Sankofa Open Call
Sankofa
A ten-month curatorial incubator for five emerging Black artists in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Applications open June 11, 2026. Five artists will be selected. Artists will create works over this period under the supervision of , a critically-framed exhibition, and a published essay on your practice.
APPLY NOW Deadline June 11, 2026
What are you retrieving, returning to, or reactivating in your practice — and why does it matter now?
TABB invites applications from Black artists living in Newfoundland and Labrador for the inaugural cohort of Sankofa, a slow paced ten-month curatorial incubator designed to give emerging Black artists sustained mentorship in the exploration of the program’s question.
This program is the first investigation of the Symbolism curatorial dialogue, built for artists ready to think alongside a curator about their practice, culminating in a critically-framed group exhibition and a commissioned publication of critical writing.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Symbolism is a curatorial project which involves a deep meditation on the meaning of different precolonial symbols used across Africa. There are a myriad of symbols in Africa that hold different, rich meanings. Meanings that speak to the position, mentality and beliefs of indigenous African peoples. Symbolism highlights the need to reflect on these meanings and the histories they hold.
The first symbol of note is ‘Sankofa’. Sankofa is the Akan adinkra symbol for retrieving what has been lost or forgotten. This is the critical prompt that shapes this year’s cohort. It is an open question to all Black artists working in NL today. It is an invitation for the artist of any discipline to explore their varied identities and personal histories by positioning themselves in relation to what it asks: what histories, materials, questions, or ways of knowing are you returning to in your work right now, and what does that retrieval do?
The program is situated in a Black diasporic context in Canada and we invite artists currently based in Newfoundland and Labrador who identify as Black, African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, African Nova Scotian, or part of the global African diaspora whether you are first or second generation or have roots going back generations in Canada
PRIMARY MENTOR/CURATOR
BUSHRA JUNAID
Bushra Junaid (she/her) is a visual artist, author, and curator working between Toronto and Newfoundland and Labrador. Born in Montreal to Jamaican and Nigerian parents and raised in St. John’s, her work explores history, cultural memory, and placemaking, with a focus on the Black diasporic histories of Atlantic Canada. Through archival research and storytelling, she brings overlooked histories and narratives into view.
Junaid has exhibited nationally and in the United States and has curated landmark exhibitions centered on Black and Caribbean diasporic experience. In 2020, she curated What Carries Us: Newfoundland and Labrador in the Black Atlantic at The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery in St. John’s. The exhibition traced the province’s historical, economic, and cultural ties to Africa and the Caribbean through the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its afterlives, bringing together contemporary artworks and rare historical materials.
During her research, she uncovered the story of a 19th-century Black sailor buried on the Labrador coast, whose remains had been held in The Rooms’ collection since the late 1980s. This discovery led her to write and illustrate The Possible Lives of W.H., Sailor (2022), a poetic, research-based children’s book that reimagines the life of this unknown figure and has sparked renewed scientific investigation into and scholarly engagement with this little-known chapter of Canadian history.
Through her cultural and community-engaged practice, Junaid continues to advance equity, representation, and dialogue within the Canadian visual arts sector.
WHAT THE COHORT RECEIVES
- Mentorship from curator Bushra Junaid from conceptualization to production.
- A critical essay about artistic practice.
- Inclusion in a group exhibition curated by Bushra Junaid.
- Inclusion in a critical publication
- Professional documentation of your process and finished work.
- An artist fee of $2500
Who this is for
We are looking for five emerging Black artists who are:
- Currently living in Newfoundland and Labrador.
- Working in any discipline [painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, installation, performance, sound, text, craft, interdisciplinary practice, or work that resists existing categories.]
- At a point in their practice where sustained curatorial dialogue would meaningfully shape what comes next.
- Interested in thinking critically about the Sankofa prompt, whether or not the concept is already central to their work.
What to submit
Applications are short on purpose. We want to read your work and hear how you think — not test your grant-writing skills.
- A short bio Up to 200 words. (Where you are, what you make, what shaped you)
- A CV or résumé (A list of exhibitions, projects, publications, or relevant work. If you don't have a formal CV, just write down what you've done so far)
- Five work samples Images (JPG or PNG), video (up to 3 minutes per sample, via Vimeo or YouTube link), audio, or PDFs. - Include a short caption for each: title, year, medium, and dimensions or duration.
- A 300-word statement on the Sankofa prompt What are you retrieving, returning to, or reactivating in your practice? Why does it matter now? You do not need to arrive with a fully-formed project — we are interested in how you think.
Key Dates
- Applications open: June 11, 2026.
- Information sessions: June 21st & June 25th, 2026.
- Application deadline: July 10, 2026. 11:59pm.
- Cohort announced: August 14, 2026
- Program begins: [September]
- Exhibition and publication launch: [Spring 2027]
How selection works
Information sessions
We are holding two online information sessions in the lead-up to the deadline. Come to ask questions, hear more about the program, and meet the team. Here is a link to Register.
Session 1: June 21st, 2026
Session 2: June 25th, 2026
Questions and support
Email us at info@tabb.ca. We will reply within two business days.
If any part of this process is a barrier; the application format, the deadline, the language, anything, tell us. We would rather hear from you than lose the application. We are committed to making this program accessible to artists who aren’t used to responding to calls like this one.
About TABB
The Art of Being Black (TABB) is a Newfoundland-based Multi-disciplinary arts organization building curatorial infrastructure for Black artists to support and encourage a rich black arts and cultural dialogue within the province and Canada as whole. Sankofa is our inaugural curatorial program.
TABB is dedicated to creating a safe and collaborative space that fosters creativity, connection, and education for Black artists in Newfoundland and Labrador, a province in critical need of dedicated spaces that celebrate and uplift Black culture. Our mission is to unite experienced and emerging artists in multidisciplinary projects that highlight and showcase Black identity, providing the much-needed sense of belonging in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, Black people are viewed as transitory and therefore not belonging. The core goals of TABB are to assert Black presence in Newfoundland and Labrador. TABB facilitates a diverse variety of artistic initiatives, offering a platform for Black voices to share their stories, experiences, and perspectives. By centering Blackness in the arts, we create opportunities for impactful dialogue and reflection on the depth and richness of Black heritage, enhancing the vibrancy of the local cultural landscape.