Meet Patricia Andrews-Keenan | Founder | CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Patricia Andrews-Keenan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Patricia, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
2023 put that question front and center for Pigment International. As a small company with only two people committed full time it became a challenge when I was confronted by a health scare this year. Our conversations have always centered on what is the transition strategy for the organization and how do we involve others that are deeply committed to this work. Yet we aren’t at a place just yet for that to happen.

Our thoughts varied widely from scaling back on the work, to shutting the operation down completely. But the one thing I could not shake was that there were more avenues to pursue; that the organization still has the potential for growth and improvement; new partners that could make us better; and potential for increased revenues.

Now that the immediate scare is past we are moving forward planning for 2024. So, the answer is as long as you can dream a future for your organization you’ve got to keep going. That dream feeds you and won’t let you quit.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Pigment International® is a Black woman founded and led multi-media platform reporting on the art, people, issues, trends, and events shaping Black contemporary art and examining the linkages connecting historical and contemporary Black art. Founded in 2018 in Chicago, Pigment serves as a connector within our community of Black creators, collectors, curators, investors, and other stakeholders. We are conveners, bringing together the Black art ecosystem for inspiring, cross generational dialogue. We are the publishers of Pigment Magazine, Black Gallery Guide + and founders of Black Fine Art Month®. Follow Pigment International on FB and IG. See our Annual report here. At Pigment International we tell stories!

We are the only platform dedicated to Black art reporting weekly on art events, trends and happening across the globe. Our annual, award winning Pigment Magazine is a glossy, oversized, one of a kind publication now in its fourth year of production and in 2023 we launched a Black Gallery Guide.

Black art has been a passion for more than 30 years and we are even more excited by the global reach that Black artists have attained. Attending the Venice Biennale, the world’s oldest and most prestigious art fair, in 2022 showed us the possibilities for Black artists are endless.

Pigment began as an idea and with the buy-in of artists, gallerist, collectors, curators, writers and others it continues to grow and seek out partners across the globe. It’s been challenging, especially funding our operations. Our first year we had expenses of nearly $100K to mount an exhibition against about $80K in revenues. We fought back and recouped some of those costs through art sales and events. In 2019 we launched our Foundation and have been partially supported by grant revenue.

During COVID (2020) we launched a Shopify site for art and merchandise sales. In 2021 we partnered with the major art shows in Chicago to host a media booth at their fairs. Our weekly newsletter is an advertising vehicle and in 2022 we secured a print ad from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Each year we’ve pivoted to meet challenges and will continue to do so.

Today after five years of operation we are still working to innovate and present what’s happening in Black art today. We want to look into the impact of generative AI on Black art, we want to automate more of our systems and find a technology partner to amp up our look and feel. We are consulting with a company proficient in publications on how to ramp up distribution of the magazine and perhaps its frequency. We want more partnerships to extend our reach. It’s a never ending process but the possibilities make it both challenging and exciting.

The lesson I’ve learned over this five years is that your growth and potential is only limited by your imagination and drive. I feel Pigment International’s potential is unlimited.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Art Galleries | Artist Lofts Faié African Art in Bronzeville
Studio of artist D. Lammie Hanson – Little Black Pearl
Studio of Candace Hunter – Hyde Park Art Center
Women’s Live Artist Studio in Navy Pier

Coffee or Brunch
Carver 47 at Little Black Pearl Art & Design Center

Theater
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater
Black Ensemble Theater (BET)

Museums | Institutions
South Side Community Art Center – Last surviving art center of the WPA-era founded in 1940

Drinks | People Watching
The Sophy
21C Hotel

Dinner
Virtue
The Study

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Definitely my co-founder and COO Phyliss North. She has been a part of this since the beginning and I could not do what I do without her. Again 2023 was a challenging year but our work output never suffered and we executed a year of activities uninterrupted thanks in large part to her work.

Website: https://pigmentintl.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pigmentintl/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pandrewskeenan1/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PigmentIntl

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHkRcrVfLFfbqg3OLTYB-tQ

Other: Substack –https://substack.com/home/post/p-138643427?source=queue Medium –https://medium.com/me/stories/public

Image Credits
Joe Jones Elixir Media Courtesy of Waterkolours Gallery Memphis (Gallery Photo)