2026 Curator: Quiana Quarles
The 2026 Melanin in May® Festival is pleased to announce our Curator for the annual Afrocentric ArtWalk, an “artivist” — who creates multimedia art that reflects issues of importance to the people around her. She’s also the creator and founder of Black Vegan Fest Indy, which works to improve health and food inequality in African American neighborhoods. She is a participant in the first ever Nap Diastopian Art experience at the Spring Black Business Bazaar which was the genesis for Melanin in May®, and was a featured artist in the inaugural Afrocentric ArtWalk. The incomparable virtuosa that is Quiana Quarles!!!
As an Indianapolis native, Quiana Quarles graduated from Arsenal Technical High School and Indiana State University with a BS in Textiles, Apparels, and Merchandising. After graduating from college, she began working at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and shadowed the buyer for the IMA Store in hopes of one day being offered the position. Though the search for stability of Corporate America had always been encouraged and enforced as a need, art and using her creativity had always been a desire. That desire turned into awe inspiring works of art that led to her work being showcased across the country in large scale murals and on smaller pieces generating conversations that encapsulate the heartbeat of the culture. Those experiences have led Quiana to this moment as this year’s trusted curator; selecting graphic artists in oil, acrylic, watercolor, graphite, charcoal, digital, and mixed media across the city of Indianapolis and beyond. An exhibition of forward-thinking, afro-centric artists reaching across boundaries to fabulate, deconstruct, redefine, assert and expand the breadth and reach of the millennial voices of the people of the African diaspora.
Theodore Ball
Theodore is a Black American artist from the Midwest. Growing up in Indianapolis, his humble beginnings shaped his resourceful approach to materials, where “everything” becomes a tool for artistic expression. Theodore’s storytelling spirit drives him to create thought-provoking work that challenges viewers’ perspectives.
Clinton Lowery
Clinton Lowery is an Indianapolis-based artist whose work lives at the intersection of imagination and perception. Drawing and painting for as long as he can remember, Clinton channels a lifelong passion into pieces that explore the space between how the world appears and how it feels from within. His art is shaped by his inner thoughts and personal perspective, offering viewers a vivid, introspective lens that challenges reality and invites them to see through his eyes.
Michael Bullock
Michael Bullock is a multidisciplinary artist and creator behind Redink Special, expanding his artistry beyond skin into acrylic painting and custom rug tufting. His work blends bold creativity with street-inspired influence, bringing ideas to life through texture, color, and detail. Through acrylic painting, Michael creates visually striking pieces that capture emotion, culture, and storytelling on canvas. His rug tufting transforms art into functional design — handcrafted pieces that add personality and statement to any space. Every piece is created with intention, whether it’s a wall-hanging canvas or a custom rug designed to stand out. His goal is simple: turn creative vision into tangible art you can see, feel, and live with.
Jamichael Pollard
Jamichael Pollard is a young visual artist based out of Indianapolis, Indiana. Specializing in portrait, animation, and combining pictures together, he was able to start his business, KyngPen Art. Originating with graphite drawings, he furthered his skills with colored pencils to acrylic paints and is now focusing on oil paints. KyngPen Arts also consist of face and body painting, and also of him being a tattoo artist.
RealChariWorld
When asked, “What or who inspires you to create?”, TiChari Dillon, also known as RealChariWorld, responded, “In a family that’s into arts and crafts, it inspired me to get into drawing and painting. I started painting in 2018 in college and fell off. Got back into painting in 2024 and been flourishing and finding my art style again. When I create my work and listen to music, I’m in my zone and go with the flow of what I’m listening to create the vision I’m aiming for. As an entrepreneur, I’m also a candle business owner so I’m out networking and meeting new people consistently. It keeps me going being around business owners, local artists, curators, etc. as I’m learning daily on how to create my vision. As I talk to other artists about my work in galleries, they noticed my details and how I put my message out.”
Jerome Goff
Jerome Goff is an Indianapolis-based visual artist whose practice explores the intersection of storytelling, identity, and future-minded cultural expression. Working across painting, muralism, and concept-driven visual art, he creates pieces that merge bold composition with cinematic atmosphere, often drawing from surrealism, neo-noir sensibilities, and Afrofuturist vision. Goff’s work is rooted in a desire to build visual worlds that feel both speculative and deeply human. Through layered symbolism, striking form, and a strong sense of mood, his pieces examine transformation, imagination, memory, and the evolving relationship between people, place, and possibility. His approach balances technical design awareness with emotional and cultural depth, resulting in work that is immersive, thought-provoking, and visually distinct. In addition to his studio practice, Goff has created public and international work, including mural projects in South Africa and Costa Rica. Across contexts, his work remains centered on creating experiences that resonate beyond the surface—inviting viewers to reflect, interpret, and engage with a larger narrative.
Rhonda Greene
Rhonda Greene is a self-taught photographer from Indianapolis, Indiana whose lens turns ordinary moments into quiet revelations. Guided by curiosity and emotion, she transforms natural light and human expression into stories that whisper of strength, tenderness and truth.
Her work is often defined by organic, journalistic style-intimate yet expansive-capturing the beauty in what is often overlooked. Each image is both a mirror and a meditation, reflecting the resilience and vulnerability of those she photographs.
Her photography has appeared in local galleries and online showcases, celebrated for its honesty and emotional depth. Greene’s imagery invites viewers to pause-to feel, to remember, and to see the extraordinary within the everyday.
Kenan Tinnin
Kenan Tinnin is a local Indianapolis artist. Being born and raised here in a Indy, he’s been drawn to the creative world since the very beginning. Expressing that being an art maker is one of his purposes for being on earth. Stating that he creates not just for myself but for any and all walks of life. Creating work that pushes him to think outside the box while also using the box itself as a reference. He says that “My style incorporates vibrant colors and whimsy. My creative process usually is based on me asking myself, how fun can I make this?” “My illustrative style allows me to stay in touch with my inner child while also telling a story. I love having that duality of something so simple being able to provoke multiple interpretations and allow viewers to think beyond.”
Ayanna Tibbs
Ayanna Tibbs, (b.1990) Indianapolis based Conceptual Visual Artist. Ayanna utilizes a multi media approach to help articulate and best illustrate concepts of humanity and hope.