2025 Art Competition Winners

Miela Foster is a Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist whose visual poetics draw on metaphor, rhythm, and layered abstraction to give form to emotion, memory, and spirit. Her work has been featured in Canvas Rebel, SF Bayview Newspaper, KQED, and exhibited across California including at Root Division Gallery and a recent solo show at NeueHouse Hollywood.

Deserai Davis is a native of Inglewood and South LA. Her work explores identity, emotion, spirituality, and environmental awareness. She is currently expanding into collage and repurposing wine corks into functional art.

Debbie Pinker is an author and illustrator born in South Central LA. A winner of the 2014 NAACP African American History Art Contest, Debbie’s work has been featured in the African American History Museum, further affirming her powerful voice in contemporary Black art.

About the Jurors

  • Dominique Clayton is an arts writer, consultant, advisor, and the founder and director of Dominique Gallery, a pop-up exhibition and online program which showcases and advises emerging artists of color and women. Because of her multi-hyphenate experience, she’s an expert people connector and idea generator and loves seeing projects through to the finish line. She’s currently focused on the intersection of visual art and other industries and developing varying points of access and opportunities for artists and patrons of the arts. Visit her gallery at https://www.dominiquegallery.com/

  • Heather E. Heslup is the Director of Public Art Programs for Destination Crenshaw, bringing over 18 years of experience in public art and community arts education. A passionate advocate for equity and justice in the arts, she previously led arts programs statewide as Senior Program and Partnerships Manager for Turnaround Arts: California. As the founder of Pure Art Solutions, she has supported institutions like the LA County Department of Arts & Culture and CalArts. Originally from Chicago, Heather is proud to call LA home. She holds degrees from Howard University (B.A.) and Columbia College Chicago (M.A.). Stay up to date with Destination Crenshaw at https://destinationcrenshaw.la

  • Imad Obegi, winner of the 2024 Leimert Park Jazz Festival Art Competition, is a versatile artist specializing in encaustic painting, oils, pastels, watercolor, and photography. A former biochemist of 35 years, he blends scientific precision with creative expression, capturing nature and human emotion with meticulous detail. Now pursuing art full-time, he creates work that resonates across diverse audiences. Explore his art at https://www.obgillustrator.com/

  • Terrell Tillford is an award-winning actor known for his dynamic roles on stage and screen, including August Wilson’s Two Trains Running and STAR WARS – Tales of the Jedi on Disney+. A dedicated art collector and social justice advocate, he has owned two galleries over 25+ years and is the Founder & Creative Director of Band of Vices, a leading Black-owned art gallery. An M.F.A. graduate of Rutgers and UC Berkeley, he has curated collections for top Hollywood artists and serves as Curator for In The Paint, an initiative with the Los Angeles Lakers. Visit his gallery at https://www.bandofvices.com/