About JAF . The Nellie Mae Rowe Award

2025

Hasani Sahlehe with Cathi Perry, JAF Board President, Judith Alexander Augustine, JAF Director, and Mario Petrirena, artist and JAF board member.

Hasani Sahlehe received the Nellie Mae Rowe Award at ADAMA’s Flowers & Seeds Gala on February 21, 2025. Selected by a committee of representatives from ADAMA and the Judith Alexander Foundation, Sahlehe was named the “Seed” recipient and awarded a $25,000 prize by the Foundation.

In a remarkable coincidence, the committee only learned during his acceptance that Sahlehe already had a connection to Nellie Mae Rowe’s work. As a teaching artist at the High Museum of Art, he had encountered her art through the museum’s curriculum and was struck by how deeply it resonated with those who experienced it. He admired Rowe’s commitment to pushing herself to be the best artist she could be—an inspiration that continues to shape his own journey.

In his remarks, Sahlehe expressed gratitude for the award, saying it means “more time in the studio, improving and becoming a better artist.”

That vision is precisely why the Judith Alexander Foundation gives this award.

Hasani Sahlehe grew up in a four-generation home in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, raised by his grandmother and surrounded by a family of musicians, educators, artists, and cultural historians. Their influence helped shape his deep appreciation for art and its role in preserving history and identity.

A 2015 graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, Sahlehe’s practice is described by Atlanta Contemporary as being “keenly centered on color and exploring the possibilities of the body of paint, seeking to engage the spiritual through the material.” His paintings serve as vessels of human memory, emotion, and presence, drawing from a wide range of influences, including color field painting, neo-expressionism, ancient and Indigenous architecture and writing, and the improvisational nature of hip-hop..

The Flower Award was presented to sculptor Curtis Patterson.

Candidates were nominated by a distinguished panel of artists and arts professionals. A selection committee, representing ADAMA and JAF, conducted studio visits with finalists Yanique Norman, Ato Ribeiro, and Samuel Dunson before selecting the award recipient.

Both artists are showing their work at ADAMA through April 5, 2025.

Great-grand niece of Nellie Mae Rowe and JAF Board member Cheryl Mashack with Seed awardee Kelly Taylor Mitchell.

The inaugural Nellie Mae Rowe Award, made possible by The Judith Alexander Foundation, honored two Georgia-based artists: the "Flower," an under-recognized established visual artist, and the "Seed," an early- to-mid-career visual artist showing significant promise.

The award was presented in February 2024 at the African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta (ADAMA)’s Flowers & Seeds Gala, held at Pittsburgh Yards in Atlanta.

Dr. Arturo Lindsey, the "Flower," and Kelly Taylor Mitchell, the "Seed," shared a $50,000 award.

In addition to the monetary award, the artists were featured in "Through Lines," an exhibition at the ADAMA Art Gallery, showcasing their work.

Candidates were nominated by a distinguished group of artists and arts professionals. A selection committee, comprised of board members from ADAMA and JAF, visited the studios of finalists including Hasani Sahlehe, Grace Kisa, Maryam Moma, and the ultimate winner, Kelly Taylor Mitchell.

The judges commended the artists for their exceptional and impressive work, noting that the decision was extremely challenging.