Indigo Arts Alliance, a Portland-based nonprofit and arts incubator, has named three Maine-based artists as the 2026-27 recipients of the David C. Driskell Fellowship.
The recipients are Michael Kebede, a Maine-based banjo player originally from Ethiopia; Mia Muntu, a Portland choreographer and dancer; and Sascha Rose, a Haitian American musician and filmmaker.
The Portland nonprofit, led by Executive Director Jordia Benjamin, launched the fellowship in 2021 to address the longstanding barriers to professional opportunities and studio access for Maine artists of color. Named for late artist and art historian David C. Driskell, the program supports emerging and mid-career artists through workspace and career development opportunities.
“This fellowship continues to build upon the legacy that honors our Elder Advisor and dear friend, David C. Driskell,” said Jordia Benjamin. “It provides a sustainable pathway of supporting the professional practices of Black and Brown artists that call Maine their home.”
Driskell, who served as elder advisor to Indigo Arts Alliance from its founding in 2018 until 2020, helped shape the organization’s mentorship-focused residency model. Driskell, who died in 2020 and had been affiliated with the University of Maryland, had strong ties to Maine. He attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and had a house and studio in Falmouth.
About the artists
Each fellow receives rent-free access to a 500-square-foot studio at Indigo Arts Alliance’s Black Seed Studio in Portland’s West End for six months, along with a $700 stipend and mentorship from artists, curators and cultural workers.
The new cohort joins a network of more than 80 artists who have participated in the organization’s residency and fellowship programs.
- Michael Kebede began playing the banjo in 2020 after the Black Lives Matter uprisings, inspired by the instrument’s ties to transatlantic pathways. He specializes in the clawhammer tradition, a 19th-century style characterized by a rhythmic, down-picking motion where the strings are struck with the back of the fingernail and the thumb catches the drone string.
- Mia Muntu, originally from northern Virginia, trained at local dance studios and earned a degree in contemporary dance performance from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She received additional training at various institutions, including the Martha Graham School in New York and the Henny Juriëns Studio in Amsterdam. During her time in Portland, Muntu has shared work and performed at venues in Portland, including SPACE Gallery, Mechanics’ Hall, the Portland Museum of Art and the State Theater. She was awarded a grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts for a new solo creation set to debut in early 2026. In addition to her career as a performer and dance maker, she also has her own teaching practice and is committed to inspiring future generations of dancers.
- Sascha Rose is a first-generation Haitian-American musician and filmmaker. Her Haitian roots have long inspired her work, which centers on themes of colonial resistance, liberation, and connection to the divine through music and film. Her music practice explores the intersections of electronic production and Black Folk music traditions. She is developing “Sugar in the River,” a science fiction screenplay about two contemporary sisters who must fight in the Haitian Revolution to return to their own timeline.
About the organization
Indigo Arts Alliance, founded in 2018, aims to address historical injustices and advance equity for Black and Brown artists working across every discipline.
In 2025, Indigo Arts Alliance bought an 8,000-square-foot studio building at 60 Cove St. in Portland’s East Bayside neighborhood.
Benjamin succeeded the founding director, Marcia Minter, who transitioned into a strategic role within the organization. Minter was honored as a Mainebiz Woman to Watch in 2020.
