17 Incredible and Talented Black Artists Worth Knowing (and Supporting)

Jessie Laws creates folk, cultural, and abstract paintings. Much of her artwork contains historical references or depictions of the struggles of the African American community in America. Many paintings contain depictions of Black children, schools, and families. This makes sense contextually, as she herself used to be an elementary school teacher. Her work is truly remarkable—and hard to look away from.

Andrea Reed creates truly one-of-a-kind jewelry. She’s a Harlem native but makes her jewelry out of the Bronx. Reed’s hand-made beaded jewelry brand is called A New Day, A New Dawn NYC, and it centers around bold textures, colors, and patterns. Every single piece is beautifully crafted and striking.

If you’re hoping to wear your art, look no further than Sosome Shop. An independent black-owned business, Sosome’s incredible African print clothing line is made in Ghana West Africa. As stylish as it is gorgeous, these effortless dresses are sure to become head-turning wardrobe staples.

Sheree Brand is a writer, artist, illustrator, and creative based out of Maryland. Check out her full collection on Etsy, where her Sheree Brand Paper Co., shop features dozens of lovely and Black woman-centric artwork.

Shai is a visual artist, illustrator, digital painter, and storyteller. The London-based artist has a variety of high-quality prints like this one available on Etsy. Follow her on Instagram at @shai.digital.

This talented mother-daughter duo creates one-of-a-kind quilts from their studio in Raleigh, North Carolina. They’ve combined their passions for design, textiles, and the African diaspora to create quilts inspired by the African American quilting tradition. Alyah is also a dancer, currently pursuing an MFA in Dance at Duke University.

Based out of Washington state, Yani B. creates many bold, colorful depictions of Black women. We also love her printable inhale/exhale art prints for anyone who needs a reminder. Her Ode to the Black Woman is as powerful as it is beautiful.

Anne Harrill’s minimalist jewelry gorgeously captures the beauty of nature. Originally from France, Harrill now resides in Cleveland, Ohio where she founded her evocative, beautiful, modern jewelry and apparel brand Océanne. Jewelry started out as a hobby for Harrill, but turned into much more—and we’re oh-so glad it did.

A remarkable artist who is certainly worth knowing about, Kerream Jones has been extremely popular and highly reviewed on Etsy. Jones resides in Georgia, where he paints emotive “bright and dark realities of life” in imaginative and distinctive ways. His paintings are infused with earth tones and depth.

Caster Pettway is a Georgia-based artist who creates handsewn quilts. She lives in Gee’s Bend, which has had a long-standing community of African American women creating quilts since the 19th century. The women of this rural Alabama town have had quilts featured by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Caster Pettway’s quilts are high-quality, crafted thoughtfully, and full of artistry. What a joy it is that we can now buy these quilts online. A piece of art to keep you warm.

Originally from London, Simone Bresi-Ando’s work combines form with function. The now Brooklyn-based artist creates pieces that are both useful and beautiful. Drawing inspiration from West African Adinkra symbols, this pillow, made with Nigerian fabric, is a knot without beginning or end. Known as Mpatapo, it is meant to engender peace, harmony, and togetherness.

Dorcas Magbadelo creates a variety of colorful prints, pins, notebooks, and greeting cards that celebrate Black women. Her pieces make fabulous gifts (for yourself or a loved one!). Follow the UK-based artist on Instagram @dorcascreates.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1980, Kamilah Campbell’s immigrated to the United States in the early 80s. Her company, The Pink Locket creates handmade modern minimalist jewelry that has been featured on Sponge, Etsy’s Editor features, Essence.com, Buzz Feed, Huffington Post, The Grio, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime TV, and Netflix.

A self-taught furniture maker and artist, Sean Desiree is a queer, nonbinary, Black person from the Bronx. Desiree’s art is often guided by highlighting stories of resistance, and much of their work centers around the experiences of the LGBTQ community and the struggles of systemic racism. Their stunning reclaimed wood art pieces would be an excellent addition to any art collection.

We absolutely love Natalie Osbourne’s prints. Osbourne studied painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and believes that everyone should have the chance to buy an original piece. Still dwelling in the Windy City, she paints bold and memorable pieces that will be the perfect addition to your home.

In addition to stylish, unique, gorgeous, comfy African print face masks, DC-area native Nasozi Kakembo designs pillows, totes, benches, coasters, and even salad servers. Formerly a human rights and social justice warrior, Kakembo now runs a multi-disciplinary creative studio out of Brooklyn. xNStudio proudly works with Ugandan artisans to develop products for e-commerce, wholesale, and interior design projects.

Adrian Brandon is quite simply one of the best up-and-coming Black artists. Only in his 20s, the artist-to-watch has already made a name for himself on social media. Part of his recognition has come from his series of unfinished portraits, designed to honor Black lives that have come to an end at the hands of police.

The series is called Stolen, and it includes Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Jonathan Price, Kendrec McDade, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, and others. Brandon sketches each individual and then only colors their faces in for as many minutes as the number of years they were alive. The result is a haunting and unforgettable depiction of lives cut short.