The Maroon Arts Group (MAG) is a non-profit grassroots organization galvanized to build and provide a platform for community, art, and learning, centered in the cultivation, celebration, and promotion of Black Cultural production and art.
IT STARTED WITH A “NO”
In 2015, after being turned away from a number of local institutions that promote African American art, Sheri Neale galvanized a group of artists and community members to bring the Baltimore, MD play, A Real Nigga Show to Columbus, Ohio. A Real Nigga Show is a theatrical collection, directed by Troy Burton from Baltimore, Maryland, of short stories that depict the various stereotypes and sentiments associated with the “n word” and its implications in today’s society. In addition to the choreopoem MAG engaged the community in numerous conversations leading up to the play around this controversial concept, most prominently, “A N___* Word Experience” conversation that was intended to engage the community in dialogue about the multiple meanings of the “ n w o r d ” . The play was performed in front of a sold-out audience and had a waiting list of over 100 people. After the success of A Real Nigga Show the people asking the collective what was quickly becoming MAG will do next.
Our collective action had struck a cord that there was a cultural gap that the village wanted filled. So what started as a collective of individual artists, activists, entrepreneurs, and community members, who wanted to see a work of art come to Columbus quickly turned into an organization.
In 2016, MAG officially became a 501-C3 Non-Profit organization. Since our inception, MAG has developed scores of programming including but not limited to history learning communities, poetry events, artist and writers residencies, gallery shows, original plays, and more. M A G has also produced original productions with local artists such as Black Staccato, ROOTS, Write on FIRE!!, and Inside the Riot to name a few.
In 2017, the opportunity to expand our vision and impact of being a platform for Black ingenious centered in community with the MPACC (Movement Pursuing Arts, Commerce & Community) BoxPark. The MPACC BoxPark is an outdoor event venue built with repurposed shipping containers in the Historic Bronzeville District of Columbus, OH. With over 24,000 Sq Ft of space the BoxPark holds green space for performance, an art gallery, and food serving space partnered with Willowbeez Soulveg. Through community gatherings and public events, Maroon Arts Group MPACC BoxPark has become a space that encourages daily encounters with art, performance, and community design events that are created by a range of local and cultural organizers.
In just about 5 short years MAG has become a cultural powerhouse and a leader in the arts and cultural production in the city of Columbus and we are just getting started. We want to see a city where Black art, creativity, and ingenuity is normalized and not fetishized. A world where Black people are safe and can show up as our whole selves. The future looks bright and we plan to be here for the long haul.