Stem & Vine, in partnership with the Black Art Today Foundation presents Illuminating Our Truths featuring the art of the following artists: Alexis Janay, Alma Roberts, Andrew Nichols, Anita Henley Carrington, Dr. Ashley Brown, Babacar Pouye, Emery Franklin, Genevieve Phelps, Greg Scott Jamil Burton, Janet B. Waters, JaVon Townsend, Jay Durrah, Karen Y. Buster, Kaylee Daryl, Keiona Clark, Kwaku Ofori-Yirenky, Leonard LeDoux, Linda Mose Meadows, Suzette Royster, Tanya Bracey, Tinnetta Putney, and Dr. Yemonja Smalls.

Illuminating Our Truths anchored by Tamara Payne’s profound installation, Dear Black Girl, We are the Daughters of the Divine, invites viewers into a multidimensional, uplifting exploration of identity, resilience, and visibility. While Payne’s focal work offers an intimate, affirming embrace of Black womanhood, this broader exhibition expands the warm dialogue, weaving together the vibrant lived realities of diverse male and female artists.

To exist in the world is to navigate the beautiful interplay between the seen and the unseen. Opening during the festive harvest of October and providing an inviting glow through the winter months, Illuminating Our Truths embraces this duality as a cause for celebration. Our resilient ancestral foundations ground us, while our radiant inner light represents the undeniable truth of who we are: brilliant, complex, and enduring, providing warmth and inspiration to all who gather. Through painting and mixed media the featured artists engage in a profound, joyful visual conversation with Payne’s installation. Together, they create a welcoming sanctuary for truth-telling. This exhibition is a festive chorus of voices celebrating the triumph of stepping fully into the light to stand unapologetically and radiantly in one’s own brilliant truth.

This event is partially funded by MSAC @mdartscouncil.