J. Ivy, Don C, Hebru Brantley, Kam Buckner, Tone Kapone and other Chicago changemakers will be honored as the Culture Ball celebrates five years while investing in the city’s next generation.
THE WORD
- The 5th Annual Chicago Culture Ball takes place Saturday, August 15, 2026, at the Obama Presidential Center’s Home Court, 6121 S. Stony Island Ave.
- The event celebrates leaders, creatives, entrepreneurs, artists, elected officials and changemakers helping shape Chicago culture.
- J. Ivy will receive the 2026 Chicago Music Legend Award.
- The 2026 class includes Don C, Hebru Brantley, J. Ivy, Rep. Kam Buckner, Kim Lewis, Tone Kapone, Dr. Suzet McKinney, Jason Mercer, Charles Kuykendoll, Dr. Wendy McDonald, Darrell Spencer, Rashaunna Scott, Kareem Edwards, Keanna Barber, Resa Luster-Mac, McKinley Nelson, Dr. Veronica Appleton, Rashan Rodgers, Keianna Barrett and Trez V. Pugh III.
- The evening is expected to include an awards ceremony, live performances, a chef-driven dining experience and premium cocktails.
- The Culture Ball is also introducing the 2026 Landon D.T. Commando Wallace Memorial Scholarship, honoring Wallace’s legacy while investing in Chicago’s next generation.
- Organizers say more than 3,000 people have attended the Chicago Culture Ball during its first four years.
CHICAGO — Five years. One city. One celebration of the people helping shape its culture.
The Chicago Culture Ball returns Saturday, August 15, for its fifth annual celebration, bringing together some of Chicago’s leading artists, entrepreneurs, executives, elected officials, community leaders and cultural figures at the Obama Presidential Center.
Presented by Eventnoire, the annual Culture Ball was created to celebrate cultural excellence and recognize individuals making an impact across Chicago and the broader African American experience. Organizers say more than 3,000 people have attended the event over its first four years.
For its milestone fifth year, the Culture Ball will combine recognition with an upscale cultural experience featuring an awards ceremony, live performances, chef-driven dining and premium cocktails as Chicago’s culture comes together under one roof.
J. IVY TO RECEIVE CHICAGO MUSIC LEGEND AWARD
Chicago’s own J. Ivy will receive one of the evening’s signature honors, the 2026 Chicago Music Legend Award.
The Grammy Award-winning poet, songwriter and author is being recognized as a cultural figure whose career has impacted the music industry, contributed to Chicago’s identity and inspired generations of artists and creatives.
He will be joined by a 2026 honoree class representing several different pieces of the city’s cultural ecosystem.
Fashion designer and Just Don founder Don C joins celebrated contemporary artist and visual storyteller Hebru Brantley among this year’s creative honorees.
Illinois State Representative and Speaker Pro Tempore Kam Buckner is also among those being recognized, alongside Kim Lewis, CEO of CurlMix; longtime Chicago radio personality Tone Kapone; and Dr. Suzet McKinney, President and CEO of the Chicago Loop Alliance.
The class also features Jason Mercer, principal of CAST US/Cleveland Avenue; Charles Kuykendoll, CEO of Charles Beloved Productions; physician, entrepreneur and author Dr. Wendy McDonald; Crowned Skin founder and CEO Darrell Spencer; realtor and entrepreneur Rashaunna Scott; Chick-fil-A South Loop owner and operator Kareem Edwards; WDB Marketing CEO Keanna Barber; and Luster Products CMO Resa Luster-Mac.
Additional honorees include Project sWish Chicago founder McKinley Nelson, advertising executive and DePaul University leader Dr. Veronica Appleton, award-winning Heavy Hitter DJ Rashan Rodgers, BLC Chicago President Keianna Barrett, and Sip & Savor President and Chairman Trez V. Pugh III.
Together, the group represents everything from music, visual art and fashion to entrepreneurship, politics, corporate leadership, community development, education and Chicago’s small-business ecosystem.
HONORING A LEGACY WHILE INVESTING IN WHAT’S NEXT
The fifth anniversary will also carry a larger community purpose with the introduction of the 2026 Landon D.T. Commando Wallace Memorial Scholarship.
Announced under the message “Honoring His Legacy. Investing in Chicago’s Next Generation.”, the scholarship adds another layer to the Culture Ball’s mission.
Rather than solely recognizing established leaders and changemakers, the initiative turns part of the focus toward the next generation of Chicagoans who will eventually carry the city’s culture, businesses and communities forward.
That connection between honoring those who have already made an impact and creating opportunities for those coming next gives this year’s fifth anniversary an added significance.
FIVE YEARS OF CELEBRATING CHICAGO CULTURE
The Chicago Culture Ball has grown into an annual gathering centered around Black excellence and the people contributing to Chicago’s cultural identity.
The event highlights leadership, hospitality, diversity, artistry, resilience and community while bringing figures from different industries into the same room.
Hosting the fifth anniversary at the Obama Presidential Center’s Home Court on Chicago’s South Side adds another element to that mission, putting some of the city’s changemakers inside a space built around leadership, civic engagement and community.
From J. Ivy and Don C to Hebru Brantley, Kam Buckner, Tone Kapone and the next generation supported through the Landon D.T. Commando Wallace Memorial Scholarship, this year’s Culture Ball is positioned as both a celebration of what Chicago has built and an investment in what comes next.
EVENT: 5th Annual Chicago Culture Ball
DATE: Saturday, August 15, 2026
LOCATION: Obama Presidential Center – Home Court, 6121 S. Stony Island Ave., Chicago, IL
MORE INFO: ChicagoCultureBall.com
