The National Black Art Festival provides a platform that celebrates and honors the African-American community for its contributions to art, dance, music, and film. For more than three decades, Fulton County has lead the charge to educate and entertain those representing and supporting art and artists in the Black community.
On Oct. 7, the NBAF held its 2023 gala and artist showcase, highlighting artistic excellence through those 35 years with this year’s event theme, Mahogany. NBAF executive director Stephanie Owens and artistic director Oronike Odeleye were major contributors to putting the experience together and spoke with rolling out during the event.
What has been the mission of this organization throughout its 35 years?
Oronike Odeleye: The NBAF was founded by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners with the mission to educate, expose, engage, and entertain audiences and support art and artists of African descent. We’ve been doing that for the past 35 years, so this gala is an opportunity for us to celebrate our longevity, all the things that we’ve done, the artists that we’ve supported, and the community that has helped us do that for this long time.
How does it feel being able to highlight some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, such as Will Packer?
Stephanie Owens: The NBAF has a tremendous legacy of highlighting some of the big heavy hitters in the industry. We’ve continued that tradition [in] honoring Will Packer for his illustrious career and also highlighting some emerging artists. We have Christian Nolan Jones, who is our Horizon Award winner, and our artist showcase gives people an opportunity to celebrate and highlight some other emerging artists that we’ve supported throughout the year.
What was the visual concept this year for the gala?
OO: The concept was shades of brown and just highlighting paths and all of our beautiful melanin and Black excellence, so this felt like a great way to do that. It’s also giving some of the fall vibes we’re hitting right in their stride. It’s cool to see the concept come to life and exciting for everybody to get a glimpse.
