Black Burner Project: Stories from the Dust Art Event

Black Burner Project is a storytelling documentary project of the experience of People of color who attend Burning Man through photography and personal interviews. Created and Captured by international photographer Erin Douglas who recognized the negative impact the lack of representation was having on the concept of What Burning Man was and who it was for. Her mission is to use her passion for storytelling to create a space where Burners of color could be seen as apart of the Burning Man community in order to create awareness, encourage and inspire more people of color to be open to the experience, drive diversity and to start changing the narrative of how Burning Man is seen. Stories from the Dust is created to disrupt the norm, push the cultural dial of the Burning Man Project and show that visual representation of racial diversity matters. The melanin skin adorned in dust and the stories included in this book gesture to what Burning Man really is and who it is for. The project will bring insight into the authentic experiences Burners of color have and how Burning Man has been an impactful force in their lives. However, the project is meant to push cultural norms of the event and to prove the vital importance of representation both at the event and how it is portrayed visually. It is meant to be a resource for the BIPOC community for understanding and preparing for the experience, while also creating programs such as BiPoc artist grants, events, and plans to help make the experience a safe and inviting place. Project goals include, events, BIPOC artist grants, mentorship, art exhibitions, BIPOC healing retreat, a table top photography book, and film documentary.