INDIANAPOLIS — After a successful first year, GANGGANG's "BUTTER," a fine art fair showcasing artwork by Black artists, returns.
BUTTER 2 will take place at the south end of The Stutz building in downtown Indianapolis, located on 10th Street between Senate Avenue and Capitol Avenue, throughout Labor Day Weekend.
Beginning Thursday, the four-day fair will include a showcasing of artwork by more than 50 Black artists from across the country, including April Bey, Kiah Celeste, Julian Jamaal Jones, and Will Watson. There will be more than 10 live performances during the fair, including a set by the hip hop group 81355, some spins by Deckademics and DJ Grapevine, and a drum performance by Dorian Phelps.
BUTTER will have interactive outdoor installations, a multi-sensory dance party titled "MELT," artist workshops, historic walking tours by Sampson Levingston, the founder of "Through 2 Eyes," and BUTTER-themed foods.
The BUTTER 2 schedule is as follows:
- Thursday: Preview Night, 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.
- Friday: Opening Day and Night, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
- Saturday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
- Saturday Night: MELT, 9 p.m. - 12 a.m.
- Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. — Plus a testimony service at 2 p.m.
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Last year, more than 3,400 people attended the inaugural event, where BUTTER garnished $175,000 and 42 pieces were sold for a total of $65,000, according to GANGGANG.
“I was blown away by last year’s fair, and I’m honored to join the BUTTER curatorial team,” Sarah Urist Green, one of the four curators of BUTTER 2, stated in a release. “There is so much talent in this community, and GANGGANG’s innovative framework allows us to see and experience that talent in new and more equitable ways. Artists can share their work outside the usual art world confines and collectors of all levels can learn about and support artists directly.”
Three-day general admission tickets are $35, Preview Night tickets are $175, and children 18 and younger are free.
In a release to WRTV, GANGGANG stated its aim with BUTTER is "to push boundaries by elevating Black artists in the national conversation, promoting equity in the arts and fueling the creative economy."
“BUTTER is a living art fair that works to care for, accommodate, and be intentional about the economic viability of Black visual artists,” Mali Jeffers, a co-founder of GANGGANG, stated. “BUTTER seeks an equitable and reparational process designed to benefit the artists. As such, we do not require a fee for artists to participate, nor do we take a commission on the sale of their work.”
Indiana artists selling work at BUTTER 2 include: Amber Zuri, Amiah Mims, Ashley Nora, Brittany Fukushima, Chris Hill, Courtland Blade, Deonna Craig, ess mckee, FINGERCREATIONS, FITZ, Gary Gee, Gnat Bowden, Hay Kidd, Israel Solomon, Johnson Simon, Justin Brown, Kaila Austin, Kevin West, Kyng Rhodes, Lyndy Bazile, Malcolm Mobutu Smith, Matthew Cooper, Morgan Robinson-Gay, $hady The Art Lady, Shamira Wilson, Slim AVRE, Tashema Davis, Terry Flores, and Wavy Blayne. E.
WRTV's Ray Steele talks further with GANGGANG about BUTTER 2 and meets one of the 50 featured artists, Móyòsóré Martins, in the video above.
You can learn more about BUTTER and purchase your tickets at butterartfair.com.
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WRTV Digital Reporter Shakkira Harris can be reached at shakkira.harris@wrtv.com. You can follow her on Twitter, @shakkirasays.
