Monoyo

Who We Are

Monoyo, an arts initiative created and operated by Culture of Color Collective, creates, commissions, and curates art that centers the Black LGBTQ+ experience.

Our mission is to enrich the cultural life of the Twin Cities by using the arts to explore, celebrate, and archive the Black LGBTQ+ experience across the diaspora in real time. We also want to expand what is possible for Black queer artists. 

Monoyo means “I have joy” in Itsekiri, a language spoken by the Itsekiri people, who are native to Nigeria’s Niger Delta. Choosing this name was significant to us because, as Black queer folks, we understand joy as more than the absence of difficulty. To us, joy is a discipline, as Black queer people have shown over time by showing up despite the odds and finding and making joy in spaces and conditions that were never designed for us to thrive. We are building an artistic home where that joy is at the core of the work and where Black queer artists have the space, resources, and platform to thrive.

While the Twin Cities boasts a thriving arts ecosystem, it doesn’t fully reflect the region's growing Black LGBTQ+ community. What’s missing is an artistic home where these two things are fully connected, and artists working at that intersection often have to piece together funding, venues, audiences, and infrastructure for each project. Monoyo exists to give this work a place to live and make sure it becomes part of the record. This is because we believe Black LGBTQ+ people deserve art that reflects the fullness of our experiences, and Black LGBTQ+ artists deserve opportunities to create and exhibit their work with the resources, compensation, and freedom to do it well. And Black artists and audiences deserve spaces built with genuine care, cultural depth, and joy at the center.

Our Ask

Monoyo presents programs throughout the year, including Monoyo Film Club, which introduces audiences to Black queer filmmakers from across the diaspora; Over 30%, a live storytelling production commemorating National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day featuring Twin Cities-based artists; and exhibitions that celebrate Black LGBTQ+ artists.

We are not starting from zero. Culture of Color Collective has produced programming for Black LGBTQ+ people in the Twin Cities since 2025, including the first installment of Over 30%. In 2026 alone, our events brought together close to 350 attendees. That work has shown what can happen when Black queer artists have a stage, an audience, and the resources to tell our own stories.

Now we're building the infrastructure to make that work possible more consistently and ensure it lasts.

Our Ask

Right now, we're raising $2,000 to build Monoyo's infrastructure and programming. Your gift directly supports Black queer artists and helps us build an archive of our stories.

Every gift, no matter the size, tells an artist: this work is worth paying for.

Thank you for supporting our work.

A fiscally sponsored project of Springboard for the Arts. To give to Springboard: https://givemn.org/organization/Springboard-For-The-Arts