Viewers gaze at artwork by Tisha Taylor. (Photo: Deesarine Ballayan)

On Thursday evening, Feb. 5, Mural Arts held its opening reception for its sixth annual Fellowship for Black Artists exhibition.

The organization teamed with Ubuntu Art Gallery to host the exhibition for the third time, which is on display until Feb. 28. The New York-esque gallery quickly filled with former fellows, collaborators, and art lovers seeking to celebrate 11 fellows and their 30 works.

The fellowship is designed to help emerging Black talent in Philadelphia make long-term industry connections, receive mentorship, and obtain professional development. Through funding from TD Bank, fellows receive a $2,000 stipend of unrestricted funds, networking and career development opportunities, and the chance to explore behind the scenes of local art institutions.

Cultural strategist and exhibition curator Shivon Love played a role in selecting the artists for the 2025 cohort and in structuring the fellowship itself. She also selected the pieces on display at the gallery.

Although it is her first time curating, Love is not a stranger to the needs of artists.

A Philly native and artist herself, the curator says she has always been deeply interested in the relationship between food and migration, a connection she says influenced her decision to select this cohort’s artists.

The 2025 cohort included ASHY ARTT, Kameo Chambers, Prince De León, Temple Douglass, Keiko El, Zakia M. Elliott, Jermaine Ollivierre, Malayah Reynolds, Jazlyne Sabree, Tisha “Tee” Taylor, and Levester Williams.

“Philly got art and culture down, but there’s so many artists that fly under the radar that need support—whether it’s learning how to talk about their work or market themselves,” said Love.

“I just try to serve the artists as best I can and cross my fingers.”

Zakia M. Elliott, who had two pieces on display titled “She Came to Me Free” and “Anima Mundi: A ReIntegration,” is also a local environmental activist. She’s always been an artist, but has been trying to bring her artistic skills back to the forefront in recent years.

“I’ve been trying to merge both worlds. I’ve been exploring what it means to be whole when the work you do is so extractive,” said Elliott. 

About halfway through the event, Mural Arts staff gave reflections and speeches about the fellowship.

“When I walked in here, I was blown away by what I saw. I just wanted to march up to the city and demand they give us more money for things like this,” said Founder and Executive Director Jane Golden during her speech.

Ginger Rudolph and Noah Smalls both curate the fellowship itself. Rudolph, also the Director of Programming, read a speech on behalf of Smalls, who couldn’t attend the exhibition.

“Tonight is a receipt. Tonight is evidence,” wrote Smalls. “When Jane first envisioned the Fellowship for Black Artists back in 2020, it was never just about a program. It was about building a bridge. A bridge for artists who had been historically othered—not by any one institution, but by the arts.”

Rudolph and Smalls have been with Mural Arts since before the Black Artist Fellowship’s inception. Rudolph says the program has changed greatly since the days of its first fellows. 

While they exclusively curate the fellowship, this year, they convened a committee to support the needs of the fellowship. Sitting on the committee, alongside them and Love, are Yannick Lowry (a former fellow) and Felix Saint-Fort (a staff artist at Mural Arts).

In an interview following the event, Rudolph says the biggest thing artists are always looking for is community. 

“I like carrying all these relationships and broadening networks,” she said. “Artists always say that they don’t know who their fellow artists of color are, and it’s nice to bring them together.”

Outside of Ubuntu, artists have had their work displayed in galleries like The Colored Girls Museum in Germantown, Paradigm Gallery, and Rush Art Philadelphia. 

Though many fellows continue doing exhibitions, Rudolph reveals that 58% of Black Artist Fellows also become mural artists under the guidance of the organization. 

“We want this year to be as productive as possible,” said Rudolph. “These artists want to stay in their city, and they want to learn the ABCs of that.” 

She reveals they want to add a writing component to the fellowship, starting with the next cohort, to create “dispatches.” Rudolph says there aren’t many people in Philadelphia who write about art. 

“Philadelphia likes to create community but doesn’t really like to critique the work, but I think it’s necessary,” said Rudolph. 

Another new 2025 addition to the fellowship was the wellness retreat, giving artists the space to “escape within themselves.” 

It was designed so that artists can figure out what their place is in the current world climate.

Gallery owner and 2023 Black Artists Fellow Steven C.W. Taylor initially petitioned for the exhibition to be held at Ubuntu in 2024. He was excited to work with Love this year and hopes to be a resource to both her and the artists.

He expressed his excitement about being part of a Philly art “ecosystem” that exists outside of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Ben Franklin Parkway. 

“We need gallery spaces that exist in hoods,” said Taylor. 

Neighbors can see the exhibition at Ubuntu at 5423 Germantown Ave. on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Deesarine Ballayan is a Liberian-American freelance journalist from and based in Philadelphia. Her work is featured in The Philly Download, the Logan Center, CSIS, The Philadelphia Citizen, and Billy Penn @ WHYY.

NOTE: This article was updated on Friday, Feb. 13, with clarifying information about roles.