NEW EXHIBIT OPENS NOVEMBER 4

October 21, 2026 | SARASOTA, Fla. — Black Joy is coming to Sarasota to celebrate the creativity, culture, and joy woven throughout the city’s African American community.

The Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition (SAACC) will present Black Joy, a juried group exhibition on view November 4, 2026, through March 31, 2027, at the historic Leonard Reid House in Newtown.

Curated by Sarasota artist and photographer Clifford McDonald, founder of Art 4 Change Inc., the exhibition will explore joy across Black life through art, identity, faith, rest, pride, and self-expression. Art 4 Change is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating change through art, information, advocacy, and service.

The celebration extends beyond the gallery with Black JoyFest Expo ’26, presented in partnership with Greatness Beyond Measure. The family-friendly community event will bring the exhibition’s spirit to life through curated artist talks, youth performances, business incubator activities, food, and interactive experiences for all ages.

“I grew up in Sarasota knowing there were stories all around us that deserved to be heard,” said Vicki Oldham, founding CEO of SAACC and Newtown Alive. “This work is my way of listening to the people who carried those stories and making sure their voices endure,” she said. “When young people walk through these rooms and see what our artists have made, I want them to feel that this history belongs to them, and that they have a hand in what comes next.”