THE BLACK ART TODAY FOUNDATION ARTISTS COHORT
The Black Art Today Foundation Artists Cohort brings together a dynamic group of artists whose work reflects the depth, diversity, and evolving narrative of BIPOC artistic expression. Through this cohort, BATF supports artists who are shaping cultural dialogue, preserving heritage, and pushing the boundaries of contemporary art.
The program highlights artists at various stages of their careers while providing opportunities for visibility, collaboration, and professional growth. Explore the artists below to learn more about their practices and contributions to the broader landscape of Black art and culture.
Alma Roberts
Alma is an abstract expressionist whose vibrant compositions explore the enduring struggles, resilience, and hope translating lived experiences into visual narratives.
Anita Henley Carrington
Anita is an abstract artist creating thought-provoking works that challenge viewers to explore emotion, faith, and the deeper stories of the human experience.
Babacar Pouye
Babacar is a Senegal-based portrait artist whose realistic and symbolic works reflect cultural encounters and personal reflection.
Bryane “B” Broadie
Broadie is a digital mixed media artist whose work merges vector, 3D, and photo manipulation to reflect Black history and contemporary culture.
David Amoroso
David is a multidisciplinary artist working across painting, photography, and printmaking, celebrating Latin culture through iconic portraits.
David WM Cassidy
David is a self-taught oil painter whose cubist-influenced abstract works explore emotion and the layered histories shaping African Americans.
David Zambrano
David is a multidisciplinary artist whose graffiti-rooted practice spans mixed media and surfaces, creating expressive, detail-rich works that reflect his passion.
Derrick Vaughn
Derrick Vaughn is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose practice explores communication, expression, and conceptual storytelling through illustration and design.
Dion Pollard
Dion is an artist whose work evokes emotion, spirituality, and love, using layered textures and mixed media to celebrate Black culture, joy, and resilience.
Emery Franklin
Emery is a Memphis-based artist whose paintings celebrate African American heritage, faith, and community while honoring the struggles and stories.
Erasto Curtis Matthews
Erasto is a self-taught artist whose abstraction-based paintings draw from African culture and African American life, using expressive form.
Esther Okehi
Esther is an artist whose work is shaped by global experiences and cultural connections, using creativity as a way to express balance and connectivity.
James Murphy, Jr.
James is a fine artist whose drawings and paintings explore faith, family, and cultural identity, expressing personal experiences through visual storytelling.
Jamil Burton
Jamil Burton is a visual artist and illustration painter whose work blends traditional and contemporary realism to explore the Black experience.
Janet B. Waters
Janet is a multidisciplinary artist whose abstract watercolor and textile works reflect a lifelong creative practice shaped by craft traditions and storytelling.
Janice MacLean
Janice is a clay sculptor whose work explores the resilience and transformation of women through expressive figures using rich textures.
JaVon Townsend
JaVon is a narrative artist and storyteller whose work centers connection, using words and images to honor the full humanity of marginalized communities.
Jay Durrah
Jay is a portrait artist whose vibrant, multi-colored works explore identity and shared humanity, using expressive color and gaze to capture his work.
Karen Y. Buster
Karen is a visual artist whose distinctive mixed media works explore negative and positive space, using unconventional perspective to express emotion.
Kaylee Daryl
Kaylee is a multidisciplinary artist whose expressive works use color and emotion to share personal stories and inspire reflection.
K Starks
K is a multidisciplinary artist whose portrait drawings and paintings explore creative transformation shaped by experiences in music and global culture.
Keiona Clark
Keiona is an abstract impressionist and arts entrepreneur whose work and curatorial practice focus on community building.
Kibibi Ajanku
Kibibi is a multidisciplinary artist whose ethnically rooted work draws from African and diasporic traditions, exploring ancestral cultural connections.
Larry “Poncho” Brown
Poncho is a visual artist whose bold Afrocentric works celebrate African American culture, history, and identity through dynamic symbolism.
Levi Robinson
Levi is a mixed media artist whose work blends the sublime and familiar, using visual metaphors to explore themes of race, religion, gender, and culture.
Linda Mose Meadows
Linda is an art enthusiast inspired by the beauty and design of quilts, creating expressive art quilts that reflect her passion and creative gift.
Luis Del Valle
Luis is a multidisciplinary artist whose murals, portraits, and paintings blend vibrant color and realism to tell powerful stories of history and culture.
Luther Wright
Luther is a contemporary artist whose experimental works merge traditional techniques with modern approaches, and visionary ideas drawn from dreams.
Marie Antoinette
Marie is a mixed media artist whose work blends art and fashion through photography, textiles, and painting, reflecting cultural influence.
Marilyn Gates-Davis
Marilyn is a painter whose portraits and mixed media works celebrate the joy, strength, and everyday stories of Black life through expressive color and storytelling.
Mary Claggett
Mary is an emerging painter whose acrylic works draw inspiration from nature and science, transforming reflection into abstract compositions.
Nasia “Nai” Turner
Nai is a multidisciplinary artist, muralist, and nonprofit founder whose work explores identity, resilience, and spiritual growth through vibrant, symbolic storytelling.
Nicole Brooks
Nikki is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and activist whose practice explores memory, culture, and power through layered installations and mixed media.
Roger James
Roger is a portrait artist whose expressive oil paintings capture the energy and emotion of public figures, blending realism with vibrant storytelling.
Russell Lewis
Lewis is a fine artist and creative director whose work blends portrait illustration, sculpture, and craftsmanship into textured pieces.
Scott Fulton
Scott is a photographer and visual artist whose work captures the beauty of nature through light, color, and composed imagery inspired by the natural world.
Suzette Royster
Suzette is a multimedia artist whose portrait and figurative works celebrate African American culture, capturing lived experiences.
Tanya D. Bracey
Tanya is a figurative painter whose work blends classical realism with bold color, using expressive technique to tell powerful visual stories.
Terence “Terry” Washington, Sr.
Terence is a multidisciplinary artist whose acrylic paintings and illustrations explore spirituality, passion, and storytelling.
Tommi “TJ” Blake
TJ is an acrylic artist whose vibrant works explore healing, transformation, and spiritual renewal, using color and imagination to express personal growth.
Dr. Vanessa Chappell-Lee
Vanessa is a mixed media painter whose textured works combine acrylic and natural materials to express healing through bold creative exploration.
Dr. Yemonja Smalls
Yemonja is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans painting, illustration, and design, exploring healing, identity, and emotional resilience.