A Place For Art & Ceremony
This promo-reel features the work of curator Ashara Ekundayo and the creative programming at Ashara Ekundayo Gallery (AEG) which is currently listed as the only commercial fine arts gallery in the United States dedicated exclusively to the creative ideals, production, and artistic expression of Black *womxn. Located in the highly gentrified KONO/Uptown Arts District in Oakland, CA, the AEG addresses cultural displacement and combats the erasure of Black history/lives by specializing in the display of works that investigate and inspire spiritual and social inquiry at the intersection of fact, the Black feminist imaginary, and Afrofuturism.
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Ashara EkundayoDirector
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JJ HarrisDirector
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Ashara EkundayoWriter
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JJ HarrisWriter
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JJ HarrisProducer
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Ashara EkundayoKey Cast
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Project Type:Other
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Runtime:2 minutes
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Completion Date:November 2, 2018
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Production Budget:500 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Distribution Information
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Ashara Ekundayo is a Detroit-born, Oakland-based artist, independent multi-genre curator, creative industries entrepreneur, and cultural strategist working across spiritual, civic, and social innovation spaces. As a thought-leader and organizer expanding the design narrative that centers artists and their cultural production as poignant and necessary in the building and sustaining of society, she offers commentary and social practice through exhibition, project management and presentation through her company AECreative Consulting Partners, LLC and her “collaboratoriums,” Omi Arts Project + Space and Ashara Ekundayo Gallery. Her personal and professional practice epistemology requires an embodied commitment to recognizing joy in the midst of struggle, and she actively invites her resource partners and clients to recognize pleasure as a tool for transformation.
As a Certified Permaculture Designer, Certified Foresight Practitioner, and a lifetime activist committed to advancing racial and environmental equity within the public and private sectors Ashara stewards and moderates courageous conversations between stakeholders and investors. In 2013 she Co-Founded Impact Hub Oakland and worked as its Chief Creative Officer, and currently holds Advisory Board positions with Black Girls Code, the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, and the Oakland Anti-Racism Organizing Committee. Additionally, she has participated as a Fellow with Green For All, Emerging Arts Professionals, Schools Without Borders, and Institute For The Future. She is an alumnae of both Thousand Currents Leadership Academy and Rockwood Leadership – LeadNOW: California, and recently completed an 18-month “Embodied Justice Residency” at Auburn Seminary in NYC where her research and design acumen influenced an institutional inquiry at the edges of power, racial equity, and gender justice.
Ashara’s commitment to spiritual and social transformation is informed by an unapologetic Afrofuturist, feminist, intersectional framework that centers the stories and art practices of Black womxn. She is the author of two upcoming books, "Artist As First Responder" and “Riot Babies.”
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Hailing from Chicago – now residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. JJ founded Techboogie Media to lend his positive energy to the brands and causes that he believes in. Known originally for his stunning cityscape and landscape photography, JJ did not actualize the full potential of his dreams until he began mastering the art of visual storytelling.
Today his work producing, shooting and editing extends to the corporate world including projects for ESPN, The Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, Adobe, and GE. While in the realm of social justice he has focused his efforts in content based around inclusion within technology and community activism.
Driven by his never-ending quest to perfect his craft, JJ continues to push boundaries when it comes to content creation, providing viewers with narratives that are equally engrossing and heartfelt. He is also a serial networker who thrives off of the amazing achievements of his friends and colleagues.