NAEA National Convention 2027

Bisa Butler creates vibrant quilted portraits that celebrate African American life and history. Inspired by family scrapbooks, American folk traditions, and AfriCOBRA philosophies, she uses layered fabrics and quilting to create compositions with psychological depth. Her work is in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, among others. Butler has exhibited internationally and received the inaugural Faith in the Arts Award in 2024. She lives and works in New Jersey.

Liz Flores is a painter and muralist based in Chicago. She is deeply influenced by the everyday human experience, storytelling, and the female body. Working primarily with acrylic paint on canvas, her work is a representation of the human condition through lines, shapes, and abstract figures. It’s a reaction to life, an emotion, or a memory and is driven by her interests in community, womanhood, and Latinidad. Flores made the leap from corporate America into the art world ten years ago and in this time, has shared her story on the TEDx stage, CreativeMornings Chicago, and collaborated with major brands like United Airlines, Lululemon, and the Chicago Bulls.

American artist Jeffrey Gibson created a new body of work for Art Central’s PROJECTS sector, continuing the use of his signature intricate beaded work, inspired by his Native American ancestry.

Riva Lehrer is an artist, writer, and curator whose work centers on the socially challenged body, creating portraits of people whose physical embodiment, sexuality, or gender identity have long been stigmatized. Through painting and interdisciplinary practice, Lehrer’s work highlights dignity, agency, and lived experience while challenging dominant narratives around disability and difference.

Shannon Downey, known as Badass Cross Stitch, is an artist, activist, and community builder who uses craft-based art forms to inspire social change. Through collaborative projects and workshops, she transforms traditional making into collective action—helping people move from passive consumers to engaged creators and changemakers. Her work confronts hard truths while cultivating connection, radical hope, and a vision for what’s possible.

Faheem Majeed is an artist, curator, educator, and nonprofit administrator whose work centers on collaboration and institutional critique as tools for community engagement and social dialogue. A founder and co-director of the Floating Museum, Majeed creates sculptures and installations that recontextualize marginalized objects, histories, and spaces to challenge their perceived value and foster collective reflection.

Damon Lamar Reed is a multidisciplinary artist using murals, music, and public art to uplift communities and spark change. Named the 2025 Choose Chicago Artist of the Year, he has completed over 400 public art projects for organizations including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Gatorade, and the Chicago Blackhawks. Reed is known for his Still Searching series, which raises awareness about missing women and children through portraiture and storytelling. A believer in the transformative power of art, Reed continues to use creativity as a catalyst for hope and healing.

Tonika Lewis Johnson is a social justice artist and photographer whose work examines the impact of systemic disinvestment and racial segregation in urban communities. Her acclaimed Folded Map Project pairs Black and White residents from corresponding North and South Side addresses to reveal both the disparities and shared humanity within the city’s grid. Johnson’s projects—including Inequity for Sale and UnBlocked Englewood—use public art and storytelling to illuminate entrenched socioeconomic divides while building community-driven pathways toward repair.