The web-based series Collection in Context provides fresh perspectives on artworks in the Studio Museum’s permanent collection. Members of the Museum’s curatorial department draw out themes found within a diverse range of works, providing new ways of looking at Black artistic production since the early nineteenth century. This series will be updated periodically to celebrate the breadth and depth of the collection.
In this group, the everyday is abstracted, not erased—materials and objects are reworked, reassembled, repurposed, and transformed. This is not a new premise, as generations of creatives have used
“She won’t be no bird in a cage, no black woman at the lectern, no model Negro, no cog in the machine.”
The works here bring us in, offer a hand, and a bit of tenderness—they come together to think about care. They highlight the networks of support that exist among friends, across generations of family,
Inextricably linked, the oppressive structures of racism and capitalism have had a profound impact on Black life to this day. The works here not only examine the entwined history of racism and
As we attempt to strike anew this year, it seems necessary to operate from a place of compassionate, generous love—for our community, for those who’ve worked tirelessly to provide, produce, and care