2025 Black History Month Art Contest Judges

Thank you to our AMAZING judges, Tisean M. Bell, rEN Dillard, and Michelle Boyd, for lending their incredibly artistic eyes to this year’s Black History Month Art Contest!

Tisean M. Bell

Tisean M. Bell is a graphic designer, curator, and the creative force behind Dreams Alley, a conceptual graphic design studio. Passionate about art, culture, and storytelling, Tisean has showcased work in galleries nationwide, using design as a tool for self-exploration and community engagement. With a Bachelor’s in Graphic Communications Technology and a Master’s in Graphic Communications Technology Management, Tisean’s career spans roles as Creative Director at Crenius, a Richmond-based arts collective, where Tisean co-curated an exhibit at Art Basel 2017.

Currently a Graphic Design Specialist at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Tisean previously helped rebrand the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System. Splitting time between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Tisean finds joy in travel, photography, museum-hopping, digging through record bins all over the world, and playing the guitar and piano.

rEN Dillard

rEN Dillard is a multidisciplinary creative who uses curation, oil paint, precious metal, spoken word, and collage to convey rich, often complex philosophical ideas through his work. An affirmed contemporary black artisan, Dillard critically examines the western canon, the works of old masters, the traditional notions of authorship and mastery. Questioning the systematic erasure of black bodies and black identity in his work, he translates glimpses of the mundane and transient moments of life with profound empathy and insight. Dillard depicts dense, textured scenes inspired from his personal life, but he is also intensely interested in creating a new narrative about the future. The famous western philosopher Joseph Campbell once said “Myth must be kept alive. The people who can keep it alive are the artists of one kind or another.” rEN pulls these mythological levers masterfully with vibrant colors and interesting, layered compositions that deal with ideas about the future through a black cultural lens. Crediting a life of challenging experiences as setting him on the path to realizing his potential, rEN Dillard has emerged as one of the most revered visual artists to come out of Savannah Georgia.

Michelle Boyd

Michelle Boyd was born on December 6, 1959, in Detroit, Michigan, and resides in Stone Mountain, Georgia. A graduate of the University of Michigan with studies in Introduction to Art, Values and Light, Acrylic Painting, and Color Theory, she focuses on acrylic paintings that reflect African American cultural experiences. Influenced by artists such as Annie Lee, Jacob Lawrence, Beverly King, Picasso, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Michelle has showcased her work at events, including the River Front Art Festival in Detroit, the Pine Lake Art Festival in Georgia, and the Suwanee Art Festival. Her art aspires to inspire positive emotions, spark thoughtful reflection, and shift perspectives.