We had the good fortune of connecting with Kevin King and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The King’s Canvas is a “creative placemaking” space providing opportunity and access for underdeveloped and underexposed artists in Montgomery, AL.

“Creative Placemaking” engages diverse people and the arts in designing and planning projects that reflect, celebrate, and inspire local culture, heritage, and values within a community. It strategically shapes the physical and social character of a neighborhood or city to improve economic development and social change.

My Thought process behind starting this non profit organization was to advocate for black visual artists who at the time did not have a place in the local art scene in Montgomery. I also wanted to use the arts as a tool through implementing creative placemaking practices in a historically marginalized community such as Washington Park.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The King’s Canvas is a “creative placemaking” space providing opportunity and access for underdeveloped and underexposed artists in Montgomery, AL.

“Creative Placemaking” engages diverse people and the arts in designing and planning projects that reflect, celebrate, and inspire local culture, heritage, and values within a community. It strategically shapes the physical and social character of a neighborhood or city to improve economic development and social change.

What sets The King’s Canvas apart Is the fact that we have an art studio and an outside performance arts venue in the middle of a historically neglected and marginalized community. We have created a gathering space in the middle of a community that one wouldn’t expect to hang out at after hours. We are in the middle of creating a new culture in our community while focusing on the anti displacement, culture erasure and the pricing out aspect of gentrification.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely take my friend to visit Michelle Browder’s Mothers of Gynecology at the More Up Campus along with other civil rights and social justice attractions in the city.

We would eat breakfast at Barbara Gail’s neighborhood Grill, lunch at Mrs B’s and dinner at Brenda’s Bar B Que Pit.

We would hang out at The King’s Canvas and Enjoy the deck, the lights and the entertainment for the night.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
1. My wife Nicole King for encouraging me to be an artist again. This eventually introduced me to the art community where I discovered the lack of advocacy for black artists.

2. Traci Howell the director of She Agency and Tie and Doll. Traci was the first person that I personally encountered who had a network of diverse artists who started an annual art exhibit by the name of Artists On Tap’ that was designed to connect the art community with the business community.

3. Kalonji Gilchrist, Executive Director of a non profit arts collective 21 Dreams. Kalonji is a highly organized individual who has access to a skill database of artists? Many of whom were black. These artists weren’t emerging artists and they were highly skillful. 21 Dreams opened up a lane in Montgomery that I witnessed for the first time.

4. Boyd Stephens is a tech guru and small business start up community steward who is a mentor to many. Taking his class introduced me to a business science that not only elevated my personal art, but also gave me the framework to start The King’s Canvas.

5. Michelle Browder is the CEO of More Than Tours and Director of I Am More Than youth organization. Michelle is a trend setter, artist and social justice advocate that provided space for artists to create at her events as I helped with the recruitment of some of them.

Website: www.thekingscanvas.org

Instagram: http://instagram.com/thekingscanvas

Twitter: CanvasMGM

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekingscanvas/

Image Credits
Whitney Coleman SaQuia Evans Aaliyah Winborn Jeremiah Williams Kalonji Gilchrist Curbie Toles Skye Revera Safiyah Charles

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