About Us

Erin Douglas is a travel and lifestyle photojournalist and 3-time burner. When the chance to attend burning man was presented to her, she didn’t hesitate. That didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous. The nerves of camping for the first time and possibly being the only person of color she would see out there for a week. Although she met other people of color, Erin saw the desperate need to document other Burners of Color and share their stories to create a space where the misconception that Burning Man was just for “white hippies” could be squashed. She wanted a place where people of color could be seen because you definitely couldn’t find inspiration on the internet. Erin hoped her images would inspire other people to give Burning Man a shot, give truth to what burning man was really about, who it was for, and show the beauty in it all, especially with a demographic not normally associated with Burning Man. And it’s working. Erin is now working to create a platform with a wealth of easy information for people to access, traveling art shows for the talented artist that go to Burning Man, experiences, and community. 

Black Burner Project has a mission of transforming communities through the creation of radical diversity, art & awareness of the uniqueness of Black and Brown burners.

We see the project as shifting the paradigm of art experienced on playa by creating a space for residents to engage in the experiences of others. We are designing this space for maximum participation by playing with space, size, sound & sight. This is where burners of color can see themselves and know they are home.

The three large-scale portraits of Black Burners stand 30ft tall on playa and mark their place in history (past present and future). They are meant to not only be seen, but touched, heard, documented, and remembered.