The African American Arts Alliance, which has been fostering the creativity of Black artists in Chicago for decades, has a new name and a new president who aims to expand the group’s mission.
Charlique C. Rolle has taken the reins at the non-profit, which was just renamed the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago, or BACA.
Rolle, 32, plans to reinvigorate fundraising efforts and increase marketing to inform Black artists about the resources available through the organization, which range from workshops to mentorship in in theater, dance, music, literature, technology, film and visual arts.
“A lot of people haven’t engaged with us because they haven’t known about us. That’s what we are hearing in listening sessions,” said Rolle, who’s taking on the unpaid position after serving for three years on the group’s board. “So many artists have said we didn’t even know the Alliance existed.”
The Alliance currently has office space at the Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N. Clark St., but runs programming at various community spaces around the city.
“One of our long-term visions is to become a physical hub for the arts with a space and a home,” said Rolle. ”It’s not an immediate thing, but part of the future vision.”
Rolle is moving away from offering free memberships, and switching to only paid memberships for individuals and organizations, but will work with members to keep the cost low, she said.
Rolle, who was born and raised in the Bahamas, is also the executive director of Chicago’s Congo Square Theatre and has an artistic resume that includes modeling, dance, poetry, writing, acting and composing music.
“I’m passionate about creating structure that allows the community to thrive,” she said.
Rolle studied dance and theater at Missouri Valley College before coming to Chicago. She’s since been involved in dance as a performer, choreographer and instructor, but also served as a business manager at various dance companies in Chicago.
She took over the position of president earlier this year from Black Ensemble Theater founder and CEO Jackie Taylor, who co-founded the Alliance in 1997. The Alliance was born out of the Black Theater Alliance, a group that was started by Black artists in the ’70s and folded in the early ’90s. Taylor was a member of that original group.
Taylor, who grew up in the Cabrini-Green housing projects and now lives in Uptown, saw the need for other artists to benefit as she did from working with the Alliance.
“I greatly benefited from being part of that supportive community in not only physical ways, but in mental and spiritual ways, and also in understanding that my art was a business,” Taylor said.
Taylor stepped down from her role at the Alliance after 25 years at the helm but will remain head of the Black Ensemble Theater, which she founded 47 years ago.
The Alliance has a strong membership base and is on strong financial footing, she said.
“It was time for the Alliance to take that next step in terms of joining the tech age and reaching more artist. It needed a shot in the arm,” Taylor said.
“And I’m confident we’ll be in good hands going forward with Charlique Rolle. Besides the high intelligence that she has, she brings a freshness, she brings a youthful passion and she has the pulse of the community.”
The Alliance has hosted a series of performances and workshops in October for Black Arts Month. The final Black Arts Month event takes place at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Muse Coffee Studio, 747 S. Western Ave. It will be an evening celebrating Black storytelling through theater, poetry, film, and dance that’s free and open to the public. Pre-registration is available at bacachi.org.
The Alliance’s 23rd annual Black Excellence Awards ceremony will be held on Nov. 6, to recognized outstanding achievement by artists and organizations in Chicago’s cultural arts scene.
