Top row: Artist Bryant Lamont with Pigment's Patricia Andrews-Keenan, work by Roger Carter, artists Paul Branton, Gerald Griffin and Bryant Lamont, work by Lamont; second row work by Bernard Williams, work by Paul Branton, Faye Edwards of Faiè Afrikan Art with photographer Tonika Johnson, artist Roger Carter; third row Bertha Thomas, Chair of the Board the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Institute with exhibition curator Raymond A. Thomas, work by Max Sansing, Claudette Rop

Call For Art and Advertisers Two hundred and fifty years. That is the span of American history this nation is marking in 2026 — and Pigment International® is marking it on our own terms. Pigment Magazine Issue VI, our Collector's Edition, arrives this August themed America 250: We ARE The People. At a moment when the contributions of Black Americans risk being minimized or erased from the national record, this issue centers Black artists as essential narrators of where this

Six Featured Artists Bring Depth, Beauty, and Cultural Legacy to Hyde Park Pigment International will again be exhibiting at the 57th Street Art Fair, one of the city's longest-running fairs, on June 6 & 7. Now in its fourth year at this beloved Hyde Park institution, Pigment's exhibition is a celebration of the country's 250th Anniversary — a showcase of the depth and breadth of our artists. The fair runs Saturday, June 6, from 11 am–6 pm and Sunday, June 7, from 10 am–5 pm.

Designer Norman Teague When Chicago designer Norman Teague arrives in Lagos this October he carries the weight of a legendary history — and the creative fire to match. Not a stranger, but a creative heir. Teague, founder and principal of Norman Teague Design Studios, has been named curator of Design Week Lagos 2026— Africa's leading platform for design, innovation, manufacturing, and creative industry development. Running October 18–25 at the iconic National Theatre in Lagos,

From top left: Robert Lewis Paige, Monica Haslip, Janell Nelson and Blake Lenoir are the honorees at this year's Black Art Love Affair. As Chicago’s creative community continues to shape global culture, ILA Creative Studio is once again bringing artists, patrons, and advocates together for an evening centered on celebration, sustainability, and collective investment. On June 17, the organization will host the fourth annual Black Art Love Affair (BALA) at Little Black Pearl un

Nick Cave In the company of greatness. Nick Cave at the opening of In Minor Keys — the 61st Venice Biennale, conceived by the late Koyo Kouoh. Cave's Two Points in Time at Once features five works displayed in Arsenale and two of his monumental bronzes installed outdoors. Here he stands with his works Amalgam Meditation and Origin Big Chief Demond Melancon Big Chief Demond Melancon — the first Black Masking Indian to participate in the Venice Biennale — at the opening of In

Installation by A'driane Nieves Review by Ming Joi Speechlessness is seldom experienced by a woman of words like me, but what is there to say when the artworks do all the talking / take the words out of my mouth / speak for the silent moments / phrase it in a way my tongue would never try? In Unbound Narratives: Embodied Language, a group show at Atlanta Contemporary, Bethany Collins, February James, adriene nieves, and Gabi Madrid challenge the unsaid; instead, the inner tho

Top left - Mama Lae by Lavar Munroe Studio; top right - Big Chief Demond Melancon in ceremonial suit — Photo credit: Sophia Germer / The Times-Picayune; Bottom left - Sammy Baloji, Bottom middle - the late Koyo Kouoh, 2026 Venice Biennale curator Cape Town, March, 2024; bottom right - Neo Ramshu. The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia opens this week under a title borrowed from music: In Minor Keys. Conceived by the late Koyo Kouoh — the first African

Tiffany Haddish by Tyler Clark, Leslie Jones by James Nelson, and Kevin Hart by Minnie Watkins exhibited by Pigment International at the Martha’s Vineyard Comedy Festival in 2022. There are few cultural forces more powerful — or more misunderstood — than Black comedy. It is a tradition of truth-telling, resistance, and joy that runs from Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor to Eddie Murphy, Wanda Sykes, and Tiffany Haddish. Now, a landmark publishing project is giving visual artists t

Pastor John Hannah's New Life Covenant Church is actualizing the creation of Life in Color Gallery in the city's Grand Crossing neighborhood. A House Blessing ceremony marks the beginning of a new cultural chapter on Chicago's South Side Before a single painting is hung or a sculpture placed, the floor of Life in Color Gallery was already carrying something sacred. In a special ceremony, community members gathered at 7644 S. Greenwood Avenue in Chicago's Grand Crossing neighb

Transcend by Salome Jaffe, 18" X 24" (2026) Artist Salome Jaffe enters a new phase of public engagement with her participation in The People’s Artist Award, an initiative led by Johnny Depp in collaboration with The Art of Elysium and Artforum. Distinct from traditional juried competitions, the award is determined entirely by public vote, positioning audience mobilization as the decisive factor in an artist’s advancement. Jaffe’s work stands apart for its materially driven pr

Top left - Patricia Andrews-Keenan, Pigment International, Claire Rice, Executive Director Arts Alliance Illinois, Nora Daley, Board Chair Illinois Arts Council, Vicki Heyman, Board Member Illinois Arts Council, Joshua Davis-Ruptero ED Illinois Arts Council. Top Middle - Antoinette Simmons, the Urban Ark Media Arts Center, State Representative Kimberly du Buclet, Middle Row Jen Tremblay Chambers, and Alison Cochran, Hyde Park Art Center, Middle Right - Erin Eveland, The Hub,

Agility to Surrender, rebuilt 2026, 34 ¼ X 26 1/8” 14K gold drawing Goldpoint on Indigo by D. Lammie-Hanson Knowhere Gallery's EXPO Chicago presentation yields a landmark acquisition for the Muskegon Museum of Art A luminous work by D. Lammie-Hanson is making its permanent home in a distinguished private collection — and with it, carrying forward a commitment to elevating the voices of women-identifying artists working in figurative realism. Agility to Surrender, a 14K gold d

Pigment Salon Talk Glory! Glory! at Adler University. From left Phyliss North, Patricia Andrews-Keenan, Jane Carpenter-Rock, Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM); State Rep. Kimberly du Buclet; Lisa Coleman, PhD. President of Adler University; Artist D. Lammie-Hanson; Patrica Jones Blessman, PhD.; Valerie Francis, Knowhere Gallery, and Allison Casselberry. Spring Art Week Chicago 2026: A Roundup We go deeper on specifics in later issues — this week, let the photos do the

Martha Wade at William Blair, her 3D chair, and work by Briana McNeil Scott. On Wednesday, at William Blair , Martha Wade debuted not just new work, but her work took new form when she created a chair. Wade's calm, consistency and commitment to community shone through in her interview with Blair’s curator Isidora K. Lagos under the theme Expressive Journeys: The panel of self-taught artists also included Grace Federighi, Briana McNeil, and O’Neil Scott.

As the United States stands on the threshold of its 250th Anniversary, Pigment International® invites Chicago’s cultural community to a landmark gathering during Spring Art Week 2026. The Pigment International Salon Talk will convene artists, institution leaders, policymakers, and patrons for an intimate morning of dialogue, reflection, and celebration—timed to coincide with Spring Art Week in the city. Pigment International continues its focus on national identity, ancestr

Ra Joy, Executive Director Bronzeville Center For The Arts (BCA) This year America will celebrate its semi-quincentennial and the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. As the nation reflects on its founding, it also finds itself wrestling with fundamental questions around what we choose to remember, who we choose to honor, what we collectively celebrate, and why it all matters. With America’s 250th birthday rapidly approaching, the stakes are high. Poli

Artwork Orbiting by Alma Thomas Curators, artists, and arts professionals gather for a landmark series of conversations during Spring Art Week Dialogues, presented by Northern Trust, brings together curators, artists, and arts professionals for a series of panel discussions, forums, and artistic discourse on the themes defining contemporary culture. Highlights include a reflection on the legacy of Alma Thomas featuring artists Lindsay Adams and Amanda Williams alongside cur

Photo by Barrington Darius When Frieze tapped Essence Harden to curate the Profile section of Expo Chicago 2026, it wasn't simply a curatorial appointment — it was a statement about what the fair intends to become. Multi-generational Bay Area roots, an academic foundation in African Diaspora Studies, and a practice built on long-term relationships with artists: Harden arrives in Chicago as someone who understands what it means to belong to a place before you've ever lived t

Work of Kari Black April 9–12, the independent fair spotlights emerging artists — and makes space for those too often left out  The Other Art Fair Chicago arrives April 9–12 with its signature blend of accessibility, interactivity, and discovery — and this edition leans into both nostalgia and urgency. Anchored by the theme Nostalgia Core , the fair transforms Saatchi Art's independent platform into an immersive playground where visitors don't just view art — they touch, pl