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Karen O and Napa Winery Support the Black Trans Community

• 20th Jul 2020

Offering her artistic talents to help those in need, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs has collaborated with Napa Valley winery Ashes & Diamonds to create eighteen uniquely individual, hand-painted magnum Rosé bottles which are on sale today HERE.

In the spirit of assisting Black Trans people struggling with financial and food disparities, each singular, exquisitely handcrafted bottle by Karen O will sell for $250, with 100% of the proceeds going to The Okra Project, a collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by providing home-cooked, culturally specific meals, monetary grocery assistance and food education. 

“I had been yearning to just sit at my desk and paint and draw for years,” says O. “The part of my brain that I use to make music shut off when the pandemic hit, so this quiet project of falling into a Kenneth Anger-esque fairytale was a nice place to go when I couldn’t go anywhere. Where I could lean my head on the shoulder of Lou Reed’s muse Rachel as the underworld closed in around us, where nymphs have tangled tresses and swim with stilettos, where I could wash and be clean in the smoke and the rain. I’m grateful for the opportunity to support The Okra Project who provide meals and resources to the Black Trans community and thankful for Ashes & Diamonds and The Okra Project and the work they are doing. This little project fed the soul in these troubled times.” 

Since opening in 2017, Ashes & Diamonds has demonstrated commitment to pro-social initiatives and global activism, contributing to a wide range of non-profit organizations such as AIDS/LifeCycle, Baby2Baby and CUESA. 

“The ground is fertile for positive change right now,” says Ashes & Diamonds proprietor Kashy Khaledi.  “Given our current times, The Okra Project represents that change for us. Karen O’s magical illustrations are beautiful expressions of artistic nourishment, just as The Okra Project brings nourishment in meals to the Black Trans community. This is our expression of friendship, unity and a call for brighter days.”