Grant Program
Applications for the 2027 grant will open on July 4, 2026. In honor of David Amarri Richard King, a Creative Director and Cultural Producer driven by his passion to elevate artists of color. This grant will continue his dream to create spaces that showcase their talents; and introduce them to a diverse network.
2026 David Amarri Foundation grantees
Madison Elaine Triplett
Through her ongoing series Black Boy Joy, Madison documents softness, freedom, and the fullness of Black boyhood. What began in 2020 as a portrait project has grown into a living archive; honoring everyday moments, affirming identity and challenging narratives that have long misrepresented Black men and boys.
Black Boy Joy is the first of a three-part series centered on joy, peace and love within the Black experience - creating images that circulate through exhibitions, events and community programming.
The David Amarri Foundation was created in honor of David Amarri Richard King, who believed deeply in reclaiming the narrative around Black life. He would often say that people see Black men as loud or dangerous, when often they are simply being joyful and free. Capturing that truth mattered to him.
Madison’s work embodies that spirit.
This grant will support her upcoming week-long exhibition at @fourtunehouse (Aug 2–8), where over 100 Black men and boys will be highlighted, along with continued community-centered programming.
You can also find Madison at @inspiredbyyoufest on June 14, hosted by @musecoffeestudio
We are honored to support work that affirms Black joy as truth, not exception.
Website: www.blackboyjoy.2020
Social: @blackboyjoy2020
Makafui Searcy
Makafui Searcy is a Ghanaian-American arts advisor, curator, and cultural strategist based in Chicago.
He is the founding director of Fourtunehouse Art Center, a multidisciplinary gallery and community space he established in 2022.
Rooted in a vision he began shaping in high school, Fourtunehouse supports artists and emerging changemakers through exhibitions, workshops, public programs, and creative entrepreneurship initiatives.
In 2024, Makafui became a founding arts and culture partner of South Side Sanctuary, a 13,000-square-foot public plaza in Bronzeville, where he leads cultural programming and public-art initiatives, including the administration of nearly $150,000 in grant-funded art during the project’s inaugural year.
Across his work, Makafui is committed to building sustainable creative infrastructure and expanding opportunities for artists and cultural communities on Chicago’s South Side and across the diaspora.
The Foundation was created in honor of David Amarri Richard King, who believed deeply in bringing young creatives together and creating space for dialogue around Black and Brown experiences.
Makafui’s work embodies that spirit. He is not only curating art, he is building the kind of cultural infrastructure that sustains community.
We are honored to support his vision and to continue David’s legacy through leaders like him.
Website: fourtunehouse.com
Social: @fourtunehouse
Harlem Masimba West
Harlem Masimba West
Harlem is a self-described “sonic griot and archival artist from Out South Chicago”. Through tintype photography, archival printmaking and analog film media, Harlem weaves storytelling into a tapestry of sound design and Black portraiture.
The David Amarri Foundation was created in honor of David Amarri Richard King, who believed deeply in the power of images to hold memory and truth. Beginning in 2020, David began collecting vintage cameras. He was drawn to old photographs - to the way they carried lineage, dignity, and story. He often spoke about capturing the beauty within Black life and honoring Black history by shining light on narratives too often unseen.
Harlem’s work feels in conversation with that spirit.
This grant will support Harlem’s continued archival projects by helping expand access to tintype materials and studio autonomy, allowing them to document Black communities with greater independence and reach.
Through analog practice, Harlem is stewarding Black memory, ensuring that what has been sacred, joyful, complex, and human is not lost.
We are honored to support their vision and to carry David’s legacy forward.
Website: harlemwesth.com
Socials: @harle.m and @masimbatintypes
2025 DAVID AMARRI FOUNDATION GRANTEE
Anthony Bartley
Anthony Bartley is the recipient of the 2025 @foundobjects “Piece of My Love” Grant (which was the first grant given in honor of David). After being awarded the grant, we realized that he had met David through the Chicago art scene and they discussed some of the challenges for young creatives. This connection continued as Anthony donated a piece of his art to help start the David Amarri Foundation.
Known by his moniker, Fading Royalty, Anthony is a visual artist with a focus on painting. Following a mental health crisis during his freshman year of college, Anthony began using art as a form of therapy and visual journaling. With a background in the biological sciences, Anthony’s practice is always evolving as he looks at each new piece as another experiment. This is has led to a multidisciplinary approach in his visual arts practice which includes 3D modelling and animation, fashion design and sculpture. It would take several years after this for him to realize that through sharing his art he could help others feel seen and help their mental well-being as well. Drawing on stylistic inspiration cartoons and anime from his childhood, Anthony uses illustrated characters and humor to create approachable images for the discussion of mental health issues and negative emotions.
Over time, Anthony’s practice has taken on a large community focus. His debut solo exhibition “Words I’ve Never Said” made physical space for attendees to leave personal, emotional reflections on his work directly on the gallery walls around the works effectively allowing community members to add onto the works. The exhibition also consisted of 10+ workshops and activations within the exhibition space that he hosted with artistic collaborators and other local Chicago businesses. These included weekly mental health groups, a poetry workshop, holistic health workshops, and clothing customization activations. Despite the origins of his practice being personal therapy, Anthony has committed to the community he has grown around his art.
Designer @happy.days.apparel
Creative Technologist @ilacreativestudio
Artist @connectgallery
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