We are happy to announce that Contemporary And (C&) has been awarded a major grant from the Mellon Foundation to support the development of the C& Cyclopedia. This project will completely transform how C& audiences navigate, experience and draw from the archive that C& has grown over the years. Set to launch in Fall 2025, the project will be a living digital archive designed to make C&’s 10+ years of deep and vast memory accessible, easy to use, and inspiring to engage with.

The C& Cyclopedia will bring to the surface the information and ideas that have been shaping our platform since 2013. It will be a one-of-a-kind resource on visual arts from Africa and the Global Diaspora, catering to researchers, educators, and art enthusiasts alike. With innovative search functions and a user-centric design, the archive will go beyond traditional information-seeking to become a space for true discovery and interaction—a place to explore, learn, and engage with contemporary art.

This living archive will sustainably engage our global audiences and expand our reach to new communities, offering a dynamic platform that not only preserves but also amplifies the rich knowledge C& has cultivated, fostering deeper understandings and reshaping narratives of contemporary art from regions of the global majority.

We are deeply grateful to the Mellon Foundation for their support and look forward to sharing the C& Cyclopedia with you soon.

About the Mellon Foundation
The Mellon Foundation is the largest supporter of the arts and humanities in the United States. The Foundation seeks to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking through grants that support the arts, culture, and higher education.