Diamond Beverly-Porter

Diamond Beverly-Porter is an artist, video game designer, and professor. She believes in the transformative power of storytelling, play, and critical making. Diamond combines the intersections of play, interactivity, virtual spaces, and technology to drive creative expression, merging these passions into a unified mission. She creates digital art and games where underrepresented voices, particularly Black women and girls, can be amplified. With the visceral connection that art innately creates with its audience, Diamond is deeply interested in communication across mediums that acknowledge and play with existing power relations, their destruction, and the narratives that emerge from these dynamics.

Diamond received her Bachelor of Science from Tarleton State University and Master of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at Dallas. She is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Washington State University. Additionally, she serves as the Research & Supportive Outreach Lead for The Smart Project, a South Dallas non-profit organization, making the arts accessible for youth. Recent work includes a virtual game installation at the Electronic Literature Conference and Media Arts Festival as well as a group exhibition at The FKM Gallery in downtown Minneapolis.

In her youth, Diamond dreamed of games that centered on Black people and culture. Today, she breathes life into those dreams. Virtual spaces serve as an extension of our sociopolitical climate, and her work focuses on culture, communication, and representation through games. As a part of only 2% of Black game developers, Diamond creates the games and media arts she wished existed when she was younger.