Apostrophe Puzzles

Story & highlights

When I started Apostrophe I hadn't done a puzzle in over 10 years. As a kid I was an avid puzzler with a designated puzzle table in my room, but as I grew up I did them less and less because I felt largely ignored by the industry. There were very few puzzles that spoke to my interests, my culture, or my aesthetic as a Black woman. There were very few artists who looked like me, or in whose work I could see myself reflected. Then, in 2019 two seemingly unrelated things happened: I unsuccessfully tried to buy my first piece of original art (the painting I fell in love with turned out to be well over $7k), and a dear friend gave me a puzzle for my birthday. Since there was nothing on the market they thought I would like, they gave me a custom puzzle of the painting I loved - and everything clicked into place. What if we could utilize puzzles to offer an interactive way to engage with fine art? What if we weren't solely dependent on traditionally white institutions to learn about and celebrate the work of artists of color? What if we could help foster a culture of art consumerism that was accessible and inclusive? Puzzles are fantastic tools for mindfulness and self-care - a source of meditative calm in our ever bustling and increasingly hectic world. They allow us to unplug, to return to the simplicity of our childhoods or newly discover a simple and engaging way to pass the time. I hope our puzzles do that. I also hope they encourage you to learn about and support contemporary artists of color, who are some of the leading innovative and creative artistic voices in the world. I hope you’re inspired to invest in communities of color and find additional ways to combat economic, social, and institutional injustice in your own lives. I hope our collections remind you that you are worthy and deserving of great art and that you are allowed to engage with it. My vision for Apostrophe is rooted in a fundamental commitment to Black and Brown artists, people, and communities being seen, valued, supported, celebrated, compensated, and invested in. Thank you for being a part of that.

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