a vlog last year featuring interviews with artists at the fair.
🤏🏾 a close call
Earlier this year, I received a shocking email, I was nominated for a Rabkin Prize, an award honoring arts writers around the country. Spoiler: I did not win. However, I’m extremely honored to be recognized in this way.
All of the winners are incredible journalists, and I encourage you to follow their work and check out some of the interviews hosted by Rabkin Foundation Executive Director, Mary Louise Schumacher. I’ve been in a headspace where I've wondered if this project matters and how I’ll be able to continue. The recognition was a much-needed boost and gentle nudge to keep going.
👀 odds and ends
- Hopeful news: Ireland just made its basic income for artists program permanent and will offer weekly payments of about $375 to 2,000 artists starting in 2026. Read more here.
- For my LA readers, one of my good friends, jeremy de'jon guyton, is making his debut this weekend at REDCAT with a new choreographic work pulling from three generations of his family's archive and home in South LA.
- Friend and former colleague Jasmine Barnes wrote this story for City Bureau about how young Chicago artists get by without a living wage.
📍fin
When I launched the newsletter, I set out to be consistent with my cadence of reporting and publishing, and it’s been harder than I could’ve imagined to juggle the art rebellion with *gestures wildly* everything else, especially as the ecosystem for journalism funding continues to shrink.
I’m constantly reminded that the same issues I’ve interviewed artists about — access to a living wage, fair pay, health care, etc — are all the same things I struggle to navigate as an independent journalist. I like to think it makes my work stronger.
Thanks for sticking with me, and see y'all next time. ♥️