Create change spotlight rasu jilani
Rasu Jilani is an independent curator, social sculptor, and entrepreneur whose work investigates the intersection between art, culture and civic engagement as a means of raising critical consciousness. The objective of his work is to activate interaction between artists, the local community and the wider public in order to promote awareness around social issues through exhibitions, humanities, community programs, and cultural events. Jilani is a co-founder of the art and socially responsible clothing and lifestyle brand, Coup d’etat Brooklyn, a Brooklyn-based collaboration of artists producing art-related events throughout New York City. Jilani serves as an Arts, Culture and Sustainability Consultant at the Pratt Center for Community Development, managing art and cultural programs designed to connect New York City neighborhoods with Pratt Center’s community and environmental sustainability projects.
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Influence
The seed of Rasu Jilani's social consciousness began in the late 1980s. In 1989, Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” video in response to Spike Lee’s film “Do The Right Thing,” in the midst of the rising racial tension in NYC due to the death of Yusef Hawkins, has had a profound effect on the way he sees art and its impact on communities. Yusef Hawkins could have been him; he was only a few years older than him, and it was the first time it sank in that he could be a victim of police brutality or a racial crime. This sparked a consciousness of empathy for someone he had not already known, which is the notion of seeing yourself in someone else’s struggle. It was the first time that he can recall seeing socially engaged artists rally a community, redirecting the energy to honor the heroes, collective celebration and created an artistic product as a result. In addition, Hip Hop has influenced his approach to including communities as a critical piece to his practice as a community organizer and art producer. In 2008, Coup d’etat Brooklyn was conceived as a business on his stoop in Bedstuy. It is also the place where his activism was realized, where stories from the neighborhood were shared, and the sense of community was reinforced.
Career
Rasu Jilani is an art curator and develops professional programs in the community. The goal of his work is to increase collaboration between artists, local community, and the public to raise awareness around contemporary social issues. He accomplishes this through art exhibitions, volunteering in the community, developing local community programs and cultural events.
Jilani has worked with over 125 artists to curate, design and manage artistic and community events that address social concerns and local issues. He spent two years as a member at Culture and Sustainability at the Pratt Center for Community Development. This is where he oversaw art and cultural programs that connected New York City communities with Pratt Center's community and environmental sustainability projects. Jilani has also served two years as Senior Fellow of the Arts.
Jilani is co-founder of Coup d'etat Arts which is a platform for creative expression and changes cultural boundaries. He organized the Coup d'etat Art Collective in 2008, which is a Brooklyn-based collaboration of between artists to create art-related events and activities around New York City. The Coup d’etat Art Collective provides a unique platform for creative synergy while filling an undeniable void in the arts and culture community. These events have taken places at significant venues such as, Afropunk Festival, BEAT Festival, Long Island University, Pratt Institute, Columbia University, The New School, Mighty Tanaka Gallery, and the Skylight Gallery.
In April 2013, Jilani was Director of Community Programs at MAPP International Productions. His most recent work at MAPP includes Blink Your Eyes: Sekou Sundiata Revisited, Triple Consciousness: Black Feminism(s) in the Time of Now, Days of Art and Ideas, and artists led workshops. Prior to joining MAPP, he served a two-year tenure as Senior Fellow of Arts, Culture and Sustainability at the Pratt Center for Community Development. While at Pratt, projects included Arts East New York’s Summer Saturdaze at East New York Farms, Bedford Stuyvesant’s Retrofit Block-by-Block, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s Restoration Rocks and Youth Arts Education, Brooklyn Greens Sustainability Leadership Conference, Cypress Hill Verde Summit, and the “Amplify Action: Sustainability Through The Arts” exhibition.
Jilani became an Artist-in Residence for the Laundromat Project on May 6, 2015. During his residency, he realized the project "Griots in the Stuy" The project consisted of photographs of residents who live in and around Tompkins Avenue. He has set out to collect, share and then archive the personal stories of Bed-Stuy–a parallel narrative around gentrification–using Tompkins Avenue as the spine and its residents as “griots.” A griot is a West African word for a historian or storyteller. Griots are a repository of oral tradition and are often seen as a societal leader due to his or her traditional position as an adviser to royal personages. This worked well within the Laundromat Project's own mission, as they strive to have artists be understood and recognized as an asset in every community. Everyday people need to know the power of their own creative power to transform their lives, strengthen their relationships, and improve their surroundings.