Call for Artists: Responding to Edward Mitchell Bannister

Edward Mitchell Bannister (1828-1901) was a prominent Black artist who was born in New Brunswick, Canada, and lived in Providence in the last decades of his life. He was the first artist of color to win a national art award when he received First Prize at the Centennial Exposition of 1876 in Philadelphia, and he went on to help build Providence into a New England cultural center, becoming a driving force in establishing the Providence Art Club in 1880.

The Bannister Community Art Project and Bannister Gallery at Rhode Island College are seeking professional artists to participate in and create new artwork for an exhibition that responds to Edward Bannister’s life and artwork. We welcome broad interpretations of the theme and a variety of artistic media.

An exhibition in the fall of 2025 will take place in Bannister Gallery and feature existing artworks and at least one new artwork from each participating artist. Artists that are selected will receive an honorarium of $1,000. Finalists will be selected by jurors and members of the Bannister Community Art Project Exhibition Committee.