Forever for the Culture: Notes from the New Black Digital Arts Renaissance
Steven Underwood
Beacon Press
Written as a collection of thought-provoking essays pulling in social commentary, interviews, popular culture, and deep research, Underwood taps into a topic that is incredibly relevant but often unknown.
The nature of the internet is so ephemeral that sometimes we forget when we do something worth celebrating. Digital Black art has become increasingly more outspoken, introspective, and genre-defining. But it’s also vulnerable. Original phrases, tweets, dances, songs, and other content are often taken from a Black artist and attributed to a white influencer. And Black creators are paid less for their work, though their engagement is often higher than that of their white peers. There is also the added risk of backlash and hate that comes with publicly existing online.
Using his own personal stories, Underwood highlights the beauty, vulnerability, and innovation of the Black digital arts movement. Shining a light on the curators of our culture, Forever for the Culture narratively follows the construction of a new Black art movement and how creators have defined a community when that community does not have a physical space.