BLACK CREATIVITY 2026 | STILL DELIVERING RIGOR AND SURPRISE AFTER 56 YEARS

@kenneydoug - Photo Contributor

How does an art event remain vital after more than half a century? Black Creativity 2026 at the Griffin Museum of Science & Industry answers that question not with spectacle alone, but with sustained rigor, thoughtful curation, and an unwavering commitment to Black creative excellence.

Opening this past Monday, Black Creativity once again proved why it remains one of the most competitive juried exhibitions in the country. Pigment International attended the artists’ reception, where the depth of talent and ambition on view was unmistakable. This year, approximately 1,300 artists submitted work, from which just 100 pieces were selected for exhibition.

Jurors Akilah Halley and Norman Teague were tasked with making those selections—a responsibility Teague described as “one of the most difficult things I did in 2025,” a testament, he noted, to the extraordinary caliber of Black creatives working today. While Black Creativity has had as many as five judges in past years, the two-juror model this year did nothing to diminish the exhibition’s range or impact. If anything, the work on view felt “next level,” building upon 2025’s presentation with even greater confidence and experimentation.

Materiality was a throughline—wire, fabric, beads, wood, metal, and salvaged objects appeared throughout—but the results felt anything but predictable. Sam Lee Christian’s Goodnight Moon offered a glittery, transparent baby’s onesie transformed into sculpture—playful and tender. Ross Junior Owusu’s (|Be|Longing), constructed from bicycle parts, earthenware, and beads, evoked an “African alien” sensibility and sat in perfect dialogue with Karim Chambers’s acrylic on canvas painting Earth Is a Ghetto, where a helmeted boy in a NASA tee shirt delivers the Vulcan salute, collapsing Afrofuturism, humor, and critique into a youthful image.

The teen category was equally compelling. Reagan Saye’s hyper realistic Food for the Soul was named Best in Show, while Menaal Seward’s cowrie shell American flag stood out as especially provocative in light of this year’s 250th anniversary of the United States.

After 56 years, Black Creativity remains fresh not by chasing trends, but by elevating standards and trusting Black artists—across generations—to define the moment themselves. Continues through April 19th. 

General Category

• Best in Show: Tasanee Durrett, DuafeDuafeDuafe

• Second Place: Jaymes Earl, Suri Swag VI

• Third Place: Afi Lane, The Three Musketeers

Honorable Mentions

• Karim Chambers, Earth is ghetto

• Brian Edwards Jr., The Ride

• Lexus Giles, Face Jug Series

• Lupe Lawrence, Walking the Beach

• Aisha Imani Sanaa, Souls of Black Folk

• KNyame Maison, Denkyem Gwa (Crocodile Stool)

• Julie Turner Lowe, Despite the Change

• Rosemond Nyamewaa Van-Ess, A Woman’s Sanctuary_2

Teen Category

• Best in Show (First Place): Reagan Saye

• Second Place: Alaina Greene, Lead the was

• Third Place: Nia Terry, Grillz

Honorable Mentions

• Isaiah Cole, Sacrifice & Sorrow

• Jaiden Demus, Unusual Curiosity

• Lerenz Majors, HF Wrestling

• Jordin Ortiz, My Room