About the Studio
The Black Elder Studio.
Documentation. Readiness. Opportunity.
The Black Elder Studio is a Toronto-based creative infrastructure studio founded and led by Elisabeth Clarke, a Black queer woman working across photography, video production, digital design and facilitation.
We work with founders, organizations and creative teams to document their work, communicate what they're building and prepare for new opportunities.
Our practice brings together photography, video production, editorial publications and creative support.
Sometimes we're documenting an event or production as it unfolds. Other times, we're developing a presentation, organizing existing materials or helping an organization prepare something important.
What connects these projects is our interest in understanding the work itself. We pay attention to the people involved, the circumstances surrounding a project and what our contribution needs to accomplish.
We believe the work we produce should serve a purpose beyond its initial delivery.
Elisabeth Clarke
Founder & Creative Director, The Black Elder Studio
I'm a multidisciplinary creative practitioner working across photography, video production, digital design and facilitation.
My background in child and youth care, community work and digital design has shaped how I approach people and the projects they bring into the world.
I've spent years working alongside artists, founders and organizations in different capacities. Those experiences have taught me to look beyond the finished product and pay attention to what it takes to bring an idea into reality.
I'm interested in the people behind the work. I want to understand what they're building, why it matters to them and what they need to make it happen.
Through The Black Elder Studio, I bring my creative and practical experience together to produce work that serves the people and organizations who trust me with it.
Good work begins with understanding what's needed.
Every project starts with a conversation about what you're trying to accomplish.
You might be preparing for an important opportunity, documenting work already underway or looking for someone to take creative production off your plate.
We take the time to understand your goals, the work you've already done, the materials you have to work with and what still needs to be created.
From there, we agree on a realistic scope, organize the work and take responsibility for delivering it.
Make the work legible.
Help people understand what you've built, what you're doing and why it matters.
Prepare for opportunity.
Produce the documentation, publications and presentations you need to put your work in front of the right people.
Share the load.
Work with a Studio that can take responsibility for important creative production, so everything doesn't have to sit with you or your team.