Studio Museum in Harlem

Happy Birthday to William T. Williams!

One of the most significant abstractionists of his generation, painter, and educator William T. Williams expanded the possibilities for young artists, public art, and most notably, abstraction.

In 1968, after completing an MFA at Yale's School of Art and Architecture, Williams was instrumental in the development of the Studio Museum in Harlem's Artist-in-Residence program, and co-founded the Smokehouse Associates murals collective, alongside Melvin Edwards, Guy Ciarcia, and Billy Rose.

Pictured here, "Trane" (1969) was one of the first paintings Williams completed after returning to New York from Yale. The painting emphasizes his process-based abstractionist approach that synthesizes personal memory and Black culture, such as jazz music.

You can learn more about Williams and see more of his work included in the Museum's permanent collection on our website: https://www.studiomuseum.org/artists/william-t-williams

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Image: William T. Williams, "Trane" 1969. Acrylic on canvas, 108 × 84 in. Studio Museum in Harlem; gift of Charles Cowles, New York. © William T. Williams; Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY

Happy Birthday to artist William T. Williams! ⁠
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One of the most significant abstractionists of his generation, painter and educator William T. Williams 🎨expanded the possibilities for young artists, public art, and most notably, abstraction.
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In 1968, after completing an MFA at Yale’s School of Art and Architecture, Williams was instrumental in the development of the Studio Museum in Harlem’s Artist-in-Residence program, and co-founded the Smokehouse Associates murals collective, alongside Melvin Edwards, Guy Ciarcia, and Billy Rose. ⁠
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Pictured here, “Trane” (1969) is one of the first paintings Williams completed after returning to New York from Yale. The painting emphasizes his process-based abstractionist approach that synthesizes personal memory and Black culture, such as 🎷jazz music.⁠
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You can learn more about Williams and see more of his work included in the 🖼️ on our website. Link in bio. 🔗
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Image: , “Trane” 1969. Acrylic on canvas, 108 × 84 in. Studio Museum in Harlem; gift of Charles Cowles, New York. © William T. Williams; Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY

The Studio Museum in Harlem is excited to announce "Something in the Water: Expanding the Walls 2024"! 📸⁠
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On view online beginning July 31, 2024, this year’s online photography exhibition features work by sixteen artists—Celestia Altalune, Johnna Bagley, Fiona Chen, Isabella de la Cruz, Zenab Fofana, Simeon Glance, Minna Guerrero, Amunet Jones, Keila Merette, Kevin Minchala, Sofia Montesdeoca, Zemi Moreno-Billingsley, Nancy Nivillac, Diego Pacheco, Ian Veras, and Sarawar Zahan—in the 2024 cohort of the Museum’s signature teen program, Expanding the Walls: Making Connections Between Photography, History, and Community.⁠
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With a camera in hand, each of these photographers recounts, reconsiders, and reckons with the city’s transformation by capturing the fleeting moments of their youth and their shifting relationship to place. They capture friends lying in the park, riding on the train, and peering out onto the rivers while looking for themselves in the ever-changing landscape of New York. ⁠
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Learn more and see "Something in the Water" on our website at expandingthewalls.studiomuseum.org from July 31, 2024, through July 30, 2025.⁠
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Images: Ian Veras, "just sing," 2024. Digital inkjet print, 16 × 20 in. Studio Museum in Harlem; Expanding the Walls: Making Connections Between Photography, History, and Community Collection; Sofia Montesdeoca, "Amor Mia," 2024.Digital inkjet print, 16 × 20 in. Studio Museum in Harlem; Expanding the Walls: Making Connections Between Photography, History, and Community Collection; Isabella de laCruz, "Forever Us," 2024. Digital inkjet print, 16 × 20 in. Studio Museum in Harlem; Expanding the Walls: Making Connections Between Photography, History, and Community Collection

🗓️ Join us on July 23 and 26 for our next Writing Club with Aimee Meredith Cox (), in collaboration with .

Inspired by Black Feminist themes explored in the exhibition “LaToya Ruby Frazier: Monuments of Solidarity” and Cox’s work, Writing Club will support participants in developing rituals for accessing their own creativity and healing—all while employing techniques such as conscious breathing, guided meditation, writing, and movement. ⁠
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Learn more about this month’s programs at the link in bio!

🗓️ Join us on July 23 and 26 for our next Writing Club, in collaboration with .

Inspired by Black Feminist themes explored in the exhibition "LaToya Ruby Frazier: Monuments of Solidarity" and Aimee Meredith Cox’s work, Writing Club will support participants in developing rituals for accessing their own creativity and healing—all while employing techniques such as conscious breathing, guided meditation, writing, and movement. ⁠
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Learn more about this month's programs on our website: https://www.studiomuseum.org/exhibitions-and-events

🗓️ This weekend on July 13, join us at The Met for Open Studio: Making Ourselves!

Inspired by sculptor Richmond Barthé’s "Boxer" (1942), we'll experiment with different art materials and techniques, learn from artist demonstrations led by Reverend Joyce McDonald, and more!⁠
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Learn more and sign up on our website: https://www.studiomuseum.org/events/open-studio-making-ourselves

“When the Lenox Lounge closed, I was devastated; it felt like losing a dear friend or lover. I always smile when I see the photo of the Lounge when passing by it in my hallway, the same way years before I passed by the actual structure. Love for friends never dies. It is everlasting.” —Ruben Natal-San Miguel⠀ ⁠
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Lenox Lounge was an iconic bar and venue in Harlem operating from 1939 until its closing in 2012. During the early 2000s, Cris McRae hosted a popular LGBTQ party on Tuesday nights, which historian Michael Henry Adams observed began to be resented by owner Alvin Reed. Bridging histories, Lenox Lounge connected “the scene” of the early aughts to the q***r creatives of the Harlem Renaissance.⠀ ⁠
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In this work, architect, photographer, curator, creative director, and critic Ruben Natal-San () Miguel reflects on the many changing facades and storefronts of New York. These photographs are a part of and the Studio Museum in Harlem’s “Last Address Tribute Walk: Harlem” project. ⁠
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Image 1: -SanMiguel, “Lenox Lounge”, 2010. Courtesy of the artist.⠀ ⁠
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Image 2: -SanMiguel, “Lenox Lounge”, 2012. Courtesy of the artist.

This fall, ✨️Pass Carry Hold: Studio Museum Artists in Residence 2023–24✨️ will open at MoMA PS1, featuring the work of 2023–24 artists in residence sonia louise davis, Malcolm Peacock, and Zoë Pulley!

Working across sound, textiles, and installation, the artists in residence 👩🏾‍🎨 engage methodologies of endurance and wonder to explore themes related to ancestral and intuitive knowledge.

Learn more about each artist and read about what they've been working on in our check in with the cohort, now on Studio magazine online: https://www.studiomuseum.org/magazine/what-are-you-working-on-the-2023-24-artists-in-residence-prepare-for-open-studios

Image: (From left to right) Malcolm Peacock, Zoë Pulley

This fall, ✨️Pass Carry Hold: Studio Museum Artists in Residence 2023–24✨️ will open at , featuring the work of 2023–24 artists in residence sonia louise davis, Malcolm Peacock, and Zoë Pulley!⁠
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Working across sound, textiles, and installation, the artists in residence 👩🏾‍🎨👨🏾‍🎨🧑🏽‍🎨 engage methodologies of endurance and wonder to explore themes related to ancestral and intuitive knowledge—activating what it means to pass through, carry forward, and hold onto.
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Learn more about each artist and read about what they’ve been working on in our check in with the cohort, now on 📖 Studio magazine online. Link in bio. 🔗
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Image: (From left to right) Malcolm Peacock, Zoë Pulley, and sonia louise davis. Photo: Courtney Sofiah Yates

Apply to be a fall intern at the Studio Museum in Harlem!⁠
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Now through July 16, 2024, we’re accepting applications for the fall 2024 cohort of our paid internship program. There are five open positions across our teams: Communications, Curatorial, Development, Director’s Office, and the Museum’s Registrar. ⁠
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The internship offers college undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates a chance to experience working in a professional museum environment and to network within an inclusive arts community. Learn more on our website at the link in bio. ⁠
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Image: Spring 2024 Intern Cohort. Courtesy Studio Museum in Harlem. Photo: Yume Murphy

“Using charcoal and dry pastels in every color you can imagine, Tadáskía spent roughly two weeks at MoMA creating an immersive wall drawing full of birdlike figures amid swirling, curving shapes in an energetic, restless composition with black outlines.” —Ted Loos⁠
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On view through October 14, 2024, at , “Projects: Tadáskía” presents the animated, liberatory drawings and sculptures of Brazilian artist —the first artist to mark on the walls of MoMA’s street-level gallery.⁠
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Get a first-hand look into the installation process in the exhibition’s review, and plan your visit at the link in bio!⁠
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Image: stands on a hydraulic lift to install her site-specific wall drawings at MoMA. Courtesy . Photo: Jonathan Dorado

Apply to be a fall intern at the Studio Museum in Harlem!⁠
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Now through July 16, 2024, we're accepting applications for the summer 2024 cohort of our paid internship program. There are five open positions across our teams: Communications, Curatorial, Development, Director’s Office, and the Museum's Registrar. ⁠
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The internship offers college undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates a chance to experience working in a professional museum environment and to network within an inclusive arts community. Learn more on our website: https://www.studiomuseum.org/smi-internships

"Using charcoal and dry pastels in every color you can imagine, Tadáskía spent roughly two weeks at MoMA creating an immersive wall drawing full of birdlike figures amid swirling, curving shapes in an energetic, restless composition with black outlines." —Ted Loos⁠
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On view through October 14, 2024, at MoMA, “Projects: Tadáskía” presents the animated, liberatory drawings and sculptures of Brazilian artist Tadáskía—the first artist to mark on the walls of MoMA's street-level gallery.⁠
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Get a first-hand look into the installation process in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/14/arts/design/tadaskia-us-debut-moma.html
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Image: stands on a hydraulic lift to install her site-specific wall drawings at MoMA. Courtesy the New York Times. Photo: Jonathan Dorado

This week, join us in Harlem for Open Art and Harlem Pride! 🗓️

🎨 On Wednesday, June 26, from 4 to 6 pm, join us for Open Art 's Zuckerman Institute. We'll embark on a two-hour program that explores art and self-care with Chloe Holly Hayward, art therapist and Studio Museum Director of Education, and Rachel Frazer, Ph.D. candidate and Neurobiology & Behavior Fellow. Space is limited, and will be first come, first serve.

🏳️‍🌈 Join us at Harlem Pride on Friday, June 29, from 12 to 6 pm for a drop-in quilt-making activity inspired by Faith Ringgold’s "Echoes of Harlem" (1980) and the AIDS Memorial Quilt. This event is free to attend.

Learn more about both events on our website's calendar! https://www.studiomuseum.org/exhibitions-and-events

“Harlem is my home. [...] In this image, I wanted to showcase another side of the neighborhood where kids are just being kids. Many ball players have touched the floor for the first time with high hopes to perform well on the court. Equally, the playground acts as the same for a little girl in hopes to finally ride her bike for the first time without her training wheels.” — Joshua Woods ⁠
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❤️ Seen above is Harlem-born photographer Joshua Woods’s () photo from the Fall 2019 series of “Harlem Postcards.” Here, he captures the Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park (more affectionately known as The Rucker)—home to many legendary basketball games and where professional athletes Julius Erving and Wilt Chamberlain, and streetball stars P*e Wee Kirkland and Earl Manigault got their start. ⁠
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📸 To share your photos with us, all you have to do is post your image of Harlem on Instagram with the hashtag and tag us . In July, we’ll select contributions and share them in an Instagram post on the Studio Museum in Harlem’s profile. Remember, to be reshared, you must have a public profile.
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Image: , “Hope,” 2019. Chromogenic color print. Studio Museum in Harlem; Harlem Postcards Collection ⁠ ⁠
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Happy Juneteenth! Today, we hope you take time to honor the legacy of this Black American holiday, which commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States.⁠
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Here at the Studio Museum in Harlem, we know how art reflects profound stories of our time. Included in the , David Hammons’s “African-American Flag” is no exception. Reimagining the United States flag, Hammons replaces its colors with the red, green, and black of the Pan-African Universal Negro Improvement Association, founded in 1914, to evoke a conversation about the country’s deeply racialized and oppressive history.⁠ In 2005, the Studio Museum in Harlem would mount this work outside of our former building on 125th Street in Harlem. ⁠
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Image: David Hammons’s “African-American Flag” (2004) installed on the exterior of the Studio Museum in Harlem’s former building on 125th Street. Photo: Ray Llanos

Happy Juneteenth! Today, we hope you take time to honor the legacy of this Black American holiday, which commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States.⁠
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Here at the Studio Museum in Harlem, we know how art reflects profound stories of our time. Included in the , David Hammons's "Untitled" (2004)—now widely known as "African-American Flag"—is no exception. Reimagining the United States flag, Hammons replaces its colors with the red, green, and black of the Pan-African Universal Negro Improvement Association, founded in 1914, to evoke a conversation about the country's deeply racialized and oppressive history.⁠ In 2005, the Studio Museum in Harlem would mount this work outside of our former building on 125th Street in Harlem. Soon, this declarative piece will fly high on the facade of our new building. ⁠
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Image: David Hammons's "Untitled" (2004) installed on the exterior of the Studio Museum in Harlem's former building on 125th Street. Photo: Ray Llanos

“I like to keep things pretty fluid and loose just so that it's not distracting. People can sometimes stop looking when they're looking for something that they find so quickly. And the intrigue can stay when you are not shown everything you need to see right away. So, I like the openness that comes with this kind of fluid ambiguous figure.” ⁠
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In this episode of New Additions, hear artist Tunji Adeniyi-Jones discuss his background in visual arts, along with his watercolor, ink, and acrylic painting on paper titled “A Flashy Encounter”—a new addition to the Studio Museum in Harlem's permanent collection. ⁠
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Dive into Adeniyi-Jones's fluid and colorful practice in the first episode of NewAdditions on our website: https://www.studiomuseum.org/new-additions
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Artwork: Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, "A Flashy Encounter," 2021. Watercolor, ink, and acrylic on paper, 16 1/2 × 11 5/8 in. Studio Museum in Harlem; Museum purchase with funds provided by The Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family

This month, we invite you to join us in Harlem and beyond for a suite of events that invite intimate, thoughtful dialogues and moments of exchange in celebration of Black art, culture, and history. ⁠❤️💚🖤
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This weekend, we’ll be celebrating Juneteenth with Central Park Conservancy in Seneca Village with an art-making activity inspired by nature and the work of artist Sam Gilliam.⁠
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On June 14, we’ll be making scratch art and handing out take-home art projects in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park for NYC KidsFest.

And on June 15, you can find Studio Store at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library's sixth annual Literary Festival—come through and browse select Studio Museum publications.

Learn more about this week’s event and more on our website: https://www.studiomuseum.org/exhibitions-and-events

Applications are now open for the 2024-2026 session of the Studio Museum in Harlem and Museum of Modern Art Joint Fellowship!⁠
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The joint fellowship is a paid, two-year role that invites two curatorial fellows to spend one year at each museum, rotating to the partner institution after their first year to complete the two-year program.⁠ Prospective applicants should have a B.A. or graduate-level degree with a concentration in art history, curatorial studies, Africana studies, visual culture, or a related field. ⁠
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Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, with priority given to applications received by June 21, 2024. Learn more and apply online: https://bit.ly/joint-fellowship

This month, we invite you to join us in Harlem and beyond for a suite of events that invite intimate, thoughtful dialogues and moments of exchange in celebration of Black art, culture, and history. ⁠
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This week, Studio Museum Institute's annual Museums as Systems symposium convenes for its third year online and in person.

This weekend, we'll be celebrating Juneteenth with Central Park in Seneca Village with an art-making activity inspired by nature and the work of artist Sam Gilliam.⁠
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And in Harlem, you can also find Studio Store in Harlem at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library sixth annual Literary Festival.

Learn more about all our upcoming events on our website: https://www.studiomuseum.org/exhibitions-and-events

"When I think about sound and public space, one of my primary interests is that sound is a consequence of a kind of friction or touch."—Nikita Gale ⁠
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Hosted by Senior Curatorial Assistant Habiba Hopson, New Additions is a series of interviews with artists whose work was newly acquired into the Studio Museum's collection. This conversation features Nikita Gale in discussion of the artist’s work, including "PRIVATE DANCER" (2020) and "RUINER XIX (2022)."⁠
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Read and listen to the full conversation online: https://www.studiomuseum.org/magazine/new-additions-nikita-gale
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Image: Nikita Gale, "Private Dancer," 2020. (3ED + 2AP). Moving head LED lights, MAXMSP Lighting Program, DMX cable, aluminum truss, dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist and Californian African American Museum. Photo: Elon Schoenholz

"As someone who virtually grew up at the Schomburg Center on 135th Street and has been coming to the Studio Museum his entire life, I have countless recollections of walking down these streets. [...]This piece speaks to nostalgia and many complex thoughts of times—good and bad—that have come and gone, and continue to come again."⁠ —Hank Willis Thomas⁠
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Hank Willis Thomas created "Change gonna come" for "Harlem Postcards Spring 2011," in tribute to the lyrics of "King of Soul" singer Sam Cooke's “A Change is Gonna Come” (1964). Drawing inspiration from Harlem's many businesses, storefronts, and music venues, Thomas assembles a mosaic of Harlem streets across time. ⁠
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Now, for the first time in the Harlem Postcard program’s history, you can collect Thomas's "Change gonna come" included in a selection of one hundred black-and-white and color photographs from artists in the Harlem Postcards collection in Studio Store's editioned box set. ⁠
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Shop the collectible Harlem Postcards Box Set on our website:
https://store.studiomuseum.org/collections/prints-1/products/harlem-postcards-set

Now open: “Projects: Tadáskía” is now on view at MoMA!

The exhibition is centered around Tadáskía's unbound book “ave preta mística mystical black bird,” inspired by her lived experience as a Black trans woman. The narrative unfolds from one sheet to the next, recounting the winged protagonist’s fantastical journey toward collective growth and freedom.

Learn more and plan your visit, on our website: https://www.studiomuseum.org/exhibitions/projects-tadaskia

HAGS—Have a Great Summer!⁠
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Pictured here is our 2024 spring internship cohort. As many of them approach the graduation podium (if not summer break), we're excited to see what's next for this talented cohort of young art workers, scholars, and organizers. ⁠
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You can support our professional development programs, such as our internship program, by contributing to the Studio Museum Fund. To learn more, visit our website: https://www.studiomuseum.org/support

We're less than one week away from the opening of "Projects: Tadáskía!"⁠
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On the occasion of "Projects: Tadáskía", Afro-Brazilian artist Tadáskía’s upcoming site-specific installation at the Museum of Modern Art, writer and independent curator Auttrianna Ward surveys the artist’s practice and exhibition history.⁠ ⁠
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Read Ward's full essay online: https://www.studiomuseum.org/magazine/projects-tadaskia

Hot off the press—our Spring/Summer 2024 issue of Studio magazine is here! 📚️⁠
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Our latest issue features two pages from Afro-Brazilian artist Tadáskía’s looseleaf book "ave preta mística mystical black bird" on the front and back covers of Studio Spring/Summer 2024. You can learn more about the cover and read essays from the print issue—online now at studiomuseum.org/magazine. ⁠
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And remember, Founding Membership at the Studio Museum in Harlem includes an exclusive print subscription to Studio magazine. Learn more about our Membership benefits and join to receive the Fall/Winter 2024 issue on our website.

Last week, the Studio Museum in Harlem's 2024 Spring Luncheon honored Marva Smalls and celebrated the Studio Museum's education programs, including the signature teen program "Expanding the Walls," which teaches photography through the lens of Harlem's rich history and archive of photographer James Van Der Zee. ⠀⁠
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We give deep thanks to our guests and community members, past and present, who remain committed to supporting Black arts, education, and culture through the Luncheon. Thank you for joining us! ❤️⁠
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See more photos from the event online: https://bfa.com/events/45070

Thanks so much for joining us at Open Studios last weekend! ⁠💗⁠
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Each year, ⁠the Studio Museum in Harlem's Artist-in-Residence program opens its doors to the public, inviting visitors to meet the artists in residence and see their works in progress. This year the 2023–24 artists in residence—sonia louise davis, Malcolm Peacock, and Zoë Pulley—welcomed our Expanding the Wall teens, members, friends, family, and staff to learn more about each of their practices. ⁠
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Keep your notifications on for more updates about this year's culminating Artist-in-Residence exhibition, opening later this fall at MoMA PS1.⠀⁠
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Image: 2023–2024 Artist-in-Residence Open Studios. Photo: ⁠Anthony Artis