This fall, Belwin was proud to welcome two artists as part of our 2025 Artist in Residence program: ShaVunda Brown and Joe Davis. During their September residencies at Belwin’s Savanna Center, both artists created new work inspired by nature and reflection. The residencies were made possible through a partnership with the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery.
Founded in 2016, Belwin’s Artist in Residence program provides artists time and space to focus on their creative process surrounded by the prairies and oak savannas Belwin has worked to restore. Over the years, the program has hosted painters, poets, sculptors, and more.
About the Artists
ShaVunda Brown is an internationally recognized spoken word artist, hip-hop artist, actress, singer, organizer, and radio show host. She writes to empower and illuminate raw truths, drawing on African diasporic spirituality, history, and the southern folklore of her upbringing. Her voice has been featured in national and local campaigns addressing racial bias, the adultification of Black girls, and reproductive justice. She has appeared on PBS-TPT’s Art Is Black Light and has originated roles in productions at The History Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, and Arena Stage Theater. ShaVunda shares, “My time at Belwin was refreshing and rejuvenating to my artistic process and I’m so grateful for my time on the land.”
Joe Davis is an award-winning spoken word artist and bestselling author who uses poetry to power possibility. He is the founder and director of Finding Your Freedom Practice, an artist collective that teaches wellness through poetry, music, theater, and movement. Based in Minneapolis, Joe leads a multimedia production company, a soul-funk band, and a racial justice education program. His work has been featured on BET, MPR, CNN, VH1, and the Twin Cities CW. Learn more at JoeDavisPoetry.com.
Reflecting on his time at Belwin, Joe shared:
“Being at the Belwin Conservancy felt like teleporting to another world—far removed from the hustle and bustle of the Twin Cities. The space offered such clarity and stillness that it created a kind of mirror within me; as the outer landscape opened up, so did my inner one. That peace allowed me to create and write deeply into my fourth book, Body Poems: Spiritual Liberation for the Whole Self. I’ll be sure to credit Belwin in the acknowledgments for providing the gift of tranquility and creative spaciousness that shaped this work.”
