The fair returns 100% of artwork sales directly to showcased artists
Los Angeles Art Week has a new, not-to-miss fair coming to Inglewood.
Joining the likes of Frieze, Felix and The Other Art Fair, Butter LA will run from Feb. 26 to March 1. The Los Angeles showcase marks Butter Fine Art Fair’s debut at Hollywood Park in Inglewood after its pop-up at Context Projects last summer.
In 2021, Mali and Alan Bacon founded GangGang — an Indianapolis-based cultural development firm working to center beauty, culture, and equity in cities — which spearheads Butter Fine Art Fair and its mission to showcase Black visual artists and maximize their profits. Butter has a no-commission, no-censorship model, allowing for 100 percent of sales to go to the artists. Since its founding, Butter has generated $1.2 million in sales.
“Los Angeles has been waiting for something fresh like Butter,” said Jacqueline Forbes, a California-based art advisor and curator who is assisting with curatorial efforts for Butter LA. Alongside the Bacons, the full Butter LA advisory council includes Khalil Kinsey, Samuel Levi Jones, Kyra Epps, Michael Agodoa, Isis Arias, Lauren Holiday, Heather Harris, Justen Leroy and LeRonn P. Brooks.
Forbes continued, “There’s a hunger here for innovative cultural events that not only cultivate community, but also economic equity. Butter is a proof of concept globally that centers care and pushes us all into the future of fairs.”
Butter LA will showcase more than 40 independent emerging, mid-career and established artists who represent the African diaspora, including former Dodger Micah Johnson, Mr. Wash, Autumn Breon, Cortney Herron, April Bey and Micaiah Carter.
Alongside artist exhibitions, the fair will also include Melt, a dance party on Feb. 28, and kids’ activities. Tickets are available online, and Inglewood residents have access to discounted pricing. Attendees 18 and under are free, and kids 16 and under must be accompanied by a ticketed adult.
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“We’ve grown an incredible model and experience in central Indiana and are thrilled to see it expand to benefit the artists and community of L.A.” said Mali Bacon. “We’re connecting the industry and the voices within it, spreading our geographic reach, but more importantly, our mission, which means more perspective, more learning, more ownership, authorship and preservation.”
