MONETTA WHITE BRINGS NEXUS TO CHICAGO
Monetta White, Executive Director of the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco, brought her vision for Black artistic economic empowerment to Chicago this summer, meeting with Pigment International and a gathering of local artists and arts leaders, including Monique Brinkman-Hill, Executive Director of the South Side Community Art Center.
White's visit centered on building national support for NEXUS, MoAD's SF/Bay Area Black Art Week, set for September 30 through October 4. Now entering its fifth year, NEXUS has grown from a modest first attempt at coordinating gallery openings and studio visits into a citywide economic engine, drawing visitors from Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles and London to a week of exhibitions, artist talks, a community block party, and a closing gala fundraiser.
White described the week as an open, largely free "art league," where participants curate their own experience across hub stations throughout the Bay Area, choosing among gallery walks, salons and evening events rather than a single ticketed entry point.
For White, the work extends beyond MoAD's walls. She spoke of advocating in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. for artist housing, studio space and public commissions, and of wanting NEXUS to become an extension of efforts already underway in cities like Chicago.
Her Chicago stop reflected that ambition: strengthening ties between Black arts institutions nationally so momentum in one city lifts them all. A San Francisco native who came to MoAD's leadership from a career in hospitality rather than the museum field, White has framed her role as advocacy first — describing herself as working for artists, not simply for an institution.
Those wanting to learn more about NEXUS SF/Bay Area Black Art Week, including hotel partnerships and the full week's schedule, can visit moadsf.org. Chicago artists, collectors and arts organizations are encouraged to help spread the word, plan travel to San Francisco for September 30 – October 4 or connect with Pigment International about extending NEXUS-style collaboration locally.
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