Estimated reading time: 2 min read
Most people think breaking into the art world is about talent. It isn't — and that's exactly the kind of conversation we needed to have.
Najee Dorsey, founder of Black Art In America, joined us at Riverside EpiCenter in Mableton for an EPIC Talks conversation on navigating the art industry. What he brought wasn't a polished keynote. It was hard-earned perspective on rejection, resilience, cultural preservation, and what it actually takes to build something that lasts.
The room felt it.
That's the point of EPIC Talks. Not networking. Not event programming. Real conversations — about faith, culture, business, and creativity — that give our Atlanta community something to take home and actually use. When we can put people in the same room as someone like Najee, who has spent years building one of the nation's leading platforms for Black visual artists, we think that matters. Especially here, in Mableton, where those kinds of access points haven't always existed.
The themes he touched on — passion over talent, resilience through rejection, using your platform to lift others, building real value for artists and collectors alike — aren't abstract. They're directly applicable to anyone in this community who is creating something, building something, or trying to figure out how to sustain it.
We're going to keep creating space for these conversations. That's the commitment.
If you missed it, the full conversation is on our YouTube channel. And through March, original works by Najee Dorsey are on display here at Riverside EpiCenter — free and open to the public. Come see the work in person.
Follow Black Art In America on Instagram: @blackartinamerica_
