Black Canvas

BET presents BLACK CANVAS. A celebration for all forms of Black creative expression. It all happens here. Black creators. Black visionaries. Black talent and the Black community. They all come together in this one place. A blank, Black canvas, where anything can happen. A destination to experience and express Black creativity and Black storytelling. In this series, BET turned over the canvas to Black artists in major cities across America. Each artist identified a phrase and used it as inspiration to commemorate their city. These three phrases are: WHERE BLACK CULTURE LIVES WHERE BLACK DREAMS FLOURISH WHERE BLACK POWER GROWS This is their Black Canvas.

Brandon Sadler

Brandon Sadler is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Atlanta, Georgia. A graduate Of Savannah College of Art and Design with a B.F.A in illustration, Brandon is renowned for his public murals. His solo and group exhibitions have garnered accolades, hailing Brandon as one of Atlanta's most prolific artists. His work has been collected by individuals as well as the High Museum of Art. In addition to contributing to the fine art world, he has also worked with several major brands to successfully bring his unique vision into the commercial space.

Jay F. Coleman

Jay F. Coleman is a Washington, D.C. based artist, muralist, and sculptor. After attending The Corcoran School of Art, he honed his craft by challenging himself through a diversity of projects, including being commissioned to paint the portraits of the presidents of Cape Verde and Angola. Through these explorations, Jay found his personal style and techniques. Through public art, Jay has been able to sustain himself and create functional art that can be shared with the communities that house it. The use of color in his work is designed to express the commonalities among people instead of their differences.

Vincent Ballentine

Cleveland native Vincent Ballentine is a multi-disciplinary visual artist with a degree in film and education from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Vincent continued his study in illustration and motion graphics at Cleveland Institute of Art. His work ranges from digital illustration and animation to large-scale murals and street art. Vincent’s work never stops evolving. In 2020, he received a U.S. Department of State residency in Ethiopia as an ambassador for hip hop. Thriving through personal and artistic growth, Vincent aims to contribute his vision to the arts community through mentorship and youth guidance.

SANO

Ayumi Chisolm A.K.A. SANOizm was born and raised in Cleveland and began his urban art journey with a spray can in 1983. Sano has always sought to explore multiculturalism through visual art. From aerosol art murals to acrylic painting on canvas and digital montages, Sano is a multi-disciplinary artist and teacher. SANO was an advisor to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's Education department. In 2018, he was selected for a program called Next Level USA, where he spent two weeks teaching Art in Cambodia sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Pinklomein

Born in Frankfurt, Germany and having lived abroad with her family, Ashley “Pinklomein” Price now calls Houston, Texas her home. Pinklomein has developed her practice over the years focusing on empowerment of women, and specifically, empowering Black women. She incorporates strong, positive affirmations along with rich displays of color and movement. As an artist, Pinklomein is always seeking the very best version of herself. It is her love for art that has cultivated a community of collectors and buyers who truly appreciate her creative output. She has created accessible artwork available in retail outlets as well as exciting brand collaborations.

Zu

Alexander “Zú” Arzú is a Houston-based muralist and tattoo artist who was born in Germany to Garifuna-Honduran immigrants. While he enjoys excelling in all forms of artistic expression, Arzú finds that art is about the creation itself, not the medium. His goal is to produce art that inspires viewers to have their own unique experience. Arzú, a graduate of the University of Houston, pulled a four-year-long stint as an architect before becoming a well-known local artist.

Ruben Ubiera

Ruben Gerardo Ubiera Gonzalez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and grew up in the Bronx. Ruben paints and draws in a style he coined as “Postgraffism,” an evolution of graffiti into a more conceptual and figurative visual form. His inspiration is derived from the interactivity between man and his urban environment. His murals can be found throughout the country and in collections such as the Polk Museum of Art. Ruben’s publicly commissioned work frequently depicts the realities faced by the Black community, immigrants, indigenous people, and those facing racial or other forms of discrimination across the United States.

Mz Icar

Mz. Icar is an anonymous art collective comprised primarily of Black Women. Our name is racIzM, backward. Our members comprise of an Illustrator, Photographer, Designer, Prop stylist, Street Artist, and Collage Artist. We started this collective to create works that celebrate Women, Global Blackness, and Play. We create narratives in the form of geometric mixed-media street art and fine art that explore histories and imagine the best-case scenario future from the
perspectives of women and people of color.