We Are A Black Owned Art Supply Company
Our vision is that Black & Brown communities are empowered through access to inclusive art supplies, realistic representation, and educational support that nurtures their creative skills and makes space for their authentic stories to positively impact the world around them.
Creativity
Representation
Art Education
Professional Development
2022 & Beyond
How It Started!
Stapledon Arts was founded by artist and art educator, Charlecia Joy, after witnessing a persistent challenge in her New York City classroom: students of color struggling—and often feeling frustrated—when asked to mix paint to match their own skin tones. Portraits were the most requested assignments, yet inclusive art supplies were limited—leaving many students feeling unseen. That challenge inspired a solution.
Born in a Bronx classroom, Stapledon Arts created inclusive, beginner-friendly art supplies that offer creatives pre-mixed, realistic skin tone colors that match diverse complexions. Our flagship Melanin Series including our Melanin Series Acrylic Paint Set and our Melanin Series Oil Pastel Set, each feature 12 melanin-rich colors in deep, warm, medium, and light flesh tone shades. Not only do our products support portraiture, figure drawing, and mixed-media exploration, but they honor the diversity of real people and real experiences. Made for students, hobbyists, emerging creatives, professional artists, parents, and art educators, our products remove barriers to creating by making it easier to represent the real world—accurately and joyfully.
At Stapledon Arts, representation isn’t an add-on—it’s our foundation.
We Thank Our Supportive Partners!
Embracing Identity & Culture — Beauty In Every Shade
Sabrina Nelson
Title: Frontline Profit
Detroit, MI
Aug 2023
Tiffani Glenn
Title: Breath
Riverview, FL
Mar 2023
Tiffany Woolard
Title: Goddaughter
Atlanta, GA
Jul 2023
Lauren B.
Title: Da Baddie
Harlem, NY
Mar 2023
Marianna Jimenez Edwards
Tiny mixed media portrait
Boise, Idaho
Dec 2022
Jess Owens - Young
Title: We Are All Artists
Baltimore, Maryland
Dec 2022
Tiffani Glenn
Title: Hope
Tampa, FL
Jan 2023
Janice Q. Reyes
Title: Didier Sylvain's Portrait
Queens, NY
Dec 2022
FOUNDER
Charlecia Joy
Charlecia Joy is an artist, art educator, and the Founder/CEO of Stapledon Arts, an inclusive art supply company transforming creativity by addressing the representation gap for artists of color. Beyond its social impact, for Joy, Stapledon Arts also embodies her Caribbean-American upbringing, her journey as a devoted student artist, and her pioneering role as an agent of artistic empowerment.
Joy's own artistic journey was inspired by the vibrant tapestry of Junkanoo in Nassau, Bahamas, shaping her lifelong dedication to creative excellence. With academic achievements culminating in a BFA from the University of Florida and an MA from Columbia University, Teachers College, Joy is deeply committed to shaping young minds through art education and sparking creativity especially amongst communities of color. Amidst her academic pursuits Joy also exhibited in several galleries and art spaces, planned beautification projects and murals throughout urban communities, and most recently taught high school visual arts within the New York City Department of Education.
With a patience to teach and curiosity to meet people in their truth Joy bridges the gap between people’s creative inhibitors and their authentic expression. Through Stapledon Arts, Joy has created more than just a business; she’s built a platform for artistic exploration – it is a testament to the enduring power of creativity in authentically fostering inclusive communities.
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