The liquid blackness project is a
public-facing study group that organizes encounters in the contemporary black arts for creatives, scholars, and the general public.
Yanique Norman, Fatherlessness 1 (2010), photographed by Mike Jensen, courtesy of the artist
liquid blackness: Continuing the Conversation with Larry Clark
Twelve years after their first conversation, Alessandra Raengo travels again to Berkeley to sit down with Passing Through’s filmmaker Larry Clark to discuss the current life of the film (inducted into the National Film Registry in 2025) and its growing legacy, with particular attention to “Sound Design,” the theme of the second year of the liquid blackness Mellon-funded project “Encounters in the Black Arts.”
Mission Statement
The liquid blackness project builds on the study of arts and artists from the Black Diaspora to explore the intersection of aesthetic theory and the most radical agenda of Black Studies. Through research projects, public events, and online publication, it seeks to mentor the next generation of scholars of color and other scholars fully committed to the agenda of black studies, while creating a vibrant, extended, and sustainable community.
Artists in Conversation
Curating for Blackness
liquid blackness in the Community
Research Projects
What Is Liquid Blackness?
liquid blackness Journal
liquid blackness: journal of aesthetics and black studies
In 2021, the liquid blackness journal was relaunched as liquid blackness: journal of aesthetics and black studies. Now published by Duke University Press, our peer-reviewed, open access journal still seeks to carve out a place for aesthetic theory and the most radical agenda of Black studies to come together in productive ways, with the goal of attending to the aesthetic work of blackness and the political work of form. In this way, the journal develops innovative approaches to address points of convergence between the exigencies of Black life and the many slippery ways in which blackness is encountered in contemporary sonic and visual culture. Learn more about the revamped journal, our submission guidelines, our Editorial and Advisory Boards, and our current calls for papers.
Donate
The liquid blackness project is a non-profit organization that supports students, teachers, artists, and curators working toward ethical engagement with Black art.
Join us in our mission by making a tax-deductible contribution today.