Bison at Basel, Year Four: Such Is the Time for Art
By Damenica Ellis
Last month, Howard University took up space during Miami Art Week, which features more than 20 fairs and 1,200 galleries. The Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts returned to Art Basel, a centerpiece of the week, with its fourth annual Bison at Basel program.
“We bring our students to engage in this multi-billion-dollar experience. We introduce them to the field they are preparing to enter,” said Denise Saunders-Thompson, Assistant Dean for Administration for the College. “And many of you know, Howard has some of the most talented and amazing individuals in the fine and performing arts.”
Robert Hudson, a second-year graduate painting student from North Carolina, said the program allowed students to be fully integrated into professional art spaces this year.
Hudson, who also traveled to Miami with the program in 2023, said this visit felt more immersive. Students attended panel discussions, exhibited work in Miami Beach, visited the Center for Black Innovation in Overtown, and explored Art Basel and the Scope Art Show.
“It’s really eye-opening,” Hudson said. “If you’re in certain rooms, you’re there for a reason. You deserve to be there.”
He added that seeing where his work could one day exist inspired him to push himself further.
Cathy Hughes, media mogul and founder of Radio One, for whom the Howard University School of Communications is named, emphasized the importance of exposure for aspiring artists.
“To show this type of support for our students at Howard is very critical right now, because Black folks are under attack and we must depend on each other,” Hughes said. “We must return to the days when we take responsibility for younger generations. So many of us have had great accomplishments, but we forget to give back to Howard. We forget to embrace students.”
Last year’s Bison at Basel theme, Such Is the Time for Art, spoke directly to the current cultural and political moment.
Alex Nurrae, who attended the opening-night reception, said now is a crucial time to uplift Black talent amid increasing political targeting.
“This is a time to show how we are different, how we’re valued, and how we’re important,” she said. “I’m so grateful that Howard chose this theme and wanted to capture it, so students know how valued and important they are to each other and to the culture.”
A Dream Come True
Tatum Sabin, a senior painting major from Orange, New Jersey, described the experience as surreal and deeply emotional.
“I feel like a sponge. I’m just absorbing everything,” she said.
Sabin said she has dreamed of becoming an artist since childhood, and Bison at Basel reaffirmed that path. While people often reference the idea of “starving artists,” she said they rarely talk about successful ones.
“This is a big dream of mine, to succeed in the arts,” she said.
Nyasia Ashford, a senior fashion design major from New Jersey, said she was grateful for the opportunity to showcase her work and found the experience creatively affirming.
“I think sometimes, when you’re in a creative space, it’s easy to feel imposter syndrome, like it’s not real or that it has to stay a side passion,” Ashford said. “Being here made it feel tangible.”
At Miami Art Week and Scope, Ashford said she noticed widespread enthusiasm for art, something she found energizing.
Sabin also enjoyed visiting the exhibitions, particularly Scope and the Alumni Art Exhibit. Speaking with gallery representatives and artists showed her that the profession she is working toward can be welcoming.
“When you walk into a room, no one knows who you are until you announce yourself,” she said. “There’s power in that. It’s pressure, but it’s also strength.”
Seeing work by Howard alumni gave Sabin something concrete to aspire toward. She recognized artists she had studied during her time at the University.
“I hope that one day someone walks into a space like that and says, ‘Oh, that’s Tatum’s work,’” she said. “That’s incredibly inspiring for me.”
The College of Fine Arts is positioning itself as a global landing place for Black arts across the African diaspora, according to Dean Raquel Monroe.
“If people are wondering where they should send their children, or where they should come to work as artists or scholars,” Monroe said, “they should know there shouldn’t be other options. It is the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts.”