The Enchanting Plateau Art Exhibition has officially opened preparations for its 2026 edition, inviting artists and creatives to use their works to celebrate Plateau State’s 50-year journey while imagining what the state could become over the next five decades.
The 2026 edition, themed “100: 50 Strong, 50 Forward,” was unveiled on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, during a press conference held in Rayfield, Jos.
The exhibition is expected to celebrate Plateau’s culture, creativity and heritage while encouraging artists to reflect on the state’s past, present realities and aspirations for the future.
Convener of Enchanting Plateau, David Thomas, said the initiative was established to tell Plateau’s story through creative expression while creating opportunities for artists and other creatives to gain visibility, build sustainable careers and connect with wider opportunities.
Thomas described Enchanting Plateau as a flagship initiative of the Aweytu Creative Centre, established to empower creatives and showcase Plateau’s artistic and cultural identity beyond its popular landscapes and tourism attractions.
Since its launch in 2024, the exhibition has continued to grow as a platform for creative expression, attracting more than 2,500 attendees, featuring over 100 exhibiting artists and showcasing more than 350 artworks across different categories.
The initiative has also created opportunities for young people through art competitions for secondary school students, masterclasses and other capacity-building programmes aimed at nurturing emerging creative talents.
Thomas said the growth of the exhibition demonstrated the potential of Plateau’s creative sector to contribute to cultural preservation, tourism, employment and economic development.
For the 2026 edition, participating artists are expected to explore themes around leadership and governance, agriculture, mining, culture and heritage, tourism, youth innovation, peace, identity, creativity and community development.
Artists can express their interpretations through paintings, sculptures, photography, illustrations, digital art, textiles, installations and other creative forms.
According to the organisers, the exhibition will go beyond entertainment by using art as a tool for documentation, advocacy, dialogue, transformation and economic empowerment.
The organisers have consequently posed a central question for this year’s exhibition: “What story will we tell when Plateau State turns 100?”
The programme is expected to feature curated art displays, competitions, performances, masterclasses, seminars, workshops, panel discussions and community engagement activities.
Visitors will also have opportunities to experience local crafts and cuisine as part of efforts to create an immersive celebration of Plateau’s cultural identity.
The initiative is expected to collaborate with Tin City Fashion Week and Experience Plateau, while also receiving government support and exploring additional partnerships and sponsorship opportunities.
Creative Director of Enchanting Plateau, Jerry Jallo, said the initiative was deliberately designed to accommodate creatives from different disciplines rather than limit participation to visual artists.
Jallo said the exhibition comprises three major components: the main visual art exhibition; seminars, workshops and masterclasses; and evening performance art exhibitions.
He explained that the evening performances are curated to provide artists and audiences with a unique and intimate experience through acoustic presentations and direct interaction between performers and attendees.
Jallo also reflected on the previous edition, themed “One,” which explored unity and the different elements connecting people across Plateau State.
According to him, the previous edition brought together visual artists, musicians, poets and writers, with participation from organisations including the Association of Nigerian Authors and the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria.
He described Enchanting Plateau as an umbrella platform for diverse forms of creative expression, noting that one of its distinctive features is that the exhibition itself is designed as an artwork.
For the 2026 edition, Jallo said the “100: 50 Strong, 50 Forward,” theme would influence every aspect of the exhibition, with the creative direction focused on presenting a vision of Plateau State’s future.
Call for Entries
The official call for entries for Enchanting Plateau 2026 will open at midnight on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, and close on October 25, 2026.
Interested artists and creatives are expected to submit their works through the official Enchanting Plateau website.
The exhibition is scheduled to take place in November 2026, with the exact dates to be announced by the organisers.
The call is open to painters, sculptors, photographers, illustrators, digital artists, textile artists, installation artists and creatives working across other artistic disciplines.
The organisers encouraged creatives to use the platform to tell compelling stories about Plateau State and contribute to conversations about its future.
With its focus on Plateau’s 50-year journey and aspirations for the next 50 years, Enchanting Plateau 2026 is expected to bring together art, culture, heritage, innovation and performance in a celebration of the state’s creative potential.
The “100: 50 Strong, 50 Forward” theme ultimately challenges artists to look beyond the present and imagine the Plateau State they want future generations to inherit.
