Celebrating 40 Years of the Duncanson Artist-in-Residence

In 2026, the transformative Duncanson Program celebrates its 40th anniversary as a platform for artists and a thriving space for dialogue, creativity, and community engagement. The program is a model of how museums can commit to sustained investment in a multitude of creative expressions through core programming. In a time when arts institutions are reckoning with their histories and responsibilities, the Duncanson Program, and the annual residency offer a blueprint for how sustained investment in artists of color can transform not only museums but communities. 

Honoring a Namesake Forgotten No Longer

Robert S. Duncanson, the 19th-century Black American painter for whom the program is named, was once regarded as one of the foremost landscape artists of his time—Black or white. A free man of color working during an era when Black artistic talent was too often ignored or suppressed, Duncanson combined his observations of the natural world with elements drawn from earlier landscapists, producing imagined scenes of beauty and sublimity.

Yet, for decades after his death in 1872, Duncanson‘s legacy remained relatively obscure. In 1986, a coalition of Cincinnati community leaders, artists, and museum professionals insisted his name be celebrated, creating a two-week-long Duncanson Artist-in-Residence. Grounded in the belief that the preservation of cultural heritage is incomplete without the voices of today’s creators and year-round investment, the residency was expanded into the Duncanson Program in 2023. The programming, along with Duncanson’s murals, is foundational to the museum’s identity and a prominent commitment to national cultural heritage. 

Forty Years, Forty Stories

Since its inception, the Duncanson Artist-in-Residence has hosted an array of artists across disciplines—painters, poets, filmmakers, dancers, playwrights, musicians, photographers, and so many more, each bringing their own voice to Duncanson’s enduring mark. 

Over the last four decades, residents have visited schools, collaborated with neighborhood organizations, and sparked conversations on art and identity. They have filled the Taft with music, movement, color, and purpose. This anniversary is more than a celebration; it is a call to continue this momentum.

We extend our deepest gratitude to the Duncanson Society, who have shaped this journey. This program is the result of their collective care and shared conviction alongside many community partners, educators, and funders. 

Welcoming Ayana Ross

A Painter of Power and Presence

We are proud to welcome painter Ayana Ross as the 2026 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence. Ross’s work interrogates themes of identity, memory, and generational legacy, making her an ideal choice to honor this milestone year. 

Known for her emotionally resonant portraiture and narrative-driven compositions, Ross captures the quiet strength and complexity of Black life. Her paintings often center Black women and children in everyday moments, granting them the dignity and depth they have long been denied in the art historical canon. Her approach, much like Robert Duncanson’s, is one that merges technical mastery with profound storytelling.

Ross’s paintings will be on display in the Sinton Gallery and Duncanson Foyer in Beyond the Picturesque, April 11– July 26, 2026.

Exhibition Sneak Peek

The 40th anniversary of the Duncanson Program sets the stage for another landmark event: a major exhibition with accompanying catalog devoted to the work of Robert S. Duncanson, organized by the Taft in collaboration with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia. Opening at the Taft in October 2027, this will be the first exhibition of the landscape painter’s work in over thirty years and will present new research, offering fresh insights into Duncanson’s life, work, and legacy from a new generation of scholars, including Taft curators.

Donor Spotlight 

The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation 

The expansion of the residency to a year-round initiative was made possible by the generosity of supporters like the Haile Foundation. This family foundation is committed to enhancing the quality of life for residents of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky by investing in the arts, education, and community vitality. “This program reflects so many of our core values,” says Cal Cullen, Program Manager of the Haile Foundation. “It is inclusive and deeply rooted in the community. The Duncanson Program celebrates both artistic excellence and cultural relevance and is exactly the kind of impact Carol Ann and Ralph hoped to support through their foundation.”