VCUarts student Zakari Yonkers is part of latest GLAAD cohort for diverse creativity

By Anastasia Mineiro

The opportunity to truly connect with one of your inspirations may not happen often, so when painter and printmaker Zakari Yonkers saw the Instagram ad, they had to act quickly.

"It was a few days before the deadline" for applications, Yonkers said. "It was a last-minute thing, but I just saw that it was GLAAD and Mickalene Thomas - and I thought it sounded really cool."

Opportunity seized. Yonkers, a rising senior in Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts, was accepted into the latest cohort of GLAAD's Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative, which this year focuses on visual artists: painters, photographers, sculptors, mixed-media innovators and digital storytellers. EMEI helps new artists advance their careers while elevating Black LGBTQ+ storytellers and individuals living with HIV.

"They've never worked with visual artists," Yonkers said of the program team, with previous cohorts focusing on filmmakers and musicians. "So, we're learning on both sides, but it's been a really cool experience so far."

For Yonkers, the connection to Thomas was a strong draw. Thomas is a contemporary visual artist who depicts Black and queer identity and is known for complex mixed-media paintings, including with rhinestones, acrylic and enamel.

As part of the EMEI program, each artist - there are 20 in the latest cohort - receives funding for a project of their choice. They also have monthly meetings to share updates and network with industry contacts. Yonkers' project will consist of four paintings modeled after four individuals they have interviewed.

"I'm interviewing a bunch of Black queer artists about their journey to where they are in their career and their identity - and how those two things are in conversation with each other," Yonkers said. "In the final exhibition, I plan to have some of the audio from the interviews playing in the background. I want it to feel like an immersive space and experience."

The exhibition will take place in June in New York City, where Thomas resides.

"It is great to now have a community of artists in my network who all have a similar goal," Yonkers said. "We're going to hopefully be able to go to Mickalene's studio. She's been a really big influence on my style. It was really good to be able to meet her and talk to her about her work."