Published November 19, 2024

The Collective: A Look Inside NYU’s Club for Black Creatives!

Cecily Johnson

Class of 2025

Communities & Clubs Current Students Student Voices

Photo of the 2023-2024 E-Board at their annual holiday photoshoot. Standing in V-formation, arms crossed.

Before stepping foot on campus, I followed The Collective on Instagram – NYU’s club for Black artists. As an incoming first-year student, all I wanted was to find a community of like-minded individuals. Through simulated writers’ rooms, Broadway outings, and networking events, I ended up finding fantastic friends and a flourishing Black network. I’ve been a member of The Collective since my first year in Fall 2021. In Spring 2022, I applied to be a member of the E-Board, and I served as the Secretary during my sophomore year. Throughout my junior and senior years, I have acted as the Treasurer. I’m so excited to share with you all just how special The Collective is to several students at NYU!

Our History

The Collective was founded by a group of 15 students, including actress and alumnus DeWanda Wise, (Drama ’06). It is an organization that promotes the growth, knowledge, and support of young Black creatives in the community. The Collective organizes various events that target the health of the Black art community at NYU. Some examples include the Black Arts Festival, Open Mic Nights, artists mixers, and more! Some other events over the past few years include Broadway outings and our annual Black Arts Fest!

Photo of four e-board members at the fall 2024 welcome mixer.

Broadway Outings

In addition, The Collective makes sure that Black artists have the chance to see where they can be in the future. Some musicals we’ve seen include Purlie Victorious and Shucked! We’ve also celebrated Black playwrights like Suzan-Lori Parks and August Wilson through seeing Topdog/Underdog and The Piano Lesson respectively.

Photos of the club posing outside of Purlie Victorious.

Photos of the club posing outside of the doors for Shucked!

Black Arts Festival

Our Black Arts Festival celebrates Black artistry across NYU, with events including our Short Film Festival, Play Festival, and Open Mic Night! The Collective is devoted to making sure that creative students across different disciplines feel like they have a space to showcase their work.

Additionally, each year, The Collective organizes a screening and talkback with industry professionals. In 2023, there was a screening of Eve’s Bayou (1997) and a riveting talkback with Kasi Lemmons, the writer and director. Also, in 2024, the showrunner of the BET+ show Diarra From Detroit, Diarra Kilpatrick, gave students an advanced screening of the pilot followed by a Q&A session.

Former e-board members onstage with Kasi Lemmons.

All in all, coming to a predominantly white institution can be difficult to adjust to, especially as a creative. When your life experiences inform your craft, it’s frustrating when your peers can’t understand your perspective. The Collective provides a supportive and collaborative space for Black artists across campus to make sure they feel heard.

For more information about The Collective, feel free to follow us on Instagram @nyuthecollective and check out our website here!

Cecily Johnson

Class of 2025

Cecily Johnson is a rising senior from the Philadelphia suburbs studying Film and TV Production, Producing, and French. While on campus she is an Admissions Ambassador, the Treasurer for Tisch-affiliated club The Collective, and a Resident Assistant in a first-year residence hall. Though Cecily loves living a busy lifestyle, she’s often making efforts to slow down a bit as she enjoys taking walks, photography, weightlifting at 404, and trying new foods. In the future, she hopes to work in the media and entertainment field, ideally as a television showrunner, and wants nothing more than to contribute to the creative sphere with her personal touch.