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"Each year, the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards luncheon starts with the 'power of our presence' as the home base," Maitland said. "We then look at our honorees’ body of work to create the theme, which this year was art and activism. The combined work of art they create in their films each spotlighted activism in work and in life." The team used a palette of reds, blues, and yellows, combined with ripped patterns and prints, to evoke the idea of feminine power.  "This is the first time we added flowers to the stage to add softness to the frames, creating another emphasis on the art and the feminine power," Maitland added.

The magazine hosted its 12th annual Black Women in Hollywood awards on Thursday afternoon at the Beverly Wilshire. Intended to honor and celebrate Hollywood's most impactful African-American women, this year's honorees were Regina Hall, Amandla Stenberg, Kiki Layne, and Jenifer Lewis.  Show development and production—including the overall design and fabrication as well as the eye-catching stage backdrop and set design—was handled by the Essence event team with longtime collaborator AGENC. The colorful floral design came from Bloom & Plume's Maurice Harris. "We are inspired by the women we celebrate and this year we looked at our honorees and what their message was in their work—especially how the roles they play speak to our community," said Jovanca Maitland, Essence's director of live events and experiential. "These honorees use their art as actors to shine a light on what may be affecting us in our community. These are topics that are tough to talk about but are important to the discussion. We are also creatively inspired by paintings, colors, and images that are of black culture."