The Sam Gilliam Visiting Artist Program, conceived of and presented by the Speed Art Museum, invites two contemporary artists each year to Louisville to foster fellowship and generate dialogue with Kentucky artists and community members. In addition to painters, sculptors, and photographers, this program recognizes writers, librarians, archivists, urban planners, community organizers, and agricultural scientists as creative practitioners necessary to the vitality of a local ecosystem. The Sam Gilliam Visiting Artists are invited to contribute a public presentation of their practice, educational workshops, studio visits, film screenings, and/or lectures, culminating in new approaches to public programming both at the Speed Art Museum and beyond. This program is made possible by the Sam Gilliam Foundation.

The Sam Gilliam Visiting Artist Program is led by Diallo Simon-Ponte, the inaugural Sam Gilliam Assistant Curator of Artist Programs. It is co-founded by Tyler Blackwell, Curator of Contemporary Art at Speed Art Museum.