Anyone who has had the opportunity to encounter one of the many Duncanson Artists-in-Residence over the years has been fortunate to witness firsthand the creativity, courage, and cultural depth that define each year’s Artist-in-Residence. Each year, the artist transforms the way we see ourselves and invites us to reimagine the narratives we carry.
Asha Ama Bias-Daniels, a Cincinnati native with roots reaching across the African diaspora, emerged as a formidable creative voice long before she was selected as the 2021 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence. A multidisciplinary fashion designer, costume creator, and storyteller, Bias-Daniels has dedicated her career to exploring identity, ancestry, and liberation through wearable art. Her designs have appeared in national publications, graced runways across the country, and captivated audiences who see a bold merging of contemporary vision with ancestral memory in her work.
After graduating from St. Ursula Academy, Bias-Daniels pursued a degree from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. This academic pairing shaped her creative lens, grounding her artistry in cultural preservation. Over the years, she has refined her practice into a signature aesthetic: lush, sculptural garments layered with symbolism, West African textures, and the emotional resonance of lived experience. Her work is a testament, a reclamation, and at times a healing ritual.
Throughout her residency, Bias-Daniels transformed gallery spaces and community rooms into living studios of dialogue. “The placements of Asha's garments in the Duncanson Foyer,” said Elise Solomon, Taft Museum of Art’s Director of Learning & Outreach, “created an interesting conversation between an incredibly contemporary design and the bucolic landscapes in the formal interior space. Seeing the works of Black Cincinnatians from different generations demonstrated the power of creativity and inspiration.”
Bias-Daniels's workshops drew students, emerging designers, and community members eager to explore how clothing can serve as cultural armor, storytelling vessel, and spiritual anchor. Participants stitched memory into fabric, explored the politics of Black adornment, and learned how fashion can become a language of autonomy.
Asha Ama Bias-Daniels represents the best of what contemporary Black artistry can be: fearless, historically rooted, community-centered, and insistently visionary. She reminds us that fashion is not superficial but a tool of power, and a space for liberation.
Bias-Daniels’s story is still unfolding, but her impact since her residency is already undeniable. Since her time with the Taft, Bias-Daniels has made her mark at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC), the Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM), and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, among other high-profile features such as BLINK and a collaboration with the Cincinnati Ballet.
In October 2025, during Cincinnati’s historic America’s River Roots Festival, spoken-word performances by Annie Ruth and Ajanaé Dawkins kicked off the 40th anniversary year of the Taft Museum of Art's Duncanson Program, which has now been expanded to year-round events and activities. Learn more about these artists and watch excerpts from their performances!
Rembrandt’s fascination with the marbled cone shell (Conus marmoreus) shines through in a delicate, accurate—almost brooding—portrayal via the black-and-white medium of etching. Taft Museum of Art Curator, Tamera Lenz Muente, delves into the symbolism and history of these shells and their unique connection to Rembrandt and the Taft collection.
When you read a museum label, you may notice the string of numbers that appears beneath an object’s title, date, maker and description. This string—called an accession number—uniquely identifies the object within a museum’s collection. Learn more about the purpose and function of these numbers from the Taft Museum of Art's Registrar & Collections Manager, Laura Stewart.