RALEIGH, N.C. – The Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) of Raleigh held a panel on Sunday with Black artists to discuss representation in the arts.

What You Need To Know 

CAM held an event Sunday called "Black Representation in the Arts: Building Momentum for Lasting Change Panel Discussion" 

There were seven creators and artists features on the panel 

Topics of discussion included diversity and achieving equity in the arts  

The panel was moderated by Colony Little and panelists included: Stephen Hayes, Clarence Heyward, Allen Mask, Natasha Powell-Walker, Lakea Shepard and Maya Brooks.

They spoke about where they get their inspiration from, diversity in the arts, as well as how to achieve equity in the arts.

Lakea Shepard was a panelist Sunday and is an artist with work currently on exhibition at CAM.

“It’s a discussion that needs to be had in more spaces than it is being had at this moment. I feel like if at least one person from today’s discussion can go back and take it to wherever they are, whatever community they are in, it’s going to make a huge difference,” Shepard said.

“The whole idea of Black artists needing to be seen is a topic that should be prominent. It should be the main discussion for us. There are so many Black artists that have such great work, and we are also a part of this community, a part of America, wherever we are from, we are a part of that. I feel that it’s very important that we are represented as well,” Shepard said.

Clarence Heyward was also one of the artists on the panel and has work on exhibition at CAM.

“I think the larger discussion is how we intake Black art and what happens after you see it. What are we talking about? What are the narratives in the work? How people experience it,” Heyward said.

CAM’s curator says the museum hopes to hold more panel conversations in the future. They also plan to do something similar for an upcoming exhibition that opens in October which will feature art that explores transgender identity.