Taft Museum of Art Celebrates Artist Ayana Ross in Milestone Year

Robert S. Duncanson painted eight 9-foot-tall murals on the plaster foyer walls of what is today the Taft Museum of Art between 1850 and 1852. They were a commission for horticulturalist, art patron and early father of the Ohio wine industry Nicholas Longworth, who resided in the home at the time.

Today, the man behind the prized murals serves as the namesake for the Taft Museum of Art program that showcases works by an artist of color. Cincinnati-based visual artist Ayana Ross is the 2026 Robert S. Duncanson Artist-in-Residence. It is the 40th year for the program, which features a variety of programs across the region between April 11 and 26, and well as an exhibition of Ross’ work, “Beyond the Picturesque: The American Landscape as a Site of Memory, Identity and Continuity,” which runs from April 11 through July 26.

The Duncanson Artist-in-Residence program was established in 1986 to recognize artists of color who are connected to the area, and poet Nikki Giovanni was its first recipient. Ross, the 2026 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence, combines traditional oil painting with figurative realism, elevating the subjects of her work while evoking nostalgia through the patterns and decorative designs featured in her pieces.  

“Beyond the Picturesque: The American Landscape as a Site of Memory, Identity and Continuity” showcases how Ross’ work reflects the quiet strength and complexity of Black life in everyday moments that reflect deeper meanings and play on both intergenerational themes  and current events and cultural conversations. Seven paintings are on view in the Taft historic house. Six works are on display in the Sinton Gallery and one is installed in the Duncanson Foyer, alongside Robert S. Duncanson’s monumental suite of murals.

To learn more, visit taftmuseum.org/Duncanson.

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