In addition to such renowned art museums as MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City is home to a whole range of smaller but no less impressive museums and cultural centers. Some of the best are the Rubin Museum of Art in Chelsea and the Studio Museum in Harlem. The latter is entirely dedicated to African-American art, and in this blog post, we want to tell you more about this amazing institution.
African-American Art at the Studio Museum in Harlem
The Studio Museum in Harlem is an art museum that preserves, collects, and displays works by artists from the African continent, members of the African diaspora, and African Americans on the whole. Since its very foundation in 1968, the Museum has been a site for the dynamic exchange of ideas about society and art influenced and inspired by black culture, as well as a go-to place to enjoy the best artworks created by the most talented artists of African descent. Besides, the Studio Museum in Harlem offers artists-in-residence programs, along with a variety of educational and public programming that includes performances, panel discussions, dialogues, and lectures.
The permanent collection of the Studio Museum contains approximately 2,000 works, including photographs, prints, pastels, drawings, installations, and mixed-media works by such prominent artists as Melvin Edwards, Dawoud Bey, Romare Bearden, Terry Adkins, and Robert Colescott. The Museum also features an extensive collection of works by James VanDerZee known for his amazing portraits of black New Yorkers.
The Studio Museum in Harlem is currently closed for construction of their new museum building, but you still can enjoy the best in African-American art at their temporary programming space at 429 West 127th Street, as well as at a variety of the Museum’s satellite and partner locations in Harlem. Very recommended!