Mickalene Thomas Named HELP USA’s 2026 Art of Resilience Artist

Internationally Acclaimed Artist to Create Permanent Mural for New Families-with-Children Shelter in the Bronx. Collaboration to Launch at Art of Resilience Benefit on March 6, 2026

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HELP USA today announced that internationally acclaimed contemporary artist Mickalene Thomas has been named 2026 Art of Resilience Artist. Thomas will create a permanent, site-specific mural for a newly built families-with-children transitional shelter in the Highbridge section of the Bronx, marking a significant collaboration between the artist and the national housing and homeless services provider.

Art of Resilience, launched in 2022, is HELP USA’s trauma-informed art and music therapy program, operating in shelters and supportive housing across New York City. Led by certified therapists embedded within HELP USA’s clinical case management teams, the program supports individuals and families experiencing homelessness as they process trauma, build coping skills, and gain guidance on their path to recovery. Each year, the program is amplified through a high-profile artist commission and benefit that raises awareness and funding for this work.

Thomas’s mural will span approximately 160 square feet and will be permanently installed in the lobby of the new Bronx shelter, a 194-unit facility developed by Court Square and Hudson Meridian and designed by Curtis + Ginsburg. Serving as the first point of arrival, the work will reflect themes central to Thomas’s practice, including empowerment, visibility, and self-validation, values aligned with HELP USA’s mission to support families during moments of transition and recovery.

“Having an artist of Mickalene Thomas’s caliber engage with this work helps shine a light on the reality of homelessness and affirms that the people we serve deserve to be seen, treated with dignity, and surrounded by the same quality and care we expect in any place we call home,” said Dan Lehman, President and CEO of HELP USA.

Thomas joins a distinguished group of Art of Resilience artists, including Derrick Adams (2023), Baseera Khan (2024), and Shantell Martin (2025), each of whom created permanent works for HELP USA sites in Brooklyn; and emerging artist Madjeen Isaac (2025), whose oil-on-canvas work was acquired to grace the entryway of a new supportive housing site in Brooklyn.

As part of the Art of Resilience initiative, each artist produces a limited-edition print series based on their original design. These works are available for purchase exclusively through HELP USA, with 100 percent of proceeds supporting art and music therapy programs in NYC.

Art of Resilience Benefit
The collaboration with Mickalene Thomas will launch at the Art of Resilience Benefit on March 6, 2026, at the National Arts Club in New York City. The benefit brings together artists, patrons, and supporters to celebrate creativity as a tool for resilience and recovery. The event is co-chaired by Addavail Coslett, Atenedoro Gonzalez, Alexis Rose, Christina Senia, and Eden Williams.

Tickets begin at $350, with sponsorship opportunities ranging from $1,200 to $25,000. One hundred percent of proceeds support HELP USA’s art and music therapy programs.
Learn more: https://www.helpusa.org/event/aor-2026/

About HELP USA
HELP USA is marking 40 years as a national leader in the effort to end homelessness. Founded in 1986 through an innovative public-private partnership, the organization delivers homelessness prevention, shelter, supportive services, and affordable housing nationwide. HELP USA operates more than 70 sites and serves over 30,000 individuals and families each year, helping people stabilize and move toward long-term housing and security.
Learn more at www.helpusa.org.

About Mickalene Thomas
Mickalene Thomas is an internationally acclaimed contemporary artist whose work explores identity, power, beauty, and representation. Working across painting, collage, photography, video, and installation, Thomas is known for her bold visual language and richly layered compositions that center self-definition and empowerment. Her work is held in major museum collections worldwide and has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions and retrospectives at leading cultural institutions. Through her practice, Thomas challenges dominant narratives while affirming the visibility and humanity of communities historically excluded from the art canon.
Learn more at www.mickalenethomas.com.