Coming Fall 2025

The Black Ball is a curated, inter-generational experience featuring the highest levels of African-American artistry, fashion, media arts, and futurism.  Social Art and Culture is honored to celebrate four recipients of The Black Ball Artivist Award. The Black Ball will celebrate and honor unapologetically Black artivism while seeing “infinite possibilities" for African Americans’ future. What best describes The Black Ball experience — a formal evening that celebrates the continued impact of the Black L.U.V. Festival's 25th anniversary. It bridges the connection between art, activism, 21st-century popular media, and Afrofuturism all in one night.

We all need to be heard. We all feel the need to be recognized for our individuality. Our garments have always filled an important space in our visual and material culture to achieve that. Therefore, fashion will be an important element of The Black Ball. Fashion is closely intertwined with personal identity and serves as a medium of expressing oneself. As individuals, we constantly feel the need to be understood by the world. What we wear and don't wear is how we portray ourselves and indicates how we want to be perceived by others. Fashion goes way beyond the physical act of dressing up aesthetically. Personal styles reflect a unique aspect of the self, which allows us to communicate our opinions, thoughts, and choices, making our voices heard. It is like an unspoken language. At times, what words cannot express, fashion can. To achieve the highest level of ourselves and see the infinite possibilities for our future, we must be willing to go beyond our comfort zone, beyond the traditional tuxedo and dress. We must begin to redefine ourselves and redefine what is formal. We invite all our guests to be creative, bold, and transformative under the big tent of African couture and adornment.