The Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati is marking two major milestones in 2026: the 175th anniversary of Robert S. Duncanson’s landscape murals, completed between 1850 and 1852 in the museum’s historic Belmont house, and the 40th anniversary of its Duncanson Artist-in-Residence Program. The program, established in 1986, is among the country’s longest-running residencies dedicated to community engagement and artists of color.

Duncanson, who painted the murals in what is now the museum’s main building, is recognized as the first Black American artist to achieve international acclaim. The seven landscape murals from that commission remain on view in the house, and the Taft has partnered with the Robert S. Duncanson Society on year-round programming tied to the anniversaries.

The 2026 Artist-in-Residence is painter Ayana Ross, selected from more than 70 applicants representing 17 states, 31 U.S. cities, and 11 countries. Her residency runs April 11–26, and her exhibition, “Beyond the Picturesque: The American Landscape as a Site of Memory, Identity and Continuity,” will remain on view through July 26. The show presents seven figural paintings installed across the Sinton Gallery and the Duncanson Foyer. Poet Nikki Giovanni was the program’s inaugural resident in 1986.

Source: Living Magazines