Gathering
A CITY THAT CELEBRATES DIVERSITY
WE PUBLISHED AN UPDATE ON OUR RADICAL INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, & EQUITY (R.I.D.E.) ANTI-RACISM PLEDGE THAT SHARED MANY SUCCESSES ALONG OUR ROAD TO MAKING BURNING MAN MORE RADICALLY INCLUSIVE AND DIVERSE.
Read our RIDE update in: THE BURNING MAN JOURNAL >
THE CITY BEGINS WITH AN INDIGENOUS BLESSING
The Golden Spike marks the point, and moment, from which Black Rock City will rise. For the second year, Pyramid Lake Paiute elder Dale Barlese, Misty Blue Young Bear and her son Harrison Young Bear-Kapayou (Meskwaki/Omaha) joined Burning Man Project staff for a blessing before the city’s construction officially began.
HONORARIA GRANTS THAT SUPPORTED ARTISTS OF COLOR
The playa came to life with magnificent artwork by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) artists, several of whom brought their art to Black Rock City supported by Honoraria grants. They included:
“FARMER THE RIGGER” by Zulu Heru is a 20-foot-tall African mask, created in tribute to humanity’s relationship with labor. Following its debut in Black Rock City, Farmer the Rigger was installed at the Robot Heart Residency in Oakland, California.
“PĀDAPAGODA” by Dawn Jian and the PādaP’goda Collective was a kinetic pagoda that explored the dynamics of social interaction, interdependence, and expressions of Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander heritage outside of Asia.
“THE SPIRIT OF THE HEALING SIREN” by Mongolian American artist Turburam Sandagdorj, is a hybrid creature with four different human faces. Referencing ancient Mongolian philosophy, the bird symbolizes wisdom and compassion as it flies above and sees everything below.
THE MULTICULTURAL PEOPLE OF COLOR NEIGHBORHOOD
For the second year in a row, the R.I.D.E. Stewardship Group supported the Multicultural POC Neighborhood in bringing more people of color to Black Rock City. This year the neighborhood, located at 6:00 & E, grew from 350 participants in 13 camps in 2022, to 400 participants in 15 camps in 2023.
ENSURING THE CITY AND ITS EXPERIENCES ARE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL
Blind Burners, a group of blind, partially sighted and sighted artists and performers, shared art by visually impaired creators, and co-created tabletop models of the Man Pavilion, Temple and other art, meant for tactile exploration.
Building a sense of Radical Inclusion is the ultimate goal… If we can help support camps that just started out this year, so there’s a really good network of multicultural and people of color. And if we can find a way to make the experience of the Burn feel even more local, with a feeling of connection and familiarity, that’s a good thing. A Multicultural People of Color Neighborhood helps with that.
~ Charles ‘Playa Chuck’ Liu,
Multicultural People of Color Neighborhood Co-steward
READ OUR R.I.D.E. ANTI-RACISM PLEDGE
OUR COMMITMENT >
