Meet Njeri Rutherford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Njeri Rutherford. 

Hi Njeri, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a Detroit native who graduated from Johnson C. Smith University with a degree in Dance and Communication Arts in 2016. I then moved to New York City where I began working in arts administration and dancing professionally. I took an interest in fundraising and development during an internship I had with Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. I then went on to work for several arts nonprofits in NYC working in fundraising, event planning, and marketing. In late 2019 I started to notice that there were not enough visible Black artists receiving the notoriety and support that they deserved. I realized I could use the skills I had gained during my work with white-led organizations and provide art administration services to artists in my community. I launched The Barre on Juneteenth, 2020 at the height of the global pandemic. Since then, the company has grown tremendously and includes athleisure wear, e-books, and more. The Barre is an extensive artist services company that caters to the artistic, administrative, and performative needs of artists of color. The Barre offers a vast range of services including resume editing, project management, and grant writing, leotards and dancewear, event & fundraising planning, dance films, creative direction, and more. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has absolutely not been a smooth road. For starters, I don’t know of many Black women who do the work I do or have started businesses as a result of it, so I really had no blueprint for how exactly I wanted to shape my career. However, I am fortunate to have incredible family, friends, and mentors that have helped shape my journey throughout the years. Additionally, I started my business in the midst of a pandemic which was incredibly challenging because I had been laid off from my work and suddenly had to move back home from New York. I was also in the process of starting graduate school at the University of Michigan so I had a lot on my plate at the time. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Though I have been a dancer and performer since a very young age, I have a great passion in grant writing, project management, and simply being of service to other artists. It is important to me to prioritize the needs of Black artists and to address the inequities and disproportionate opportunities that are provided to us. To date, I have raised over $100,000 for grant funds for Black artists to produce their work. My greatest accomplishment is the sheer joy, relief, freedom, and liberation my clients’ experience as a result of properly funded projects, exposure, and notoriety. 

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Perseverance and self-belief. It is essential to a person’s success to be able to persevere during difficult times and to always believe in themselves and what they are doing. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one will. The saying is cliche but it is definitely true. I have struggled with promoting my work or asking for help when I need it, but the bottom line, no one suffers but you if you give up or don’t take the necessary steps to get things done. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: thebarreinc.com
• Instagram: thebarre__

Image Credits
Cyrus B.