2025
Exhibiting Artists
2025 Artists
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Aaron S. Coleman
Indianapolis, INRead MoreAaron is a multi-disciplinary artist, Associate Professor and Kenneth E. Tyler Endowed Chair at the Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis. He received his MFA from Northern Illinois University in 2013. Aaron has participated in international residencies and exhibitions and has received numerous awards for his work in printmaking, sculpture and installation including 2021 Black Box Press Foundation’s Art as Activism Grant. He was nominated for a Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship for three consecutive years as was a semi-finalist in 2022 and 2024. In 2023 he was the recipient of the New Voices Fellowship from the International Print Center New York. Aaron’s mixed media assemblages are featured in the 2024 Midwest volume of New American Paintings. His work can be found in the collections of The Janet Turner Print Museum, the Ino-cho Paper Museum in Kochi, Japan, The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, The Yekaterinburg Museum of Art in Yekaterinburg, Russia, the National Library of France, and the Artist Printmaker and Photographer Research Archive among many other public and private collections. He is a contributing author and artist to the forthcoming Routledge Handbook on Critical Arts-Based Research.
Aaron was a co-founder of the Sienna Collective for Students of Color in the Arts at the University of Arizona and in 2021 received the Provost Award for Innovations in Teaching as well as the College of Fine Arts Undergraduate Mentorship Award.
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Andy Fear
Warren, INRead MoreAndrea D. Fear is a multidisciplinary artist with over 20 years of experience in art creation and management, including exhibitions, public art commissions, and national publications. Her work spans sculpture, murals, and community-centered installations, with notable commissions such as the 2024 Eskenazi Health suspended sculpture installation and the 2016 “I Love the Way You Dream” ceramic mural in Marion, IN. Andrea has exhibited across Indiana and Colorado, including the BUTTER Fine Art Fair and Abend Gallery in Denver. Her work has earned multiple awards for sculpture and fine art. With a dual background in engineering and sculpture, she blends structural innovation with emotive storytelling. Her work has been featured in ShoutOut LA, Urban Times, and other publications.
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Asia Estelle
Houston, TXRead MoreAsia Estelle is an African American photographer, ceramicist, and visual activist. Estelle photographs Black issues, natural hair, and explores ways to combine 2D and 3D materials. Additionally, she aspires to provide representation for Black communities and to inspire Black individuals to be confident and unapologetic in their identity. Estelle is interested in using her tools, cameras, and clay, as political instruments to empower herself and her community.
Estelle was born and raised in Houston, TX, and has received an Associate of Arts degree from Lone Star College, and a B.F.A. in Photography with a minor in Mass Communication from Texas State University.
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Ashley Nora
Indianapolis, INRead MoreIn 2019, Ashley Nora (Indianapolis, IN) made the bold decision to leave her career in science to pursue art full-time. Ashley captivates audiences with her unique blend of realistic oil painting portraits and evocative sculptures capturing real moments of human interaction. With no formal training it was her personal exploration of color theory and emotional resonance that truly defined her signature style. Ashley travels the world and creates public art for people in every economic and social background to experience. Ashley believes that impact is more important than income, and her desire is to impact communities through her gift and inspire others to follow their dreams and do the same.
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Austin Uzor
Los Angeles, CARead MoreBorn in the eastern part of Nigeria in the year 1991, Austin Uzor hails from Imo state. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2013 from the University of Nigeria Nsukka where he majored in drawing and painting. Shortly after graduation he kickstarted a studio practice which led to local and international recognition that set the groundwork for his first ever solo show in 2016 titled “Visitors” at the Rele gallery in Lagos, Nigeria.
Uzor, a skilled draftsman and experienced painter, explores the world of the unknown by means of psychological spaces, feelings, and alternate realities in search of existential truths. He moved to the US in 2016 and this move is now the subject of his most current body of work and narrative, focusing on the traumas of being displaced. He is currently pursuing a Master degree in Drawing and Painting at the University of North Texas. He is also a Teaching Fellow, teaching drawing and painting in the university. Uzor has exhibited locally and internationally and as well had his works privately collected around Europe, Africa and the United States while being published frequently.
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Blake Lenoir
Chicago, ILRead MoreBlake D. Lenoir (B. LEN) is a multidisciplinary artist from Chicago whose work blends contemporary surrealism with socio-cultural inquiry. Shaped by a reclusive youth and a vivid inner world, he uses imagination as a tool to reinterpret people and environments—what he calls “re-situations.” His practice, marked by symbolism, distortion, and layered critique, explores the Black experience, generational cycles, and societal dissonance. Lenoir holds a BFA in Drawing and a minor in Sociology from Western Illinois University.
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BLU MURPHY
Washington, D.C.Read MoreBLU MURPHY is a mixed media artist, educator, and photographer based out of Washington, D.C. BLU combines striking black and white photography, collage, acrylic paint, and fabric encased frames as canvases. MURPHY’s artwork not only features black people, but celebrates and honors them as living pieces of art. “My art is about them. The photography is them. The subject matter is always them.” MURPHY exclaims. MURPHY connects present black figures with Black history. BLU MURPHY’s work beautifully connects the past and the present while including storytelling elements to captivate the viewer.
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Brochevski
Louisville, KYRead MoreBrochevski (Amai Rawls Jr.) b.2000 is an American artist who creates collages using hand-cut U.S. currency to place a monetary value on the emotional rollercoaster that is life. He only uses real and 100% authentic currency to create his artworks, adding that the authenticity further validates his subject matter and dedication to his work.
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Clifton Henri
Chicago, ILRead MoreClifton Henri (American, b. 1979) is a Nationally Acclaimed, Award-Winning Photographer from Chicago, IL. Henri received his Bachelors Degree in Mass Communication from Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Graphic Design from The Savannah College of Art & Design in Savannah, Georgia. Henri began his professional career as an Art Director for a boutique advertising agency and transitioned to becoming a full-time independent artist. Henri now exhibits across the country with galleries and in juried art festivals. Henri’s work has been added to many public & private collections including the Tampa Museum of Art, University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin – Madison.
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Courtland Blade
Indianapolis, INRead MoreCourtland Blade is an American artist born 1985 in Terre Haute, IN. Blade attended Vincennes University, University of Indianapolis, and Indiana State University for his undergraduate work where he studied art. He completed his BFA at Indiana State University in 2008. In 2009, Blade moved to Boston Massachusetts to attend the School and Museum of Fine Arts Boston in affiliation with Tufts University on a Full Merit Scholarship, where he completed his MFA in Visual art with a focus on painting and contemporary practices. He lives and works in Indianapolis, IN. Blade’s work has been exhibited thought the U.S. and internationally in galleries and museums.
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Deonna Craig
Indianapolis, INRead MoreDeonna Craig is an Indianapolis-based visual artist, art instructor, and community leader whose work bridges creativity, culture, and advocacy. As the director of BUTTER Fine Art Fair, she serves as a visionary leader and curator, ensuring that BUTTER is more than just an art fair—it is a movement reshaping the art world.
A graduate of Cathedral High School and DePauw University, where she studied Communication and Sociology, Deonna brings a dynamic perspective to her work blending storytelling, history, and social awareness. Her distinctive style, often influenced by petroglyphs, ancient art, and the interconnectedness of past and future, reflects her deep curiosity about humanity and the mysteries of existence.
Deonna’s adventurous spirit fuels her artistic and entrepreneurial journey. She has traveled the world to pursue her passions of community building, teaching, public speaking and visual art. She is a published artist with credits to dozens of outlets such as The New York Times, Forbes, and Sports Illustrated. Her artwork has been featured in various museums and galleries such as Newfields, Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis Art Center, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, and the Indianapolis International Airport.
Deonna is the 2021-2022 Visiting Artist at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, the 2020-2021 Virtual Resident Artist at The Madam Walker Legacy Center and a 2022-2023 recipient of the Indy Arts Council’s Creative Renewal Fellowship.
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Desi Brown
Glendale, CORead MoreDesirae Brown work presently revolves around sculpture. Her artwork is a response to growing up as a Black child and addresses her mother’s influence on her in their single-parent household. Additionally, it delves into themes like being a woman and a single mother herself, Black single motherhood, and social class. Her goal is to create works that open a space for discussions of all these themes.
When not creating or teaching, Desi spends time with her children or works out at the gym and other physical activities (roller skating).
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FITZ
Indianapolis, INRead MoreFITZ (Indianapolis, IN) is a self-taught artist, fueled by the desire to maintain a style that cannot be boxed in. He is a cartoonist, surrealist, 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
Indianapolis, INRead MoreGary Gee (Indianapolis, IN) is a visual artist working in mixed media, ceramics, and murals. His work is inspired and influenced by his travels, music, and inner city countercultures. Gee is a Curator, and Teaching Artist, Arts 4 Learning (2020), and recipient of the 2019 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the 2018 Ivy Tech Alum of the Year – Indianapolis Campus. Gary’s work has been prominently featured in Art & Soul (2018), High Art Billboard (2017), and awarded recognition of distinction in Flava Fresh (2014). To further his artistic profession, Gee has participated in the On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Program (2019) and is a standing member of the We Are Indy Artist Collective, and the Eighteenth Artist Collective, Gee holds a BFA in Integrated Studio Practices from Indiana University’s Herron School of Art and Design (IUPUI) and an AFA in Fine Arts and AAS in Visual Communications from Ivy Tech Community College.
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Heath Holland
Indianapolis, INRead MoreHeath A. Holland is a visual artist who is a native of Indianapolis. He believes his work is inspired by God. Heath’s desire is that his body of work inspires and captivates American culture. His work invokes dialogue about social change. He believes that Art can speak volumes when the human voice cannot.
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Israel Solomon
Indianapolis, INRead MoreIsrael Solomon is a visual artist with a studio practice based in Indianapolis, In. At an early age he was interested in creating. Israel began drawing pictures of his favorite cartoon characters, super heroes, star wars, and sneakers during his adolescence and that curiosity continued throughout his life. In high school, he took many art classes as a way to express himself, and eventually went to college to become an art educator at Ball State University. Israel earned a nomination for student of the year for Ball State’s art department in 2002, and won the award for drawing of the year as well.
Eventually Israel’s interest in art and drawing turned into painting, and he has been practicing and developing this craft for over ten years. As he began to display his artwork in exhibitions around Indianapolis, he continued to grow as an artist and developed a unique style that has often been compared to cubism. Israel also obtained a Master’s degree in art education in the year 2019. He has utilized his education to teach and mentor a variety of students and other artist within his community.
Israel has worked with a variety of groups and organizations such as Gainbridge Fieldhouse, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Major League Soccer, Starbucks, and many others. In addition his work has been acquired by groups such as Lilly, the Indiana State Museum, Eskanazi Hospital, and IU McKinley law school. Israel’s goal is to continue growing his craft as a professional artist, and to gain more opportunities to share his work nationally.
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Jakia March
Los Angeles, CARead MoreJakia Monique March is a dynamic artist, designer, and community builder whose creative journey began in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and for the last decade has span New York City and Los Angeles. A true wanderer, Jakia’s global explorations—from Philadelphia to Harlem, Brooklyn to Cuba to Paris and back again—have profoundly shaped her artistic vision, fostering a deep appreciation for cultural diversity and identity. Embracing the esoteric, Jakia translates her insights into abstract paintings that replace recognizable figures with rich tapestries of mood, moment, and inner experience. Her artistic prowess extends to fashion design, volunteer art instruction, and freelance fashion design, empowering individuals to realize their visions. A milestone in her journey was her first solo exhibitions, “Abstractions in Blackness” (2020), a testament to her resilience during the early months of isolation during the pandemic in New York City. For Jakia, color is language, and her brushstrokes and lines form a poetic dialogue on canvas. Inspired by her synesthetic perception of color in musical tones, she creates a resonant synthesis of sight and sound. Painting becomes a therapeutic and meditative exploration, punctuated at times voice by poignant gold-leaf accents. Infused with her background in fashion design, Jakia’s latest obsession is upcycling denim and other end-use materials into high-end fashion pieces. Now based in Los Angeles’ Ladera Heights neighborhood with her husband Andrew and their dog Lavender, Jakia Monique is a storyteller, weaving together narratives of color, sound, and the Black experience into her extraordinary creations.
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Jamea Richmond-Edwards
Detroit, MIRead MoreImmersed in the vibrant tapestry of culture and mythology, Jamea Richmond-Edwards’ art weaves captivating narratives that explore the depths of the world. Through the lens of self portraiture, her works embark on a journey of “self liberation,” with her heroines serving as guides in the enigmatic quest for self-understanding.
Hailing from Detroit, Richmond-Edwards was born in 1982 and continues to draw inspiration from her roots in the Motor City and genealogy. An alumnae of Howard University, the vibrancy and motifs of her work is inspired by the rich legacy of AFRICOBRA.
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Jeary Payne
Brooklyn, NYRead MoreJeary “Sylves” Payne is a multi-disciplinarian artist and visual storyteller. Based in Brooklyn, NY by way of Phoenix, Arizona. He works full time as an Associate Educator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and will pursue a Masters of Art in Oral History at Columbia University in the coming fall.
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Johnson Simon
Indianapolis, INRead MoreJohnson Simon (Indianapolis, IN) creates artistic work that ssuggests movement to the viewer. He desires to express himself through dancing, but his disability limits him from moving about the way that he would like. Instead, he uses his God-given gift of painting to demonstrate his desire to live life with no physical restrictions. He uses all types of movement in his research including walking, running, swimming, and skydiving. Simon even recorded his own movements and discovered his own rhythms. Now when he paints, he chooses bright colors and broad and sweeping motions with his paint brush to transfer that feeling of movement onto the canvas. In his artistic work, he can move freely about without limitations. On canvas, he can run, walk, jump, and he can dance without being bound by physical limitations. In that way, the paint brush is an extension of himself. Johnson’s style of work is expressionistic. He uses heavy dark lines along with vibrant colors to display a sense of motion and flare. The human body is both complicated and elegant, and with the extra component of motion added, it is a vessel unlike any other in this world. To display this complex yet delicate device in motion, Simon makes use of vivid colors with heavy black strokes to show the sense movement.
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Judy Bowman
Romulus, MIRead MoreJudy Bowman is a mixed-media collage artist in Detroit, Michigan. A visual griot, Bowman’s use of textured paper and acrylic paint illuminates Black culture with uplifting narratives that reference her coming-of-age memories living in the bustling Black Bottom neighborhood. Scenes in her vibrant and detailed collages depict family, community, fellowship, cultural dignity, and personhood.
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Julian Jamaal Jones
Noblesville, INRead MoreJulian Jamaal Jones is a multidisciplinary artist and educator born and raised in Indianapolis, IN. Julian earned his Bachelor’s degree in Photography in 2020 from the Herron School of Art + Design and a Masters in Photography in 2022 from Cranbrook Academy of Art, under the tutelage of Chris Fraser. Julian is the recipient of the 2025 Restoring Hope, Restoring Trust Artist-in-Residence at Wabash College, the recipient of the 2024 Black Mountain College + Fine Arts Center Residency, 2024 PATTERN’s S.P.A.C.E Residency, 2023 CICF Artist Ambassadors Travel Grant, awarded ArtsConnet’s “Artist to Watch” in 2022, and the recipient of the 2022 Playground Detroit Emerging Artist Fellowship, supported by the Knight Foundation. Jones’s works are in the permanent textile collection of Cranbrook Art Museum, Richmond Art Museum, and the Book Tower Detroit.
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Kaima Marie Akarue
Houston, TXRead MoreKaima Marie, the daughter of a Nigerian immigrant and a white mother, explores identity through collage, focusing on urbanism, capitalism, and erased narratives. Kaima constructs layered environments that challenge viewers to reflect on identity, memory, and the spaces we inhabit and often overlook. Her work preserves personal and collective histories, reimagining memory and place. She has exhibited nationally at institutions like the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, earning accolades such as the 2024 Jones Artist Award and the Carol Crow Fellowship. Her work is part of private and institutional collections, including the MFAH, the Guess Lawson’s, and the Carter Knowles Collection. She holds a masters in education and received her second masters in fine arts from the University of Houston in Spring 2025.
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Kevin West
Brownsburg, INRead MoreKevin Nance West is a professional fine artist, art entrepreneur in the Indianapolis area, specializing in contemporary representational portrait art of young African American children.
Kevin studied at the Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis prior to exploring business ventures in art. Early initiatives included teaching art classes at the Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis and hosting private portrait painting workshops, Founder of Gifted Custom Art (Art Technology Company).
Kevin, a cancer survivor, has not let life’s obstacles stop him. Rather, they have fueled the passion for his craft. His larger than life art is filled with colorful lines of emotion dancing across the canvas.) In his twenty years as a professional artist, Kevin has experimented with a variety of mediums and concepts including mixed media and Oil Painting. His abstract portrait art done with acrylics and oil pastels are figures of pop culture, Black influencers and children.
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Kyng Rhodes
Indianapolis, INRead MoreKyng Rhodes stands as a contemporary whose work aims to transcend the canvas, radiating with vibrancy, color, and profound expressiveness. Born with a natural inclination towards the arts, Rhodes has evolved into a creator whose distinctive style invites audiences into a world where every work “spotlights” the mundane and the divine experiences of life. His work, characterized by its vivid hues, organic motifs, spiritual undercurrents and influences. Rhodes’ and his work, have been mentioned and featured in several publications including Ebony, Forbes, and The New York Times.
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Lovie Olivia
Houston, TXRead MoreLovie Olivia — born, living and making in Houston, Texas — creates paintings, collages, and sculptures that are an assembly of found and articulated objects. Their work mines the scarce Black, Queer, and Womanist archives and projects possibility through veils memory, gesture, and speculation. Olivia’s work hangs in numerous private and public collections including Project Row Houses, National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian Institute, University of Texas Austin, Houston Intercontinental Airport. She is a recipient of three Individual Artist Awards, which are funded by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance. She has exhibited at Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Frist Museum (Nashville, TN), The Phillips Collection, DC, Corridor Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), 1969 Gallery (Manhattan, NY), Clamp Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN), Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Houston Museum of African American Culture, Art Pace, The Station Museum, Project Row Houses, TSU University Museum (Houston, TX), Arthello Beck Gallery (Dallas, TX), and more.
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Lyndy Bazile
Fort Wayne, INRead MoreLyndy Bazile (Fort Wayne, IN) began her painting career in 2018 and is now a full-time artist at Studio Vwazen. Through her work, she aims to center historically marginalized communities by creating art that celebrates multiplicity and evokes pride in diverse identities. Lyndy also utilizes her studio time to connect with her Haitian ancestry and to strengthen her spiritual practice.
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Marcus Robins
Indianapolis, INRead MoreMarcus Robins is a self-taught oil painter based in Indianapolis, Indiana. His work stands at the intersection of classical technique and contemporary Black identity, using the timeless Flemish method of painting to create thought-provoking imagery centered around African and African American subject matter. His meticulous attention to detail and intentional use of light, brings depth, emotion, and cultural narrative to his oil paintings. His work reflects a dialogue between tradition and modernity, celebrating the richness of Nigerian heritage while inviting viewers to engage in meaningful visual storytelling. Marcus Robins shares his evolving portfolio and creative process on social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok under the handle @marcus_robins_art.
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Mario Moore
Detroit, MIRead MoreMario Moore, a Detroit native, received a BFA from the College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI in 2009 and an MFA in Painting from the Yale School of Art, New Haven, CT in 2013.
He is a recent Kresge Arts Fellow (2023) and a recipient of the prestigious Princeton Hodder Fellowship (2018-2019). He also has been awarded residencies at Duke University, Josef and Annie Albers Foundation, Fountainhead, and Knox College. Moore’s work is in the permanent collections of but not limited to the Detroit Institute of Arts, Princeton University Art Museum and The Studio Museum in Harlem.
Moore’s work has been widely exhibited, including at the Smart Museum of Art, Chicago, IL; Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI; Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; Arthur Roger Gallery, New Orleans, LA; The Cleveland Museum of Art, and Colby College Museum of Art.
Mario Moore / Enshrined: Presence & Preservation exhibition—Moore’s largest survey of work to date—opened at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit in June 2021 and traveled to the California African American Museum (CAAM) in March 2022, [his first solo exhibition on the West Coast]. Moore’s most recent traveling museum exhibition, Revolutionary Times opened at the Flint Institute of Arts in January 2024 and closed at the Grand Rapids Art Museum in August 2024. Mario Moore currently works and lives in Detroit, MI.
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Mechi Shakur
Indianapolis, INRead MoreA 90s baby, Mechi Shakur is an Indianapolis raised and based artist. He has had the opportunity to display in many key spaces in Indianapolis, such as the Indiana State Museum, Indiana state house and more. His work has also reached beyond the canvas creating countless murals around the city of Indiana. Mechi Shakur is a self taught artist, painting for several years now. He believes art is a reflection of you. He blurs the lines of reality and the imagination through an assortment of color all while diving into social issues touching many subjects all at once.
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Micah Johnson
MaineRead MoreMicah Johnson (Maine), a former MLB player, has transformed into a renowned artist and creative visionary, captivating audiences with his expressive charcoal portraits and colorful work featuring his beloved character, Aku. Inspired by a young boy’s question about whether astronauts could be Black, Johnson created artworks showcasing African American children in space helmets, symbolizing limitless potential. His poignant portraits eventually led to the creation of Aku, which has been featured on the cover of TIME Magazine. In 2020, Johnson’s digital art piece sä-v(ə-)rən-tē sold for $120,000, marking a milestone and earning him the title of “2020 NFT of the Year.” He brought Aku to life in 2021 during Miami Art Week with Aku World, a 30,000-square-foot immersive exhibit. Johnson now uses Aku to empower people to dream without limits, collaborating with partners like Starbucks, VISA, and Beats by Dre, and inspiring a new generation through art.
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Nicole Powell
Indianapolis, INRead MoreNicole D. Powell is an awarding winning artist born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana where she currently resides. Nicole is an oil painter who paints in a traditional classical style. She is a signature member of the Hoosier Salon Patrons Association, Indiana Artist Club, and Oil Painters of America. Nicole has participated in Hoosier Women Artist, and received the Creative Renewal Arts Fellow of the Arts Council of Indianapolis. Her love of color and passion for art comes from a childhood dream. Nicole loves working with still life subject matter, serene and controversial subjects depicting the lives of African Americans.
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Paul Bacardi Smith
Indianapolis, INRead MorePaul Bacardi Smith is an American “black”artist born in Detroit, Michigan. He is currently in Indianapolis, Indiana. He has a background in media arts, entertainment business and marketing. He briefly studied Art History and Fine Arts at Wayne State University. Since a child Paul has always been involved in art mostly sketching with pencils, ink pens and charcoal.
Paul started painting on canvas in 2023 as a way of keeping him mentally healthy as a form of therapy. Currently his favorite medium is oil paints. His greatest art inspiration comes from his uncle Vernard Rubens who is a Detroit artist of fine arts, sculpture, painting and jewelry making. His artistic vision is to make people appreciate and connect with art on a deeper level.
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Phresh Laundry
Fort Wayne, INRead MoreBorn in St. Louis, Missouri, and based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Theoplis Smith III—widely known by his creative moniker Phresh Laundry—is a multidisciplinary artist whose vivid storytelling redefines the boundaries of contemporary art. Self-taught and deeply intentional, Smith fuses traditional portraiture with pop culture and comic book influences to create bold, emotionally resonant works that speak to heritage, transformation, and resilience.
Smith’s art has been showcased nationally at leading institutions, including the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Indiana State Museum, and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, where his work appeared alongside that of acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee. His innovative voice has also earned features in Forbes, Architectural Digest, and PBS NewsHour, further cementing his place in the national arts conversation.
Beyond the studio, Smith serves as a creative leader in his community. He is an appointed member of the Fort Wayne Public Art Commission and the Downtown Improvement District Board, championing projects that blend public art, cultural equity, and economic growth. His large-scale mural work, including at the award-winning Electric Works campus, continues to transform Fort Wayne’s visual landscape.
Phresh Laundry is more than a brand—it’s a philosophy rooted in cleansing, renewal, and reimagining the stories we carry. Smith’s work connects across generations and geographies, building bridges between personal experience and collective memory.
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Robert Hodge
Houston, TXRead MoreRobert Hodge was born in Houston, Texas, and raised in the city’s historic Third Ward district. After graduating from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, he attended the Pratt Institute in New York and continued his pursuit of art and music at the Atlanta College of Art in Georgia.
Hodge has exhibited his work in numerous national and international institutions, including the Station Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, the Young Masters Exhibition in London, Politics of Sound, Archive at Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, France, the Contemporary Museum of East Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, to name a few.
In 2021, Hodge received the Champions of Local Artists award for his contributions to the Houston art community during the pandemic. In 2022, he was named an Artadia Award recipient, gaining access to unrestricted funds to support his artistic practice.
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Samuel Levi Jones
Indianapolis, INRead MoreSamuel Levi Jones (Indianapolis, IN) was born and raised in Marion, Indiana. Trained as a photographer and multidisciplinary artist, he earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from Taylor University and a B.F.A from Herron School of Art and Design in 2009. He received his MFA in Studio Art from Mills College in 2012. His work is informed by historical source material and early modes of representation in documentary practice. He explores the framing of power structures and struggles between exclusion and equality by desecrating historical material, then re-imagining new works. Jones investigates issues of manipulation and the rejection of control in a broad sense. He is the recipient of the 2014 Joyce Alexander Wein artist prize awarded to him by the Studio Museum in Harlem. His work is in prominent private and public collections including SF MoMA, The Whitney, The Rubell Family Collection, LACMA, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Newfields.
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Seed Lynn
Indianapolis, INRead MoreSeed Lynn hears the vulnerable story as the courageous one, without shame or stigma, without argument or doubt. Using custom, culture, craft, and theory, Lynn’s artistic practice situates, not just voicing this courage, but our capacity to hear it, as a metric of personal and community health. Lynn’s proposal: Let’s tell the stories we must tell to be well.
The artist-organizer of 25+ years calls Chicagoland home, while claiming communities of faith, place, and spirit across the Global South. As a cultural organizer and lens-based artist, Lynn crafts work and participatory experiences through residencies that archive, return, and reinstitute cultural memory as a currency for communities of concern to purpose.
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Shamira Wilson
Indianapolis, INRead MoreShamira is an interdisciplinary visual artist and okra farmer.
Shamira creates artwork based on the geometry of plants. Plants speak in signs and symbols which she translates with paint, pigment, and fiber.
She holds a BA in Psychology from Johns Hopkins University with an emphasis in wellness, entrepreneurship, and visual art and has studied Furniture Design and Woodworking at the Herron School of Art and Design. Nature is her healing modality. She has exhibited nationally and internationally at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts residency in Deer Isle, ME, the Art for Change residency in New Delhi, India, and participated in an organic agriculture immersion in Vedado, La Habana, Cuba. Her artworks are in the collections of various organizations across Indiana including the Indiana State Museum, and the Newfields Indianapolis Museum of Art.
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Shaunt'e Lewis
Fishers, INRead MoreShaunt’e Lewis is a multidisciplinary visual artist, illustrator, and designer based in Indianapolis, known for her vibrant use of color, clean lines, and empowering themes. Her work celebrates Black culture, identity, and womanhood, often featuring striking portraits and storytelling through both digital and fiber art. After 15 years as a hairstylist and salon owner, she transitioned into art full-time and quickly gained recognition for her signature style. She has since collaborated with brands such as the NBA, Meijer, West Elm, Makers Mark, PBS, Visit Indy, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and many more. Her work has been featured in publications including The New York Times and Complex Magazine. Shaunt’e is the founder of Shaunt’e Lewis Art Studio and Gallery (SLA Studio), a creative space dedicated to showcasing her work and fostering community. Whether through public art, illustration, or fiber art, her work radiates joy, power, and presence.
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Sonia Barrett
London, EnglandRead MoreSonia studied at St Andrews University and The Tranart Institute. Sonia is a MacDowel and Yale Artist fellow and has been recognised by the Premio Ora prize, the NY Art-Slant showcase for sculpture, and the Neo Art Prize, and is a recent recipient of the Sculpture prize at Dakar Biennale.
Recent exhibitions include: “The Wake” Dakar Biennale, Dakar, 2024, Tate Britain Galleries, Tate Britain, London 2024,2025, “Caribbean Contemporary @The Sun Never Sets” Unit Gallery, London. “Sonia E Barrett Map-lective” University College London Urban Room, London. Quantum Black” Diaspora Pavilion 2, International Curators Forum, Block 366 Gallery, London.
Recent Publications include: “Hogarth and Europe” (2021) edited by Alice Insley and Martin Monroe, “Ecologies” edited by C& America Latina (2023). Barrett lives and works in England.
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Terrible Tony
South Bend, INRead MoreTerrible Tony is inspired by iconic people and moments in society’s pop culture. Through a painting style influenced by pop art, he creates compositions with a multitude of iconic pop cultural references from the past, present and future. He draws heavily from internet culture, film and music adding a twist of nostalgia.
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Terry Wilson
Indianapolis, INRead MoreTerry Wilson is an Indianapolis artist who began expressing his gift of artistry at the age of two. Terry’s early drawings were so exceptional that he sold one of them to a New York psychologist at the age of three. Terry received his formal training from John Herron and Art institute of Atlanta. His distinctive style of art shows his unlimited use of painting with airbrush and acrylics. His versatility includes drawing, painting, design, illustration, murals, advertising art, interior design, and landscape gardening.
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ThanksTheodore
Indianapolis, INRead MoreThanksTheodore (Indianapolis, IN), also known as Theo Ball, is a multifaceted Black artist with influences from Chicago. He found inspiration in art during his youth, encouraged by influential teachers, and began exploring various mediums, including painting and airbrushing clothes in high school. Theo’s resourcefulness in repurposing discarded materials into art has become central to his creative identity. His college years working within the juvenile justice system deeply influenced his art, focusing on resilience and adversity. Theo’s work has been featured in numerous events, including the Trill Grill Fest, Legend of July Art and Fashion Show, Santiago Summers listening party, and the BUTTER series, notably contributing to the NBA All-Star edition. Through his art, Theo challenges perceptions and sparks dialogue, remaining a vital voice within the Indianapolis arts community and beyond.
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Torry Brown
Indianapolis, INRead MoreTorry Brown is an artist who was born and raised in Southern Indiana. He attended Indiana University Bloomington before transferring to Herron School of Art + Design. Upon graduation in 2022, he was given his first solo exhibition – If I Stay Before I Leave – which took place in Herron’s Marsh Gallery. Upon the close of the show, he attended Yale University’s Photography Program and graduated with his master’s degree in 2024. Yale’s 2024 Cohort of photographer’s went on to produce a group show entitled Heat Index with Webber Gallery – Los Angeles.
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Trotter
Detroit, MIRead MoreTrotter (b. 1997 in Detroit) is a multifaceted artist working in both visual and culinary mediums. His best known works are in the commercial and editorial photography industries. His work is an embodiment of the relationship between the elephant and the tiny room it finds itself in. Trotter explores social and political structures that oppress marginalized communities in an inviting way; the subjects are leaving just enough room for you to snuggle beside them. A product of a vulnerable population, Trotter seeks to use his imagination to create comprehensive experiences that question the seams of this reality. Art can inspire new ideas and arm future generations with invaluable insight. Currently, alongside his muse and life-partner Jantae’ Spinks, Trotter resides in his hometown of Detroit operating a recently opened brick & mortar! Someday, is a creative studio merging visual and culinary art(s), crafting hospitality. The headquarters, based in the historic North End district of Detroit operates daily as a fine art gallery and patisserie (opened March 2024).
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Victoria Cassinova
Los Angeles, CARead MoreVictoria Cassinova is a Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist working in painting, graphite, digital art and collage. Her work explores themes of alchemy, transformation, and healing through bold, emotive compositions. Rooted in a deep engagement with the subconscious and the unseen, her practice channels personal and collective experiences into visual narratives that invite introspection and renewal.
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Will Watson
Brooklyn, NYRead MoreWill Watson, born in 1987 in Indianapolis, earned his MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore in 2018, and his BFA from the Herron School of Art and Design at Indiana University Purdue University (IUPUI) in 2011.
Watson’s creative impact extends far beyond the canvas. He has been a keynote speaker for various youth and community engagement initiatives. His inspirational talks have resonated with audiences at renowned institutions such as the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, the Maryland State Education Association, and the Maryland Institute College of Art’s Community Arts Virtual Power Speakers Series. He has also shared his creative insights as a guest presenter at the Stone Quarry Arts Park in Cazenovia, NY.
Watson’s artistic accomplishments have been recognized and celebrated with a solo exhibition hosted by Freight and Volume Gallery in Tribeca, NYC, and participated in the esteemed Chicago Art Expo, Future Fair, and NADA House Artist Residency on Governor’s Island. His work has graced the walls of prestigious galleries, including Sperone Westwater in New York, NY, the Pepco Edison Place Gallery in Washington, D.C., and the Indianapolis International Airport. Watson’s dedication to nurturing future talent is evident through his collaborative painting endeavors, from teaching young students in Baltimore City’s Public Schools to inspiring young artists in New York City as a Teaching Artist and Adjunct Art Professor.
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WildStyle Paschall
Indianapolis, INRead MoreWildstyle Paschall is a lifelong Indianapolis resident multi-disciplinary artist. His artistic practice includes writing, serving for years as a roller skate instructor, performer and organizing choreographed performances, composing original music for Indianapolis hip hop artists and video projects he managed, as well as being a recording engineer. He’s been a graphic designer for 20 years designing art, promotional material, and apparel for several local organizations. For the past 10 years, he’s also been a photographer highlighting Black culture and community often missed by outside media.
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William Minion
Indianapolis, INRead MoreWilliam Minion is a multidisciplinary artist based in Indianapolis, working across pencil, oil paint, dry-erase marker, and spray paint. His practice ranges from intimate portraits to large-scale murals, unified by a focus on texture, contrast, and intentional composition. Minion’s work channels emotional weight through bold mark-making and layered techniques, creating pieces that feel both grounded and provocative. His adaptability across mediums allows him to shift fluidly between public and personal spaces, always aiming to reframe the way people see the world around them.
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Zsavon Butler
Houston, TXRead MoreZsavon Butler is a self-taught, multidisciplinary artist whose work spans mixed media, encaustics, and ceramics. Through abstract figuration, she investigates the relationship between the human body and its environment, using her practice as a lens to explore the social and cultural complexities affecting women.
Born in Woodbridge, VA, Butler initially pursued a career in IT before realizing her creative calling. While studying at American University in Washington, D.C., she earned a BA in Visual Media, rediscovering her deep connection to artistic expression. After graduation, she stepped away from her formal practice to focus on family, yet continued creating in the background, quietly refining her voice.
In 2009, she made her exhibition debut in Baltimore, MD. A pivotal move to Houston in 2012 reignited her artistic trajectory, marking the beginning of a period of intensive exploration and experimentation. Over the past 13 years, her dedication to process and materiality has resulted in a growing body of work that has been exhibited in galleries and acquired by private collectors.
With an ever-evolving practice, Butler remains committed to pushing the boundaries of form and narrative, creating work that is both personal and universally resonant.
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