Bearing Beautiful Souls
ARTIST FELLOWSHIP PROPOSAL
Prince George’s Arts & Humanities Council
Visual Inspiration
Project Title
BEARING BEAUTIFUL SOULS (BBS)
WE GOT YOUR BACK (WGYB)
(working titles)
Artist
Akili Brown — Filmmaker & Photographer
Prince George’s County Resident
Visual Inspirations
PROJECT DESCRIPTIONBearing Beautiful Souls (BBS) or We Got Your Back (WGYB) is a portrait and storytelling project that explores support, love, and affirmation between Black men and Black women in Prince George’s County.
Inspired by widespread online conversations in which Black women express feeling unsupported by men in their communities, WGYB offers a powerful, visual counter-narrative. The project presents Black men not as absent or harmful, but as present, caring, and emotionally invested in the lives of Black women.
The project will consist of studio-style photographic portraits of Black and BIPOC women photographed from behind, paired with short interviews in which each woman reflects on a meaningful experience in which a man in her life showed up for her. These men may be fathers, brothers, partners, mentors, teachers, friends, or community members.
By photographing the women from behind, WGYB creates a visual metaphor:
Even when unseen, support can still be felt.
The final body of work will include:
A printed photographic exhibition in Prince George’s County
A photo book
An online gallery
Short video interview pieces
A social media storytelling campaign
A public exhibition event and community panel discussion
Together, these formats allow the project to live in both physical and digital spaces, making it accessible to residents across the county.
ARTISTIC INTENTWGYB is rooted in three goals:
To affirm Black women by centering their voices and experiences of being supported
To humanize Black men by highlighting care, reliability, and emotional presence
To strengthen community narratives in Prince George’s County through art
The tone of the work will be a blend of documentary, healing, and affirmation.
This is not a political project—it is an emotional one.
It invites viewers to witness real moments of connection, trust, and love that already exist but are rarely centered in media narratives.
The portraits will be clean, intimate, and dignified. Each woman will bring one personal object to include in her portrait—an item that helps tell her story. These objects might include photographs, books, jewelry, work tools, or symbolic items connected to her experience.
Her words will appear as:
Captions in the photo book and exhibition
Pull-out quotes in video interviews
Social media storytelling posts
Together, the images and stories will create a layered, human archive of support within the Black community.
COMMUNITY IMPACTPrince George’s County is home to one of the largest, most diverse Black populations in the nation. Yet narratives about Black relationships are often shaped by outside voices that emphasize trauma, conflict, or division.
WGYB offers a locally rooted counter-story.
By working primarily with women who live in PG County, the project documents real relationships, real families, and real acts of care happening here every day.
The public exhibition and panel discussion will invite community members to:
See themselves reflected in the work
Share their own stories
Engage in dialogue about love, accountability, and mutual support
The project is designed to foster connection rather than conflict, and to leave participants and viewers feeling seen, valued, and affirmed.
ARTIST BACKGROUNDI am a Prince George’s County–based filmmaker and photographer with over 25 years of experience working in visual storytelling. I have been creating photographs since 1997 and have spent much of my career using media to document lived experience, social history, and community narratives.
In 2023, I entered my short documentary film Racist Roots into the Prince George’s Film Festival. The film highlighted the work of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation in North Carolina and contributed to public dialogue around justice, abolition, and civil rights through personal storytelling.
Most recently, I completed a professional portrait series for the Prince George’s County House Delegation, documenting elected officials through a community-centered visual lens.
I am also currently producing a storytelling series of short films for the Healthy Babies Project, a nonprofit serving pregnant and parenting teenagers experiencing homelessness. This project centers the voices of young mothers and documents their resilience, challenges, and hopes for the future. Working with this population has deepened my commitment to ethical storytelling, trauma-informed interviewing, and creating media that honors dignity rather than spectacle.
Across all of my work, I focus on collaborative, respectful storytelling that allows participants to see themselves reflected with honesty and care—an approach that directly informs We Got Your Back.
ARTIST BIO (PG Arts & Humanities–Tailored)
Akili Brown is a Prince George’s County–based filmmaker and photographer with over 25 years of experience in visual storytelling. His work combines documentary, portraiture, and community-centered art to elevate underrepresented voices and explore the emotional realities of everyday life.
In 2023, Brown entered his short documentary Racist Roots into the Prince George’s Film Festival. The film highlighted the work of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation in North Carolina and used personal narrative to engage audiences in conversations about justice, history, and social change. He has also recently completed a commissioned portrait series for the Prince George’s County House Delegation, creating a visual record of local leadership through a human-centered lens.
Brown is currently producing a storytelling series of short films for the Healthy Babies Project, a nonprofit serving pregnant and parenting teenagers experiencing homelessness. This work reflects his commitment to ethical, trauma-informed storytelling and to collaborating with communities whose stories are often overlooked.
Across his practice, Brown focuses on using visual media as a tool for connection, representation, and civic engagement, making his work especially aligned with projects that serve and reflect the diverse communities of Prince George’s County.
TIMELINE (6 Months) Working TimelineSpring - Fall
Month 1
Finalize project design
Outreach & participant recruitment
Secure studio space
Create consent forms & interview framework
Months 2–4
Photograph participants
Conduct interviews
Begin video editing
Collect captions & stories
Month 5
Design and print exhibition materials
Design photo book
Build online gallery
Finalize videos
Month 6
Public exhibition & panel in PG County
Social media campaign
Community engagement
Documentation & final reporting
BUDGET SUMMARY (Grant Request: $5,000)Grant funds will support:
Artist fee
Studio rental
Photography supplies
Printing and framing
Video editing
Exhibition setup
Photo book design
Participant stipends
Marketing and promotion
If needed, the project will scale by reducing the number of participants while preserving the full artistic and community impact.
WHY THIS PROJECT / WHY NOWAt a time when social media and public discourse often emphasize division within Black communities, We Got Your Back offers something different: proof of care, tenderness, and mutual support.
Prince George’s County deserves to see itself reflected in this way.
This fellowship will allow me to dedicate time, space, and creative focus to producing a project that honors the emotional lives of Black women and the men who stand with them—turning everyday acts of love into lasting works of art.
WHY THIS PROJECT / WHY NOWAt a time when social media and public discourse often emphasize division within Black communities, We Got Your Back offers something different: proof of care, tenderness, and mutual support.
Prince George’s County deserves to see itself reflected in this way.
This fellowship will allow me to dedicate time, space, and creative focus to producing a project that honors the emotional lives of Black women and the men who stand with them—turning everyday acts of love into lasting works of art.