Olay Body Commits $100,000 in Grant Funding to the Fearless Artist to Support Women in the Arts

Personal care brand elevates women of color in STEAM through strategic partnership and new product collection

Olay Body launched its Fearless Artist Collection of body washes with bottle artwork designed by Black artist, Avery Williamson, and formulas specially crafted by a diverse team of women. (Photo: Business Wire)

CINCINNATI--()--As part of its ongoing commitment to increase representation of women of color in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), Olay Body is committing $100,000 in scholarship grants to The Fearless Artist (TFA) to provide mission-driven artists with access to coaching, community and art buyers who are committed to social change. The 100 scholarship recipients, who represent the next generation of artists, will learn firsthand from Kiki Somerville, Creator of The Fearless Artist Method, a proprietary curriculum of world-class training that takes emerging creatives through the necessary steps to build a successful career in the arts.

This strategic collaboration will be announced and celebrated at TFA’s Young Curators Showcase & Art Industry Job Fair in New York City from June 9-12, 2022, where Olay Body will serve as title sponsor. For tickets to the Showcase, visit: https://tfapopup.com/. This is the brand’s latest endeavor to elevate stories of women of color in art and science. Earlier this year, Olay Body launched the Fearless Artist Series collection of body washes to increase representation and visibility of products designed for women of color. Olay Body teamed up with Avery Williamson, an African American artist who designed the vibrant artwork adorning the bottles, as well as a diverse team of women to develop the formulas. This was the first collection in a series that will spotlight women of color artists who are fearless in pursuing their artistic dreams.

“Olay Body is committed to ensuring women see themselves represented through our brand,” said Freddy Bharucha, P&G’s Vice President of North America Personal Care. “By partnering with TFA and offering these scholarships, we can help make a tangible impact in the lives of the very women our new Fearless Artist Collection of body washes represents.”

Since 2014, TFA has been empowering mission-driven artists by providing access to coaching and the art community and its popups serve as a platform for emerging and undiscovered artists and galleries. The Young Curators Program was launched in January 2021 and has since seen more than 60 students across three cohorts enter the program.

“As a young creative person, I didn't have people in my world that had art galleries, or understood the business side of art," said Kiki Somerville, CEO and Founder of The Fearless Artist. “The Young Curators Program was conceived to address the lack of mentorship and gain access to job opportunities in the art industry. It is incredible to have the support of Olay Body to help so many emerging artists as they realize their artistic dreams.”

Avery Williamson’s vision and fearless approach in tackling her work fueled the creation of the Fearless Artist Series collection. The collaboration between the artist and brand aimed to fill a void in storytelling and freedoms of expression.

“Overall, I think art is so crucial to our lives and to our wellbeing,” said Williamson. “For me, art is about putting joy into the world. The abstract design of the Olay Fearless Artist Series is meant to represent moments when you’re blooming, growing and expanding. The dots, dashes, lines and circles all capture the emotions of everyday life.”

Find out more about Avery Williamson and Olay Body’s Fearless Artist Series collection at www.olay.com/body/fearless-artist. To learn more about TFA Popup New York, visit https://tfapopup.com/newyork/.

About Olay

Olay is a worldwide leader in skincare and has been trusted by women for over 65 years. Olay continues to hold to the philosophy it was founded on: to maintain a deep understanding of women's changing needs and offer products backed by superior science that meets those needs. Female consumers have come to expect this superior product performance from Olay, as it brings healthy looking, beautiful skin to more than 80 million women on five continents.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands. For other P&G news, visit us at www.pg.com/news.

The Fearless Artist

The Fearless Artist’s mission is to empower artists by providing them access to coaching, to a community, and to art buyers who care about social change. Since 2014, The Fearless Artist has shown the work of over 300 international artists to tens of thousands of people at the Art Basel/Miami Art Week Pop Up Gallery — the 4th-most attended gallery at Art Basel Miami, and now in its 8th year. To find out more about Kiki Somerville and TFAPOPUP, visit: https://tfapopup.com/.

Contacts

Stephanie Lett Dawkins
Citizen Relations
stephanie.lett@citizenrelations.com

Contacts

Stephanie Lett Dawkins
Citizen Relations
stephanie.lett@citizenrelations.com