""Being a Black LGBT person, there often weren't many spaces that I felt seen or accepted," King says. "I'm from Texas. Coming from a much more restricted state and then being at Columbia, obviously I wasn't necessarily represented there either. So coming into the Kiki scene has just given me a way to be around people that are actually like me.""
""The goal is to use these different programs to advance the careers of artists in the Kiki scene and to think about how they can take the talents that they've cultivated within the scene and apply them to career fields outside," King says."
""The funds will be put toward a nine-month residency for one established artist in the Kiki scene as well as a six-month Creative Career Development Fellowship for four emerging artists. The programs seek to "make sure that they have the skills necessary to take their talent and actually apply it to wider audiences," King says.""
Colby King, a Columbia University graduate, received the David Prize, a $200,000 no-strings-attached grant to support queer youth of color through the Kiki Arts Collaborative. The funding will finance a nine-month residency for an established Kiki artist and a six-month Creative Career Development Fellowship for four emerging artists. The programs aim to equip participants with skills to translate scene-based talents into wider audiences and career fields. The Kiki scene is a ballroom subculture led by young LGBTQ+ people of color. The David Prize awards five individuals across New York City's boroughs to provide financial and mental bandwidth for civic change. King emphasizes community investment over personal spotlight.
Read at Advocate.com
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