The Inspiring Journey of Artivist Esther Callahan
Esther Callahan is a Minneapolis-based community cultural curator and "artivist." Art therapy helped her heal and find her purpose. Today, she consults for BIPOC and Black-led organizations and co-founded The BLK Collectors—an initiative launched to help the Black diaspora buy, invest in, and celebrate Black art without the systemic rush of traditional art spaces.
Esther Callahan learned to process trauma and find moments of calm through art. Adopted by a white family, she experienced the pain of discovering her parents were not her biological ones, and later survived sexual assault. The therapist she visited following these experiences used art as a catalyst to help her open up and express herself.
“The way that I leaned into care was through art,” she said. “Art always had a moment for calm, for quiet, for calming the spirit, for quieting the mind… and I saw the importance and the power that art can do in thought, in feeling.”
Growing up as the only Black person in many of her spaces also led her to a deep dive into Black history, art, and feminism.
Today, Callahan is a community cultural curator and “artivist” who works with companies, nonprofits, and organizations, predominantly BIPOC and Black-led, as an art consultant and art director.
“I like to think about how we can present art in nuanced ways, both inside and outside,” she said.
Her personal journey remains the driving force behind her work.
“The opportunity to create spaces that lean into care and calm, that offer that, that help foster that, is literally the biggest joy of my life every single day,” Callahan said. “Something that was negative is now turned into a positive, and I get to use that as a driving force every single day.”
Callahan believes the Twin Cities and broader Midwest region is home to some of the most vibrant art spaces and artists in the country.
“We have Black spaces here that are leading into that creativity, so lean into that,” she said. “Everywhere you can go in the Twin Cities, there’s a spot that says, ‘I see you, I care about you, I honor you, and I welcome you in.'”
She encourages residents to support spaces including Roberts Gallery, Mudluk, and the Legacy Building, where she does much of her work.
“For me, the Legacy Building is a hub,” she said. “It’s an art center that allows the voice of the diaspora to exist in a way that doesn’t apologize for existing. As a curator, art consultant, and art director, and somebody really interested in how we move to the next space of collecting art, being able to be in a space that is constantly inspiring, with the freedom to create… it’s kind of magic.”
While working at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Callahan and a colleague noticed something missing: art owners and collectors who looked like them. In response, she and Keisha Williams, head gallerist for the Minneapolis College of Art and Design Gallery, created The BLK Collectors.
“We noticed that almost every name listed as owner, lender, or purchaser didn’t look like us,” Callahan said.
Launched at the end of 2025, The BLK Collectors is intentionally building slowly, focused on showcasing artists of the Black diaspora and creating pathways for Black people to buy and invest in art.
“It’s a slow burn because I’m really moving away from the tendency of white supremacy, which is the sense of urgency,” Callahan said.
This fall, Callahan will also begin teaching a class on critiquing racism in art at Metro State University.
To follow Esther Callahan’s work and upcoming events, find BLK Collectors on Instagram at @theblkcollectors.
Damenica Ellis welcomes reader responses at dellis@spokesman-recorder.com.
On the radar podcast with esther callahan
Curator, Artivist and Practitioner of Joy Esther Callahan Is Building a Black Art Economy in Minnesota
On the Radar host Damenica Ellis sits down with Minneapolis artivist and curator Esther Callahan, who built the BLK Collectors to ensure Black artists are seen, supported and paid, and who distributed handmade art kits to families during Operation Metro Surge.