Fifteen Exhibits Celebrating Black American Art And Innovation

Black History Month and Frieze LA may be coming to an end, but it will always be appropriate to celebrate and engage with Black art and curation.

In a time where much about Black legacy, life, and dignity is trying to be erased, it’s all the more important to support the art and archives of Black innovators who seek to document and express life through their own lenses.

As Toni Cade Bambara once said, “The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.” While not all art is inherently radical in nature, Black artists contextualize the Black human experience in their own way: making sense of the world, their surroundings, and keeping record of some of the myriad experiences Black people existing in society undergo. In doing so, the artists and curators are preserving our collective humanity and cultural footprint.

Read on for a list of Black-centered art exhibits, on display now across the states.

Los Angeles, CA:

Understand the spiritual power of music and creation via Alice Coltrane, engage with how women filmmakers including Solange Knowles contemplate displacement, land, and belonging, and explore the seven current exhibitions on display at the California African American Museum. All over the city, there are pockets in which we can understand and appreciate the complexity of Black life and creation.

Alice Coltrane, Monument Eternal | Hammer Museum

From February 9th through May 4th, the archives, music, and art of revered musician Alice Coltrane will be on display at the Hammer Museum, along with a collection of works from other artists inspired by her life’s story.

Womxn in Windows: American Gurl: home—land | MOCA

In collaboration with Wxmen in Windows, an art collective platforming women of color, the MOCA cultureLAB will showcase six short films by the likes of Solange Knowles, Cauleen Smith, and Ella Ezeike, as they contemplate the nuances of diaspora and displacement. The films will be on display Saturdays and Sundays through May 4th.

California African American Museum

CAAM, located in South Central Los Angeles, is currently displaying seven exhibits from a host of incredible Black artists exploring the “afrokosmic,” reparations, and cultural musical contributions through a range of mediums. Exhibits include the works of artist Nellie Mae Rowe, and inventor George Washington Carver, and closing dates span from early March through mid summer.

New York, NY:

The sleepless city consisting of countless museums, galleries, and studios apt to enrich our cultural palettes is also home to the world-famous Metropolitan Museum of Art. This month and onward, The Met will host two Black-centered art exhibits examining the creations of vibrant Black communities central to New York: Seneca Village and Harlem.

Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturistic Period Room | The Met

Present-day Central Park used to be home to Seneca Village, a predominantly Black and culturally rich neighborhood that thrived before it was stripped away. This exhibit highlights the once-erased enclave by transcending timelines and displaying the African diasporic practice that sees time, community, and life as an interconnected cycle.

The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism | The Met

Opening February 25 through July 28, this exhibit focuses solely on the eruptive rebirth of African-American art born in 1920s Harlem. A perfect snapshot of Black life during the modern transatlantic era, the works coming out of the Harlem Renaissance documented the lives, aspirations, and struggles of some of the most foremost Black American artists in history.

Frankfort, MI:

Piece Work: Gee’s Bend Quilt Exhibit | Oliver Art Center

Extending the centuries long legacy of the Gee’s Bend quilting community, this exhibit showcases the rich history and art of African American quilting, birthed out of Gee Bend in rural Alabama. The distinctive pattern used in this style of quilting became a cultural staple for Black American women, passed down generationally from pre-abolition to modern day. On display through March 22, visitors can view original Gee’s Bend quilts from the collection of Patricia Reich.

Chicago, IL:

Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition | Griffin Museum of Science and Industry

Now through April 27, the Griffin Museum in Chicago will highlight the works of Black artists,  both professional and amateur, from across the U.S. This annual exhibit celebrates its 55th year of platforming Black visual artists as they contemplate the achievements of the Black community, inspired by a pointed interest in science and innovation.

Dallas, TX:

I See The Future It’s Black | Tubman Gallery

Running through March 29, this exhibition called on four Black artists from Dallas, Atlanta, New York, and Puerto Rico to reckon with the concepts of time and space, as it pertains to Black identity. Featured works employ sculpture, photography, painting, and ceramics to visualize their narratives. Incorporating elements of Afrofuturism, the exhibit also plays, on loop, Sun Ra’s “Space is the Place” film (1974).

Atlanta, GA:

We Say What Black is | Spelman College Museum of Fine Art

Centering the works of MacArthur Award-winning artist Amanda Williams, this exhibit running through May 24th aims to empower Black people to define Blackness for ourselves, challenging the limiting notions thrust upon us. Utilizing the medium of abstract art, each piece will be accompanied by descriptive labels written by students from the Atlanta University Center group of schools.