The Museum of Nail Art Is Not About Nails. It’s About Power.

I was sitting across from Courtney Grace Richardson when she said it so casually it almost slipped past me.

“There’s a long history of radical Black beauty in nail art,” she said. “And most people don’t even know it.”

I paused…Radical Black beauty….

That phrase alone could be an exhibition tbh, like this image below.

Source : www.museumofnailart.com

Courtney Grace— award-winning creative director, founder of Mona, the Museum of Nail Art, and Creative Director of Do It For The Brand — has worked with global names like Nike and Paper Magazine. She knows branding. She knows culture. She knows what sells.

But MoNA? Mona is different. MoNA is personal. MoNA operates at the intersection of Black beauty, culture and power: examining how nail art has long functioned as a form of influence, identity and self-expression. 

The MoNA – A Museum… for Nails?

Yes. A museum.

But not the quiet, sterile, marble-floor kind.

MoNA — short for Museum of Nail Art —traveling cultural institution dedicated to curating, preserving and advancing radical Black Beauty through nail art. Not trends. Not aesthetics for Pinterest boards (nothing wrong with that though), but history, identity, ritual.

“We exist to tell the untold stories of Black history and Black beauty,” Courtney tells me.

And when she said …

“I am building things that will outlive me: Culture. Institutions. Possibility. And every day I step outside, I move the world a little closer to the future I see.”

It was clear that she meant every word.

Let’s Go Back to Ancient Egypt

Courtney brings up Queen Nefertiti. Not in a “fun fact” way, but in a reclaiming way. She tells me Nefertiti was known for wearing a bold, fire-engine red manicure — reportedly made from the blood of her enemies.

Now, whether symbolic or literal, the imagery is wild. Because suddenly nails aren’t “cute.”

They’re dominance, power and presence.

“That’s badass,” Courtney laughs.

And she’s right.

We’ve been conditioned to see nail art as frivolous. Decorative. Extra. But what if it’s always been about agency? Which makes me think, perhaps…

The Nail Salon Is a Sacred Space

Courtney makes a comparison that instantly lands this idea.

The barbershop. The hair salon. they both signify spaces in Black communities that double as therapy rooms. Debate halls. Safe havens.

She positions the nail salon within the same lineage—as a cultural space where Black identity is shaped, community is built and creativity becomes ritual. And honestly? She’s right. Think about it.

Being six years old, sitting next to your mom in the salon chair. Only allowed to wear clear polish. Then glitter. Then color. Then acrylics. Then prom nails with your cousins.

These are rites of passage. Even if we don’t call them that, they are.

For Courtney, even after nearly two decades in corporate America, going to the nail salon every two to three weeks isn’t optional. It’s grounding.

Honestly, corporate spaces can be conservative. Even as a creative director, bold nails spark conversation. Sometimes discomfort. And maybe that’s the point.

In rooms where not many people look like you, maintaining rituals rooted in your culture becomes a quiet act of resistance.

Mona’s First Pop-Up: SoHo, New York

Instead of launching a traditional brick-and-mortar museum, MoNA moves and  structures its cultural programming as a series of thematic exhibitions that reinterpret influential figures, moments and movements in Black life through nail design as fine art: curated by the cultural perspective and lived experience of its Founder, Courtney-Grace. MoNA builds culture city by city and the first major pop-up happened in SoHo.

The exhibition was titled: Nailed It: The New It Girl.

It hosted five women and five legacies.

Mariah Carey.
Missy Elliott.
Lil’ Kim.
Mary J. Blige.
Aaliyah.

Through curated nail designs, Mona translated their cultural impact into wearable art. Not fan art. Not imitation. Interpretation.

Missy’s futurism.
Kim’s unapologetic femininity.
Mary’s strength.
Mariah’s glam.
Aaliyah’s effortless cool.

Basically curating nails as a compelling narrative.

A Small Story That Explains Everything

But the moment that really stayed with me wasn’t about a celebrity. It was about a nurse.

Courtney was at a nail salon when she noticed a woman walk in looking… deflated.

You know that energy. Something’s sitting heavy.

Courtney introduced herself. Asked gently if everything was okay. The woman explained she was a nurse and had strict rules about how she could wear her nails. She felt limited. Constrained. In other words, creatively muted.

Courtney smiled and told her:

“Be a rebel with a cause.”

So, the nurse chose a subtle French manicure. Clean. Professional. But with a delicate white line that still felt intentional.

And when she stood up to leave, something had shifted.

Her posture changed. Her energy lifted. Her confidence returned.

Same job. Same rules. Different choice.

That’s what Mona is about.

It’s not about extravagance. It’s about agency.

Staying Rooted in a Commercial World

As the conversation blossomed I asked Courtney how Mona avoids becoming just another aesthetic brand chasing profit.

She didn’t hesitate.

“Intention.”

Mona is deliberate about who they collaborate with. Who they align with. What they amplify. Yes, she believes in multiple streams of income, but she also believes in multiple streams of creativity.

Trust me, there’s a difference.

Some beauty brands are built for quick wins, but Mona is built for cultural memory because it’s thinking generationally. Not just about who Mona is today.

But who the next Mona might be.

Let’s Go Global, But Intentional

MoNA’s next exhibition, slated for June, and will continue its exploration of Black radical beauty, with a new curated concept built around Black feminist theory and Hip Hop.

So, yes! Mona isn’t exporting aesthetics. It’s building dialogue. Through beauty, ritual and heartfelt story.

So What Happens When You Enter Mona?

I asked her to paint the picture. And she did!

“You walk in, you’re welcomed not observed. Welcomed.”

The journey is intentional from the moment you cross the threshold.

It’s not just art on a wall. It’s immersion, recognition and reflection.

You see yourself. Or you see something you didn’t know was yours.

And somewhere between ancient queens and 2000s hip-hop icons and your own childhood salon memories, something clicks.

Nail art has never been just a trend. It is a language and a lineage of liberation and MoNA exists to ensure it is recognized as such.

And maybe that’s the real thesis.

Mona isn’t building a museum about nail art.

It’s building a museum about Black women’s agency — told through the most underestimated canvas in culture. Our TEN FINGERS!