Amiah Mims approaches small-scale paintings as acts of self-care and personal reminders to stay gentle and open to new possibilities–a balance to her graphic design and mural work. Like Mims herself, her style is flexible and readily responsive to mood and subject matter. She compartmentalizes the human form, exploring its gestures and emotion with heavy lines and swaths of bright color. Mims refers to these works as “notes to self,” though the sentiment is commonly universal.

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Ashley Nora has come into her own as an artist after a career as a Chemist, formal training that informs her proficient use of oil paint and ongoing, yet subtle experiments with new paint media. Nora’s work continues to draw inspiration from a recent visit to Africa and being in a space where she was not the minority, where “everyone radiated a blue aura.” She re-envisions being Black in white spaces while radiating that same aura of empowerment and intuition. Scale, imagery, fields of color, and the concept of negative space all play symbolic roles in her representations of what it means to occupy space with beauty and grace.

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Courtland Blade captures specific moments of isolation in and around various public spaces with only an occasional glimpse of a figure or a portrait. His interest lies in the psychology of space. His portrayals address a cultural shift in how our spaces are constructed, as areas designed to order and control large groups of people, while also showing us who we perceive ourselves to be or not to be.

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Deonna Craig keeps a dream journal, in which she sketches and makes notes about the images and words she sees in her sleep and while meditating. When she’s in front of a canvas, Craig expounds on those ideas, transferring her visions of the world onto the painting using acrylic paint and textured media, such as tissue paper and rubber shavings. Craig travels widely and is drawn to ancient art, both for its petroglyphs and forms, which can be found in many of her paintings, and for the experience of being physically present with the art and trying to enter the mindset of those who created it.

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ess mckee is a multimedia artist inspired by graffiti art and hip hop culture. Taking the form of abstract paintings, character illustrations, digital design, and murals, mckee’s work is crafted with, in her words, “the rawness of city culture, the sounds of shaking spray cans, and the smell of aerosol in mind.” mckee incorporates the foundational materials of street art—aerosols, acrylic paints, stencils, illustrations, abstract lettering, and bright colors—to pay homage to the people, places, sights, and sounds that continuously mold her style and perspective. McKee’s ongoing Mood Face series depicts women of color expressing a wide range of emotions, able to be interpreted and reinterpreted in myriad ways.

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FINGERCREATIONS  creates artwork that captures the essence of his subjects and their intense emotions while embodying his unique artistic expression. Mostly known for his celebrity portraits, Kenneth credits God for his talents, and uses his spirituality as an inspiration. Kenneth is a self-taught visual artist and continues to use his unique medium of oil pastels, drywall, and broken glass while creating with just his “fingers”. He has been featured at Saks Fifth Avenue, BrunchNGrooves, Belles N Blow Ties, CCI First Fridays, The Indianapolis Children’s Museum, Indianapolis Arts Center, and The Indianapolis Public Library, Meet The Artists & Hip Hop Anthology, Fox 59, and the Indianapolis Star. He is also a member of the Indianapolis-based art collective The Eighteen Art Collective which grew in popularity after the creation of a Black Lives Matter mural on the historic Indiana Avenue in 2020. The collective was later featured in the Indianapolis Museum of Art with an exhibition titled: WE. THE CULTURE: WORKS BY THE EIGHTEEN ART COLLECTIVE.

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FITZ is a self-taught artist born and raised in Indianapolis, IN. He is fueled by the desire to maintain a style that cannot be boxed in. He is a cartoonist, surrealist, and and creates abstractions from pop culture to tell stories in the hopes that they can be relatable to a universal audience.

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Gary Gee is an artist whose multifaceted work is centered in drawing, but extends to painting, ceramics, mixed media, murals, and installation. As a young person, Gee was inspired by the character J.J. Evans on the show Good Times—an artist with a signature style and sense of humor—whose on-screen paintings, Gee discovered, were actually created by the artist Ernie Barnes. Drawing from a wide range of cultural references, from early rap and hip hop culture to German Expressionism, Gee’s work reflects his interest in urban architecture, art history, and travel. His ongoing series of hand-cast ceramic heads and skulls demonstrates his continuing fascination with materials, incorporating multiple layers of glazes and luster finishes, along with acrylic and spray paint ornamentation.

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Greg Rose, also known as Hay Kidd, is an artist and curator who works to birth new narratives and experiences for marginalized folx while honoring the past, present, and futures. Their broad creative practice spans genres and applications, while their personal studio work remains grounded in more democratic and reproductive artforms including printmaking, murals, photography, and brand collaborations. Beyond their studio, Rose is the head curator and program director at 1000 Words Gallery and the in-house artist consultant at Ujamaa Community Bookstore.

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Israel Solomon uses geometric patterns and the human figure to share his experiences and relationships with others. Vibrant colors pulse across Solomon’s paintings, and a variety of shapes and patterns create a sense of rhythm and movement within each composition. His recent works have featured loved ones, friends, and peers, including his ongoing series “A Seat at the Table,” which spotlights women in the art and education communities who have heavily impacted his life and work.

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Kaila Austin stewards under celebrated and seemingly lost stories to the forefront of contemporary conversation through her work as a painter, historian, and community activist. Recently, Austin’s work has shifted from the gallery space into the public arts arena where she engages the boundaries between art, humanities, and the museum to increase access with historically neglected communities and share the creative language they need to define and tell their own stories–public art, murals, festivals, and exhibitions. Currently, she is working with the descendants of the US Colored Troops of Indianapolis’ southeast quadrant to visualize the stories of this historic Freetown and offer everyday people a way to tell our own grand narratives in the public space.

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Kevin West celebrates Black figures across pop culture, sports history, and the everyday with his larger-than-life abstract acrylic portraits. In his twenty years as a professional artist, West has experimented across several mediums, methods, and concepts including broken records, teaching, collage, and technology. His command of painting specifically allows him to move through compositions with confidence, urgency, and energy his brush and line work readily transcribe. In part, that energy is fueled by West’s experience as a cancer survivor and a refusal to let life’s obstacles stop him.

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Kyng Rhodes is called to painting by his observations of society, a long-held love of graphic expression, and his own spirituality. Formally trained as a graphic designer, Rhodes moved away from commercial work to illuminate topics he hopes to see more collective reflection and dialogue around–environmental sustainability, care, and familial relationships. Vibrant color palettes, intricate botanical borders, and stylized figures hallmark his current work, encouraging joy and optimism alongside more complicated stories about race, environmentalism, and intersectionality.

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LaShawnda Crowe Storm is a mixed media and community-based artist, activist, community builder and occasionally an urban farmer. Whether making artwork or sowing seeds, she uses her creative power as a vehicle for dialogue around topics such as racial and gender violence, social change and justice. At the core of her practice is a desire to create community; any community in which the process of making art creates a space for difficult discussions with an eye towards community healing. Crowe Storm has received numerous awards for art and community activism including but not limited to: ArtPlace America National Creative Placemaking Award ($200K), DeHaan Artists of Distinction Award, Creative Renewal Award (2011 and 2022) and a three time winner of the Puffin Foundation Award. She received an M.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has received training and certification in a variety of community-based dialogue methodologies, racial justice and community development processes.

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Lyndy Bazile works to support historically marginalized communities by creating art that celebrates multiplicity and evokes pride in diverse identities. A multiracial, woman of color who was born and raised in Indiana, Bazile explores her Haitian ancestry through her art in an attempt to better connect with her roots. In her paintings and public artworks, Bazile often depicts female figures, celebrating larger body types and emphasizing feminine strength, and sets them in natural spaces, a visual recognition of her Haitian background.

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Since 2012, Rae Parker has always created artwork to speak with integrity, awareness and power. There isn’t a collection of work that remains the same. Each piece has it’s own meaning and purpose. It is to create with a dare to have multiple dimensions to make the audience change their perspective in some way or another. Rae earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts, and is a Art educator, curator, & inspiration to the youth. Rae has worked with organizations from Asante Art Institute, Garfield Park, Murphy Arts Building, Pattern Magazine to the Stutz Building. Their work can be seen all around Indianapolis and have been shown in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Rae’s artwork has been based on two factors: Awareness and Empowerment. The awareness is shown through pieces that represent women of color, masculine women, social, political injustice, and community based conflicts.

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Award-winning mixed media Artist Rebecca Robinson creates impactful artwork, specifically with concrete and tar. Her strategic use of texture and contrast creates various subjects and themes that continue to evoke emotion and spark dialogue while enriching the community and contributing to the culture. Rebecca is an Indianapolis native and studied Art/Visual Communications at the Historically Black College North Carolina Central University. Rebecca’s background includes art history, photography, film, fashion, and creative marketing/branding. She is also a self-published author of the inspirational book for creatives titled “Arts Honor”. Rebecca’s artwork has been featured in dozens of media outlets including;  Indianapolis Business Journal Podcast, NPR NEWS, PBS, WFYI,  NUVO, Pattern Magazine, Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis Recorder, WTHR 13, WISH-TV 8. RTV 6, FOX 59, Creative Mornings Indianapolis, Indianapolis Monthly Magazine, Carmel Magazine, The Arts Council of Indianapolis, and The National Endowment Of The Arts.  In 2018, Rebecca co-produced the award-winning documentary film “The Color of Medicine”: The Story Of Homer G. Phillips Hospital as a tribute to her father and grandfather’s legacy in the medical field.  Rebecca is also a proud member of The Kurt Vonnegut Museum Planning Committee, The Indianapolis Black Documentary Film Festival Advisory Committee, The Art Center Of Indianapolis Board Of Directors, The Indianapolis Cabaret Board of Directors, and the African American History Committee Advisory Board for the Indianapolis Public Library.  Rebecca is also a member of the art collectives WE ARE INDY ARTS, The EIGHTEEN, and Penrod Circle City Creatives/Newfields. Rebecca currently has an art residency at The Harrison Center Indianapolis.

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Shadé Bell (Washington, DC) also known as “Shady the Art Lady,” is an accomplished artist born in Indianapolis, IN and is currently based in Washington, DC. Her distinct style blends abstraction and storytelling, while highlighting her well-known ancestral figures. Shadé has made a lasting impact not only on her hometown but also the artistic landscape nationwide with numerous shared exhibitions, collaborations, murals and solo exhibitions, including a four part installation series: Wandering through the Shade. With a profound passion for using art as a tool for healing and personal growth, Shadé’s work deep dives into the realms of resiliency, black culture, and the human experience. Through vibrant colors and expressive brushwork, her paintings tell her stories of triumph over adversity and inspire others to embrace their own creative journeys. In 2022, Shadé became the first artist with a permanent mural on Butler University’s Campus (located in the Black Affairs Hub). She was a part of the historical Murals for Racial Justice initiative in 2020. Her work has also been published in Forbes and The New York Times.

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TASHA BECKWITH (Indianapolis, IN) established an early interest in art as a child, influenced by an artist aunt. She graduated from Herron School of Art and Design, where she developed her love for painting and drawing, then moved into digital media. Today, her style embraces and combines traditional and digital tools. She is passionate about making art accessible to all, a driving force behind her affinity for public art. She recently received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Herron School of Art and Design.

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Wavy Blayne shares his personal journey with mental health through painting, an avenue for vulnerability that he hopes can help others with their own journeys. Working primarily with acrylic and oils, drawing on elements of Afro-futurism, and influenced by the work of Akira Toriyama and Jim Lee, he blends materials and techniques that bring him joy into a style he calls “Wavy.” Painting is a salve for his struggles with anxiety and self-confidence, and exhibiting finished work acts as a bridge to others, offering them a similar opportunity to look inward and heal.

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Will Watson interrogates the fate of our memories and affirms upbeat moments of existence, family, travel, and leisure with his paintings. Watson’s work is both autobiographical and aware of art-history and pop-culture references. Expressionist mark-making and quick, gestural paint strokes are sourced from real life, photographs, and memories. They emphasize values and life lessons passed down through generations. Painting is a way for Watson to honor the spirit of times and individuals we hope to learn more about and remember forever.

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