BOOM Concepts is a creative hub dedicated to the advancement of black, brown, queer and femme artists.

BOOM Concepts is located in Pittsburgh and since 2014 has curated 50 exhibitions on-site, paid out over $250k in artists fees and produced 250+ events across the country. BOOM Concepts serves as a space for field building, knowledge sharing, mentorship, and storytelling.

In its 10th year, BOOM Concepts continues to work with creatives to find innovative strategies around entrepreneurship and artistic practice. In 2021, BOOM Concepts was selected to represent Pittsburgh for the Google Arts & Culture platform, was identified as an American Cultural Treasure through The Heinz Endowments and The Ford Foundation, and is now in its second year as a McKnight Residency host partner (via a consortium program partnership with McKnight Foundation & Artist Communities Alliance).

BOOM Concepts programming has progressively and successfully changed yearly since its inception in 2014. BOOM’s main usage has been that of a creative hub and studio space based in the neighborhood of Garfield. BOOM’s in-house programming began with adopting an exhibition schedule based on Unblurred that supported 9-11 artists per year from 2014-2020.

BOOM created a 2-year micro-residency program in 2015 to serve as an early pilot to the current residency program. The micro-residency supported Roopa Singh, Bekezela Mguni, Njaimeh Njie, and Erika Turner in 2015 and supported Anthony Williams, Jordan Montgomery, Christo (Christopher Welch), Corey Carrington, and Michael David Battle in 2016. BOOM’s early model also included operating as a rental space for Garfield-based community events, performance events (music, comedy, DJ-led, puppetry, literature-based readings, and dance), college & corporate business off-site training, fashion vending pop-up shops, and more.

Early collaborations with traditional arts institutions such as the Andy Warhol Museum (hosting DS Kinsel’s “Activist Print”) & Carnegie Museum of Art (first 3rd Thursday partner), partnering with Chamber Music Music to present and host live performance-based events, hosting Cultural Trust Gallery Crawl events, performing at and hosting the Fringe Festival, and others helped boost our partnership contracting opportunities in Pittsburgh and beyond.

Currently, BOOM has increased professional and business development opportunities with its in-house residency program that includes partnerships with Radiant Hall and Artist Communities Alliance. “Activist Print” acts as the stream that provides employment opportunities for the artists, makers, and practitioners on the BOOM Concepts roster by taking on various public art-centered contracting opportunities. This is a critical step when expanding and strengthening a pre-existing practice, something BOOM highly values as an important trait of the organization.

Staff

DS Kinsel

Co-Founder/Artistic Director

As the Co-Founder & Artistic Director, DS navigates the BOOM Concepts collective through responsible navigation of both public and private sectors. DS leads BOOM Concepts lectures, training, and facilitation services as an in-house benefit for the artist roster and an income-generating service, including fundraising to support BOOM Concepts initiatives, programs, projects, and general operating expenses.
With this role in place, DS is also able to navigate BOOM Concepts’ expanded creative partnerships with traditional arts institutions and public art projects.

J Thomas Agnew

Co-Founder/Operations Manager

As the Co-Founder & Operations Manager, J Thomas oversees key administrative tasks and work plans; facilitates and coordinates BOOM Concept’s exhibitions, events, artist residency program; artist development, develops, supports, and/or implements marketing and communication strategies, and is responsible for the effective and successful management of labor, productivity, the BOOM vending opportunities, along with the BOOM studio space located at 5139 Penn Avenue, Pgh, PA.
J Thomas works to enhance the operational procedures, systems, and principles in the areas of information flow and management, business processes, and enhanced management reporting and looks for opportunities to expand systems.

Pamela Schön

Chief of Staff

As the Chief of Staff, Pamela works closely with the leadership team to ensure that projects, partners, funding organizations, artists, and staff are fully supported. Pamela has an immediate impact on productivity by streamlining strategic initiatives, overseeing program management, effectively communicating program and project objectives, and continuing to ensure that BOOM’s processes and procedures remain organized behind the scenes.

Devaughn Rodgers

Associate Studio Manager

Kuwame Kinsel

Studio Assistant

BOOM Concepts Programming

These are the programs that define BOOM Concepts’ commitment to fostering artistic talent and cultural enrichment. By supporting artists across career points with a variety of field building and practice building programs we hope to create connections for career sustainability, peer to peer mentorship and overall improvement of the field.

BOOM EXHIBITIONS

BOOM UNIVERSE RESIDENCY PROGRAM

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AP3 - TEMPORARY PUBLIC ART PROGRAM

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ARTIST TAKING CARE OF ARTISTS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

BOOM Concepts creates environments and experiences that make space for intentional exchange of learning between collaborators, participants, and organizers. Artists Taking Care of Artists combines the concepts of active neighborhing and peer to peer mentorships to provide an arts and culture based field building program for practitioners across career stages. By providing positive space to encourage critical growth, ATCA centers and supports artistic practice and creative intellect as a strategy to help connect artists with diverse opportunities connected to the commercial, academic and institutional market.

ATCA The program provides participants with intellectual field-based expertise and a thought exchange partner in BOOM Concepts. This program also offers accessible experts and field leaders who center reciprocity and knowledge exchange in their work.

ATCA encourages the existence and growth of self and the other, examining the multiple professional paths of success within the cultural ecosystem. Which will present an idea of how personal reflection and the success of many can bring benefit back to the individual as a critical aspect in a joy-centered and productive career path.

Partnerships

BOOM Concepts has a great appreciation for the opportunity to connect, collaborate, partner, and support many artists, artist groups, organizations and institutions in and outside of Pittsburgh. We have found innovative ways to support the arts ecosystem by presenting exhibitions, artist talks, social events, create public art & teaching artist contracting.