Championship Belt

Championship Belt is back for round three, highlighting wrestling heroes and heels, the highs and lows of fandom, and the camaraderie forged in the ring, on the court, and in the studio. 

Expect to see Luis Estrada’s ceramic sculptures of wrestlers, as well as drawings that incorporate text notations and signature motifs into multilayered compositions that have affinities with street art. 

Also on view is Deatra Colbert’s resplendent painting The Wrestling Match, and her drawings featuring renditions of her beloved Smackdown and WWE heroes like Randy Orton and Santana & Ortiz.

Dorian Reid debuts a new series of paintings that blends her passions for animal rights and social justice into depictions of teams of black cats going for gold at the Special Olympics. 

Ann Meade’s homages to the late, great Oakland A’s—who she watched faithfully from 1982 to 2024—are on display, including a limited edition print made in collaboration with Night Diver Press.

Also in the mix is Jason Powell-Smith’s ongoing VS series—featured in the book Jason Powell-Smith’s Bay Area (Sming Sming Press, 2023)—where athletes, cartoon characters, foods, sayings, even personal preferences face off. 

In addition to work by artists from NIAD’s studio, Championship Belt includes heavy-hitting artists from the Bay area as well as all-stars from fellow progressive art studios: Carlo Daleo, Byron Smith, and Michael Pellew of LAND Gallery (Brooklyn, NY); and Montrel Beverly of SAGE Studio (Austin, TX). 

Opening Reception + Community Celebration

Win Win 13

Wrestling Promos! Raffle! Performances! Food + drinks! Artmaking activities! Studio Sale!

Saturday June 7

1 to 4pm

NIAD Art Center