Visual artist Ayana Ross has been named the Taft Museum of Art’s 2026 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence.
The award-winning residency, celebrating its 40th anniversary, honors the program’s long-standing cultural significance by elevating contemporary artists across disciplines. Ross’s term will include a solo exhibition at the museum, public programs, workshops and school visits across Greater Cincinnati in spring 2026.
More details will be available close to the date.
“For four decades, the Duncanson Program has honored the enduring legacy of Robert S. Duncanson by uplifting artists whose work challenges, inspires and transforms,” said Kareem Simpson, the Taft Museum’s Duncanson Program manager. “As we celebrate this milestone, we reflect on the artists who have shaped our cultural landscape and look ahead with pride and purpose to the next generation of creative visionaries.”
Four decades of celebrating amazing artists of color
Established in 1986, the Duncanson Program honors the legacy of Black American painter Robert S. Duncanson and his patron Nicholas Longworth, who commissioned murals now housed at the museum. The residency has featured acclaimed artists such as Vanessa German, Stafford Berry and poet Nikki Giovanni, the inaugural artist-in-residence in 1986.
Adding to that tradition will be Ross, whose work blends traditional oil painting with intricate patterns and decorative designs to explore themes of identity, race, equity and value systems. Often autobiographical, her layered narratives evoke nostalgia while highlighting everyday moments.
Ross holds a master’s degree in painting from Savannah College of Art and Design and a master’s in liberal arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her accolades include the 2021 Bennett Prize and the 2022 National Black Art Festival Award. She also served as a Spring 2024 Mellon Arts and Practitioner Fellow at Yale’s Center for Race, Indigeneity and Transnational Migration.
Funding for this year’s Duncanson Program comes from sponsors such as the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. Foundation, the P&G Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation and Fifth Third Bank. Morgan and Eddie Rigaud are providing artist accommodations.
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