Jasmine Thomas-Girvan: On Making, Memory, and Marronage
What stories do materials hold? For Jamaican artist Jasmine Thomas-Girvan, each seed pod, feather, and shard of metal carries traces of memory,...
Guest Author 28 August 2025
#Black History
How Art Saved His Life: Story of Horace Pippin
It took Horace Pippin 43 years to complete his first oil painting. Why so long? Because poverty, hard physical work, war, and disabilities got in his...
Magda Michalska 28 July 2025
I Put a Spell on You—Vodou Art
Vodou is one of the most misunderstood belief systems in the world. Derided by the Church and popular culture, in fact it is a fascinating system of...
Candy Bedworth 21 July 2025
Belle da Costa Greene—The Morgan Library’s First Director
Belle da Costa Greene (1883–1950) is remembered as one of the most influential librarians in American history. Starting as a private librarian,...
Nikolina Konjevod 12 May 2025
Official Portraits of Michelle and Barack Obama
In 2018, the official portraits of former U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were unveiled, becoming part of the Smithsonian...
Karolina 29 April 2025
Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica at the Art Institute of Chicago
The verb “to project” has a variety of meanings. It can allude to planning a project, presenting an idea, or promoting a concept. The exhibition...
Aniela Rybak-Vaganay 20 February 2025
Where Is the Queen? Black Women in Western Art
For centuries, Black women appeared in Western art as slaves, servants, or exotic novelties. But as regal queens and leaders? Shamefully not. We will...
Candy Bedworth 17 February 2025
Masterpiece Story: A Ride for Liberty by Eastman Johnson
The cool morning dew blew against their warm sweaty skin as the horse led them towards the free North. Stories of another life, a free life,...
James W Singer 16 February 2025
4 Black Contemporary Artists Everyone Should Know
As art historians, it is our duty to acknowledge the importance of those overlooked and underprivileged artists who may not be as famous as they...
Magda Michalska 1 October 2024
