OUR MISSION
Building a more equitable and inclusive creative culture
BADG is building a more equitable and inclusive creative culture by advancing a community of independent Black makers in creative industries. We are committed to honoring our ancestral legacies in art and design, taking ownership of our narrative, and creating spaces to celebrate Black creativity and culture.
Cultivating leaders in creative industries is how we thrive today and in our shared futures. As a mission-driven organization, we live by our values, creating opportunities for our members to thrive and reaching out to industry allies to support the great work of visionary Black artists and designers.
OVERVIEW
BADG is a member-driven platform for creative professionals.
Founded in 2018, The Black Artists + Designers Guild (BADG) is a dynamic, action-oriented, member-driven platform for creative professionals seeking community community, collaboration, and creative support. Founded on the principles of a traditional guild, BADG thrives on the active participation of its members, as well as on the contributions of patrons who support our initiatives. We are proud to be mission-driven, value-centered, and committed to equity and inclusion.
Generous support from BADG Partners make our work possible.
Contact us to share how you would like to support BADG.
Our Founder
Malene Barnett
Malene Barnett founded BADG in 2018 to create a space where Black artists and designers are invited to thrive, connect, and collaborate. As an artist and activist, Malene is an authority on the cultural traditions and practices of art in the African diaspora. She centers her own creative practice on the modern black experience, using traditional and contemporary methods and materials to bridge the function of textiles and ceramics from the African region in ways that explore what it means to be Black in America today.
Malene is on the board for CERF+, an organization that provides emergency loans to artisans and craftspeople during natural disasters. Her entrepreneurial spirit was captured in the NY Times bestselling book “In the Company of Women, and she has appeared as a guest speaker on Morning Joe, MSNBC Your Business, and TEDx. In Business, and TEDx. In 2019, she was awarded designer of the year by interiors + sources Magazine and the RADD Award (Real Estate, Architecture, Design Development) from Brownstoner.com.