
Phillip Michael Collins, Founder
Tennessee-native Phillip Collin’s story is many things: nuanced, complex and in his own words, a realization of his wildest dreams. Phillip is a marketer turned art collector turned social, creative, and art entrepreneur. Out of the urgent need to bridge a gap in the commercial art market and the desire to spotlight the stories that mattered to him the most, Phillip gave birth to Good Black Art—the first and only platform that is centered around the most promising emerging Black artists from around the world. With mentorship, education and community as a priority, Good Black Art has uniquely combined the arts ecosystem into one platform offering ecommerce, media and partnerships and exhibitions.
Phillip’s practice as an art collector developed from his position as a self-proclaimed outsider. In his struggle with the exclusionary nature of systemic racism and homophobia, Phillip’s path started in a bit of confusion. Who am I? Who are you? What is this place that we’re in? These were the questions that permeated in Phillip’s mind while he studied International Marketing at Elon University. Ultimately, it was the hope of answering those same questions that triggered his wanderlust, pulling Phillip away from the South and away from the United States of America.
Over the course of the next 10 years, Phillip lived and worked between Brazil, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, exploring what it meant to be a global citizen while putting his degree to good use. With major brands including American Express, Ford, GE, Disney and UBS, Phillip helped to shape global product, entertainment, and art and design campaigns. His credibility in lifestyle and culture marketing stems from over a decade’s worth of working with major corporations—taking to the tasks of brand strategy, PR, talent management, experiential marketing and social media.
At heart, Phillip’s most important client has always been himself. Accessing agency for both himself and his community has continually been his top priority. Upon returning to the U.S, Phillip realized the magnitude of introspection that he had to undergo, and that corporate America could only take him so far in that process. Now based in New York City, Phillip Collins has once again answered to the call of wanderlust—this time turning to collecting art as a healing practice and supporting artists from around the world in their endeavors to paint nuanced and complex pictures of Black experiences, just like his own.
Phillip wielded art as a necessary tool toward communicating in an attempt to find his own voice. He harnessed art collecting as a means to discover himself through a new sort of language, one that happens to be shared by Black people all around the world. This practice became a channel for dialogue, both internally and in community. Phillip’s personal collection, which set the stage for Good Black Art, features works from over 150 emerging Black artists. He’s curated an archive that’s rooted in the diversity, beauty and resilience of Black people from around the globe.
With Phillip Collins at the head, Good Black Art borrows from corporate playbooks to present the best emerging artists to the commercial art world. Phillip has coupled his expertise as a lifestyle marketer with his passion for art, showcasing a certain taste and skill-set that allows him to connect dots in ways that no one else can. Driven by the potential for a more equitable and democratized art world, Phillip works to foster an environment that empowers people. With mentorship, education and community as a priority, Phillip has developed Good Black Art to be the first company to uniquely combine the arts ecosystem into one platform offering ecommerce, media and partnerships and exhibitions.
Phillip Collins has set the stage for the premier destination for contemporary Black art, realizing his dream in each and every project.