At Besida we pride ourselves in being female owned, and dominantly female staffed. Women are the thread that stitches our brand together. During this Women’s History Month, we’re placing the spotlight on local women in Atlanta who are using their platforms to change other women’s lives.
This week, we’re highlighting Tiffany Latrice, Founder and Executive Director at TIla Studios. It’s a visual arts incubator that’s solely focused on elevating black, female artists since 2017. We chatted with Tiffany about her work with the women she serves at TILA.
“We cultivate and groom them by exposing them to different workshops and professional development classes, as well as exhibition opportunities and different residency opportunities within Atlanta and nationwide,” says Tiffany.
“YOU HAVE NO IDEA THE STRENGTH OF A BLACK WOMAN AND THE POWER IN THE COLLECTIVE.”
Tiffany is an oil painter herself, but now chooses to channel her creativity to cultivate other women’s crafts. TILA now impacts 562 women through their programs. Many of its members are seeing their work on billboards, exhibiting in galleries, and selling art all over the world.
Recently, she closed down TILA’s flagship location in East Point, due to the building’s lack of space, location, and inability to accommodate TILA’s growth. The former space could only hold a maximum of 50 people.
“Being in the City of East Point, we don’t get access to City of Atlanta funding. We have so many limitations to access to capital. For us to grow our audience and have more reach, and hit that market of 800 black women, we need to operate in the city,” says Tiffany.
TILA will now operate as a satellite location, hosting its programs throughout the city, partnering with several organizations including The High Museum of Art. They hope to serve 18,000 women this year.
“It’s a crisp and awesome time to organize. I think there’s no better time to be a social organizer, an activist, a thought leader in this space, because it’s the time of the female, the year of the female,” says Tiffany.
In the future, she does hope to branch off into creating her own artwork again, but only after she chooses the next successor of TILA in a few years.
Trailblazing women like Tiffany encourage us at Besida to continue climbing our own mountains. Our African print designs are inspired by powerful women like her who are paving roads for other women around the world.
Watch Tiffany’s story here.