PIGMENT INTERNATIONAL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PUBLIC NARRATIVE, LAUNCHES “TEMPERATURE CHECK” TO CAPTURE THE VOICES OF CHICAGO’S BLACK VISUAL ARTISTS | | |
Pigment International, a Black woman-founded and led multimedia platform, has received a grant from Public Narrative to launch Temperature Check: Taking the Pulse of Chicago’s Black Visual Artists in a Shifting America.
Visual artists have always documented the times—reflecting movements, mourning loss, inspiring action, and archiving truth through their work. As America faces political, economic, and cultural shifts, Pigment International is using its platform to listen, gather perspectives, and understand how Chicago’s Black visual artists are navigating this pivotal moment.
Chicago has long been a center of Black art and culture, from the Chicago Renaissance to the Black Arts Movement and AfriCobra. Building on the legacy of artists like Dr. Margaret Burroughs, Charles White, Eldzier Cortor, and Kerry James Marshall, Temperature Check seeks to highlight the challenges and triumphs of today’s Black artists. It is with this history as a backdrop that Pigment International will host the upcoming Pigmented Black Fine Art Faire, taking place October 30 – November 2 at Zhou B Art Center in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood.
Pigment International invites Chicago-based Black visual artists to share their voices by completing the Temperature Check survey (link below).
The Temperature Check survey will focus on five key questions designed to explore the experiences of Black visual artists in this moment:
- What challenges are Black visual artists in Chicago facing today?
- How has the nature of your work changed during this time?
- How are you processing changes in government, policy, and funding?
- Has direct funding to your projects via grants or other sources been impacted?
- What continues to give you hope?
The Temperature Check survey results will be shared later this year and on Pigment International’s website.
We invite all Chicago-based Black visual artists and those vested in the Black art ecosystem to make their voices heard by completing the survey.
| | FIERCE WOMEN IN THE ARTS CONVENE FOR NIGHT OF JAZZ AT CHICAGO'S MCA | | |
On Tuesday, July 15, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago hosted The Fierce Women in the Arts gathering, a dynamic evening celebrating female leaders shaping the city’s cultural landscape. The event brought together movers and shakers from across the Chicago and the midwest arts community, highlighting the power of collaboration and creative vision.
The gathering was hosted by Michelle Boone, President of the Poetry Foundation, and Angelique Power, President & CEO of the Skillman Foundation, both trailblazers in advancing equity and access in the arts. The evening also featured a soulful performance by Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist Shawnee Dez, whose work blends music, visual art, and storytelling to create transformative experiences.
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Falling Star by Romare Bearden; Charnelle Holloway, Fertility Belt for the Career Woman, 1995; MoKeeda Brantley, Christopher Swain and Jacquee Minor; Cierra Monei Smith and friend with Amalia Amaki, Mildred Thompson's The Beginning of Light, 1984; Jenelsie Walden Holloway, Cry, 1977; John Riddle and Jim Alexander's The Ballot, 1983, Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory; Jacquee Minor, Halima Taha, and Lesa Adeboyé.
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On July 18, Hammonds House Museum and the National Black Arts Festival (NBAF) hosted the opening of Black Zeitgeist: Atlanta, the Visual Arts, and the National Black Arts Festival. exhibition celebrates the dynamic legacy of African American visual arts, showcasing works by Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Hale Woodruff, Norman Lewis, Louis Delsarte, Samella Lewis, Kevin Cole, Lynn Marshall Linnemeier, Faith Ringgold, Charles White, Mildred Thomas, Kojo Griffin, Wadsworth Jarrell, and many more.
The evening brought together artists, community leaders, and art enthusiasts to honor Atlanta’s cultural history and its lasting impact on the national arts landscape. Black Zeitgeist reflects the intersection of visionary leadership—Mayor Maynard Jackson, Fulton County Commission Chairman Michael Lomax—and the powerful influence of the Black Arts Movement and the Atlanta University Annuals.
On view through December 14, 2025, this exhibition stands as a testament to artistic excellence and collective cultural memory.
| | FINE ARTS MUSEUMS OF SAN FRANCISCO ACQUIRE ELIZABETH CATLETT’S BRONZE OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. | | Elizabeth Catlett "Bust of Martin Luther King, Jr.," 1990. Bronze with a green patina on a black marble plinth base; 18 x 13 3/8 x 11 1/4 in. ©Catlett Mora Family Trust / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Randy Dodson. | | |
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco proudly announce the acquisition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1984–1985), a powerful bronze bust by Elizabeth Catlett, one of the most influential African American artists of the 20th century. This significant work is on public display for the first time at the de Young Museum, located on the Main Level in Gallery 14.
Catlett, celebrated for her unwavering advocacy for Black Americans and other marginalized communities, created this portrait for a 1984–1985 competition to commemorate Dr. King in the U.S. Capitol. The work comes from the private collection of Reverend Douglas E. Moore—King’s classmate at Boston University and a civil rights pioneer—and Dr. Doris Hughes-Moore, the first Black woman to earn a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Purdue University.
“Elizabeth Catlett’s bust of Dr. King captures not just his likeness, but his enduring moral authority,” said Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums. “Its presence in our collection deepens our ability to tell the story of King’s transformative impact on American history.”
The sculpture joins two other Catlett works in the Museums’ collection and will be exhibited alongside Jack Levine’s Birmingham '63 (1963), a painting honoring King’s pivotal civil rights activism.
Dr. King’s ties to San Francisco—where he spoke at major civil rights events, including the consecration of Grace Cathedral in 1965—make this acquisition especially meaningful.
This purchase, made possible by the Barbro Osher Sculpture Garden Acquisition Fund, ensures that Catlett’s commanding tribute to Dr. King will inspire generations to come.
| | COLOR ME AFRICA - ONE NIGHT ONLY | | Frank Frazier top row middle. Photos by Olivia Flutz | | |
Chicago's Color Me Africa Art Gallery hosted an unforgettable evening on July 17, celebrating the work of legendary Dallas-based artist Frank Frazier. A true icon of Black art, Frazier has been a working artist for more than seven decades and continues to mentor and support emerging talents through his many national shows—most notably his annual exhibition in Miami during Art Miami Week, held in the Little Haiti neighborhood. In 2018, Pigment International honored Frazier in its inaugural Miami show, further solidifying his influence and legacy.
The exhibition, hosted by collectors Soraya Sheppard and Chuck Bowen, also featured striking works by Lakeem Wilson, Don O’Bannon, and Jerome Jones, each bringing a unique perspective and visual narrative. Special guests Sho’Nuff, Nathaniel Sheppard III, and Rhea Rose added depth and diversity to the evening, creating a gallery experience that resonated with both collectors and first-time visitors.
The night buzzed with energy as attendees explored powerful imagery and engaged with the artists, whose works reflect themes of resilience, heritage, and creativity.
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