“Nubian Square” by Hakim Raquib. Raquib will be the first featured artist.

The Bay State Banner has announced plans to launch the Bay State Banner Virtual Art Gallery, featuring New England’s leading Black visual artists. Beginning Thursday, Oct. 12, this new weekly series will appear in both the print and digital platforms of the Banner newspaper, Black-owned since 1965.

The Virtual Art Gallery kicks off with a video podcast series with Paul Goodnight — the Chicago-born and Roxbury-raised artist widely known for his paintings featured on national television programs and in world-class museum exhibits — in conversation with a different prominent artist each week. The first four episodes, sponsored by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) with Goodnight as host, kick off the series of 30-minute video podcasts.

The MFA also will sponsor the Banner’s corresponding print editions of the Virtual Art Gallery, which will include a visual representation of each artist’s collection and highlights from the podcast.

The Bay State Banner Virtual Art Gallery is an ongoing project. Subsequent installments to follow in November will bring local artist L’Merchie Frazier in as host with a new slate of artist interviews beginning Thursday, Nov. 9. Upcoming hosts, featured artists, and sponsors will be announced at the end of each month.