Success doesn't need to come from privilege, says first black female FOFA Gallery director

As a black woman working in the arts, offers of fair pay and doors flying open aren't what Eunice Bélidor has come to expect.

The daughter of Haitian immigrants, she grew up in Montreal's Saint-Michel neighbourhood being told to pursue a career as a doctor or lawyer.

She decided to invest in her creative side instead.

Now, she's the new director of Concordia's FOFA gallery — the first black woman to hold the position.

The FOFA Gallery is dedicated to displaying work by students in Concordia's Faculty of Fine Arts.

She takes the job seriously both professionally and symbolically.

Her first order of business was moving her desk so it would be visible to students walking by.

"I really want to show people that you can be a racialized person, and not come from privilege, and not have any networks, and be able to succeed," she said.

Her tightrope walk to the top included balancing school, loans, internships and networking — along with trays of pancakes and coffee cups.

She worked as a waitress during the breakfast rush during her undergrad in art history at Concordia.

To those starving young artists tempted to double-down on creative work in the hopes of finding success faster, Bélidor advises patience.

"Never underestimate the power of a job that is just made to nourish you," she says.

"Just having a roof over your head and food on your table allows you not to have to live precariously — it allows you to focus on your practice."

Finding a role model in Toronto

But things got more complicated for Bélidor when she decided to get a master's degree in Toronto.

Unable to live at home, her choice of school became largely determined by which would provide her with funding.

She combined a stipend with bursaries and student loans — which she's still paying off.   

Bélidor also took an internship at Toronto's Power Plant Gallery, where she had the chance to get her bearings in the art world under the tutelage of another Concordia alumnus, Gaëtane Verna.

Through Verna, she learned first-hand how to navigate the art world, "because it's not very easy for a black woman to do," she says.

Now that she's more established, the challenges she soldiered through earlier in her life have become more mature, polished ones.

She says that many women and racialized artists are used to being underpaid, or not paid at all, for their work.

But, isn't exposure valuable?

"Learn to say 'no," she says. "Exposure doesn't pay rent."

Don't be too shy to talk about money

Bélidor advises artists to always ask about payment when it comes to being invited to speak at events or showcase their work.

In her experience, being invited to participate in a panel discussion on being a racialized person in the arts — a triggering discussion to have – might not result in compensation. Meanwhile, other speakers will receive it.

She says artists shouldn't be shy to ask who else is participating in a given event and whether or not they are being paid for their time.

Now 32, Bélidor is older and wiser. She considers herself fluent and more at ease navigating the pitfalls that stem from other people's projections of what she should be willing to accept.

The final frontier for the young gallery director is now imposter syndrome.

"There's always this feeling that I'm not really the best person for the position, but I am excited to do it," Bélidor says.

And when she goes home to visit her family now, she doesn't have to feel like the odd one out next to her sisters who studied engineering and early childhood education.

"My parents see that it's working," she says of her career in the arts.

Her youngest sister is still in high school and Bélidor's is happy to see her parents now trust that she'll find her way in whatever she does.

"She will be able to do whatever she wants," she says.