Kamau Ware

Keynote Speaker

Kamau Ware is an award-winning visual artist and storyteller based in New York City. Kamau creates new narratives about the African Diaspora’s history through photography, films, exhibitions and events. In 2010, he founded the Black Gotham Experience (BGX), which utilizes art and walks to illustrate the impact of the African Diaspora in New York City. The Black Gotham Experience has been in residence in the Seaport District of Lower Manhattan since 2017, serving as a gallery, event space, and visitor’s center for walks. Kamau led a successful movement in 2021 to have July 13th officially recognized by the Borough of Manhattan and the 27th District of New York State as “Black Vision Day”. He has also worked with Community Board 2 of Manhattan in 2020 and 2022 to pass resolutions to mark land owned by Black people in the mid 17th century known as Land of the Blacks.

Kamau has become widely sought after for his work as an artist / historian. He has been commissioned to create original works by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Apollo Theater, the Mile Long Opera, the New York City Public Design Commission, and The Shed, and has spoken at the New York Historical Society, the Public Theater, SXSW, Yale University, and the Municipal Archive in Amsterdam. He has developed classes, tours, and workshops for NYU, Columbia University, the New School, and K-12 schools across New York City. His work has been featured in The Atlantic, The New York Times, Atlas Obscura, Hyperallergic, Curbed, ABC, and NBC.