AfriKin Art Fair 2026 · 12th Edition
An AfriKin exhibition curated by Joseph L. Underwood, Ph.D.
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AfriKin Art Fair 2026 · 12th Edition
An AfriKin exhibition curated by Joseph L. Underwood, Ph.D.
2026 Theme
An AfriKin exhibition curated by Joseph L. Underwood, Ph.D.
We invite artists of African heritage to submit proposals for a landmark exhibition celebrating the creative traditions of testimony, defiance, and endurance. GRIOT centers creative tradition as an act of survival, witness, and transformation. Drawing on the West African griot/griotte, the men and women who served as keepers of history, truth-tellers, sometimes celebrating achievements and sometimes issuing warnings, this exhibition positions contemporary artists as inheritors of that lineage: those who remember, those who name, and those who imagine otherwise.
"This is not an exhibition of archaic pasts, it is a powerful, living archive."
Across painting, sculpture, photography, textile, and other media, selected artists will explore what it means to carry memory across time, space, and context, to make beauty out of struggle, and to insist on joy as a radical act. Rooted in history, or present worlds, the chosen works will be ones that speak to our audience and carry stories that resonate with our current lived experiences.
12th
Edition
35+
Countries Represented
25K+
Projected Attendees
Art as
Curatorial Direction
Curated by Joseph L. Underwood, Ph.D. Positioned within Miami Art Week alongside the global ecosystem surrounding Art Basel Miami Beach, AfriKin Art Fair remains the signature platform dedicated to amplifying Contemporary African and Diaspora Art within international discourse.
Curatorial Framework
The exhibition welcomes proposals across all media and disciplines. Work may engage with, but is not limited to, the following areas, each anchoring curated sections of the fair, panel discussions, keynote talks, and performance works.
01
Ancestral knowledge, genealogy, erasure in official histories, and the reclamation of lost or suppressed records.
02
Surveillance, policing, hair, skin, adornment, and the politics of Black embodiment in public and private space.
03
Migration, belonging, the Caribbean archipelago, and the ongoing aftermath of the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism.
04
Oral tradition, Creole, patois, code-switching, silence as protest, and the griot as radical storyteller.
05
Black joy as an act of refusal; carnival, music, dance, fashion, and communal ritual as liberatory practice.
06
Alternative futures, speculative worldbuilding, technology, and what liberation looks like beyond the present moment.
07
Ecological grief, the ocean as both grave and source, spiritual practices, and the relationship to place and land.
08
Civil rights histories, contemporary movements, incarceration, voting rights, and art made in response to injustice.
09
Queer Black identity, womanhood, chosen family, and the full spectrum of Black intimate and communal life.
Open Call
Submit proposals of up to 4 artworks across any medium. The deadline for submissions is August 1, 2026.
Submit Your Artist ProposalEvent Details
Dates
Nov 29 – Dec 6
2026
Venue
Maison AfriKin
Scott Galvin Center
Address
1600 NE 126th St
North Miami, FL
Attendance
25,000+
70% International
Key Features
Partnership Opportunities
AfriKin's 2026-27 cultural season opens with the Art Fair (November 29 – December 6, 2026) and continues through Black History Month programming in February 2027 and Art, Jazz & Champagne, our Women's History Month centerpiece, in March 2027. This year alone, AfriKin earned feature coverage from the Associated Press and Al Jazeera English, and secured PUMA as a confirmed activation partner for the Cabo Verde World Cup program. Sponsorship at every tier connects your brand to that trajectory: institutional credibility, global press reach, and direct access to the collectors, diplomats, and cultural tastemakers converging on Miami this season.
Producing the Art Fair requires $500,000. Season Partnership extends that investment to underwrite Black History Month ($175,000) and Art, Jazz & Champagne ($100,000), a full season total of $775,000. Funds raised beyond that figure build AfriKin's institutional capital reserve.
Presenting and Premier are single-partner anchor tiers: either can carry the majority of the season in one signature. Diamond through Community are open to multiple partners at each level. AfriKin's season goal is reached through an anchor partnership, a combination of tier-level partners, or both, independent paths to the same goal, not a cumulative ask.
$350,000
The lead investment toward AfriKin's full 2026-27 season: the Art Fair, Black History Month, and Art, Jazz & Champagne for Women's History Month. One partner only.
$175,000
A lead investment in Art Fair production. One partner only.
$75,000
A cornerstone investment in Art Fair production. Open to multiple partners.
$35,000
$20,000
$10,000
$5,000 entry
Designed for Miami-based businesses, regional brands, Caribbean and African diaspora enterprises, and organizations who want meaningful cultural alignment without the full institutional commitment. Your presence matters at every level.
Regardless of tier, all partners share in these foundational deliverables.
From Our Partners
"AfriKin Art Fair is more than an event, it is a cultural movement. Sponsoring AfriKin gave us unparalleled exposure and a direct connection to the pulse of Caribbean and African creativity on a global stage."
Current Partners & Supporters
Ready to Talk Impact?
We understand every brand is unique. Let's discuss how your organization can align with AfriKin 2026 to create transformational value, now and for generations to come.
AfriKin Foundation, Inc. · 501(c)(3) Nonprofit · EIN# 85-2592611
All contributions are tax-deductible to the amounts legally allowed.