Indigo Arts Alliance Announces 2026 Mentorship Residency Cohort Pairings

Visual Arts

Indigo Arts Alliance Announces 2026 Mentorship Residency Cohort Pairings 

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From left to right, top to bottom: Maya Tihtiyas Attean, Cinthya Briones, Alison Croney Moses, Alisha B Wormsley, Asha Tamirisa, Aisha Seriki, Funlola Coker, Adebunmi Gbadebo, Danielle Arroyo, Pame Chévez, Folayemi Wilson and VIVA.

PORTLAND, ME, February 23, 2026 — Indigo Arts Alliance is pleased to announce the cohort for its 2026 Mentorship Artists in Residency program, a mentorship model that pairs Maine or Northeast-based artists with a national or international artist to nurture positive relationships between artists from diverse backgrounds of the African Diaspora.

“Each residency cohort deepens the relationships at the heart of Indigo Arts Alliance’s work,” says Jordia Benjamin, Executive Director of Indigo Arts Alliance. “This year’s cohort brings together artists whose practices explore Black matriarchal lineages, Indigenous relationships to nature, memory, sound and vibration, and African cultural spirituality through material practice. By bringing artists together in intentional pairings, we create space for mutual exchange, sustained support, and the kind of community that extends well beyond the residency itself.”

The program pairs Black and Brown artists with shared life experiences and similar cultural histories to encourage conversation, collaboration, and the cyclical exchange of knowledge. In 2026, the following artists will be paired for residencies: Maya Tihtiyas Attean (local) and Cinthya Briones (national), Alison Croney Moses (local) and Alisha B Wormsley (national), Asha Tamirisa (local) and Aisha Seriki (international), & Funlola Coker (local) and Adebunmi Gbadebo (national). 

Since the artists in residence program’s launch in 2019, Indigo Arts Alliance has supported 86 artists. Each visiting artist resides in Indigo’s on-campus apartments for up to two months, and receive financial support in the form of a stipend, 24-hour access to studio space, one-on-one feedback from the Indigo Arts Alliance staff, and studio visits with a selection of artists, curators, cultural workers, scholars, and community organizers. Although the two artists in residence work on their own artistic practices throughout the duration of their residency, the pair spends a minimum of 8-10 studio hours together each week to exchange creative and conceptual practices, pursue joint collaborations, and engage with community-based outreach.

Indigo Arts Alliance prioritizes a robust ecosystem of sustained community building both during and after the residencies conclude. In 2025, they introduced a mini-residency series to re-engage its past global artists-in-residence. Eight alumni were selected to return to their initial studio practices and reconnect with their local networks. Alumni were re-paired with different artists, establishing new relationships with new residents and furthering Indigo Arts Alliance’s global connections beyond the residency program. This year’s mini-residency artists are Danielle Arroyo (2023 Mentorship Residency Alum) and Pame Chévez (2021 Mentorship Residency Alum), & Folayemi Wilson (2019 Mentorship Residency Alum) and VIVA (2021 Mentorship Residency Alum). 

For full artist bios of our 2026 cohort, click here. The full schedule of mentorship pairings is below.

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2026 Mentorship AiRs Schedule: 

  • May 18th – June 17th, 2026: Maya Tihtiyas Attean + Cinthya Briones
  • July 6th – August 6th: Alison Croney Moses + Alisha B Wormsley
  • September 2nd – October 1st: Asha Tamirisa +  Aisha Seriki
  • October 5th – November 5th: Funlola Coker + Adebunmi Gbadebo

2026 Mini-Residency AiRs Schedule: 

  • May 4th – 15th: Danielle Arroyo + Pame Chévez
  • June 22nd – July 3rd: VIVA and Folayemi Wilson

About Indigo Arts Alliance 

Addressing the underrepresentation of Black and Brown artists–Maine-based and world-wide–IAA is an arts incubator in Portland, Maine that provides space for dialogue and exchange between artists of African descent and other communities of color through a multidisciplinary artist-in-residency program that embodies a Black-led approach to creativity, community-building, and mentoring. Artists come from a wealth of cultural heritages and multiple countries: African American/US, Belize, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Peru, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan and Trinidad.

The organization is rooted in two principles: that art is a key resource for healthy human communities that should be cultivated and celebrated, and that artists play a unique role in strengthening our multiracial democracy. Actively contributing to the Global Black Arts Movement, Indigo Arts Alliance brings its principles to life through collaborations with national and international galleries, museums, and other venues, featuring exhibitions and performances by its AIRs, while also curating symposia and other community engagement activities. Visit www.indigoartsalliance.me to learn more and support their work.

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For images, further background, or interviews, please contact: 

Katrina Stewart 

Account Manager, Visual Arts

Blue Medium

T: +1-212-675-1800

katrina@bluemedium.com