At BAMS Fest, we believe that without artists a city’s history, legacy, and culture can’t be documented and shared with future generations. With Greater Boston in particular, artists of color who choose to live and work in the area are often confronted with racial, social and identity biases that make it difficult to be sustainable artists.

Whether it is racism, sexism, classification of art discipline, or music genre, artists of color often have to fight for respect, opportunity, space, and financial resources. Join us as we conclude our “Souls of Women” and “PULSE” panel discussion series with P.U.S.H. Hear fresh perspectives on how creatives of color are navigating Boston’s arts and culture ecosystems in order to thrive and succeed.

PANELISTS (more to be announced)

CAGEN LUSE

Cagen Luse is a local graphic designer and artist who recently embarked on a new project called “LunchTime ComiX,” a four-panel comic strip. The effort provides a window into his own everyday struggles as a “racially-ambiguous artist,” father, foodie, sci-fi nerd and husband in today’s world.

DESTINY POLK

Des Polk is a Boston based performance and teaching artist, producer, and founder of art-activist platform Radical Black Girl. Audacious, unapologetic and empowered in self-knowledge, she invites her communities to self-transformation through art.

All ticket sales go to support our ongoing year around program “The Prelude”, which connects artists and audiences of color through creative placemaking opportunities throughout neighborhoods of Greater Boston and beyond.