Seminal artist Betye Saar Betye Saar, the artist who turned cigar boxes, washboards, and family heirlooms into some of the most incisive statements in American art, died July 26 in her Laurel Canyon home, four days shy of her 100th birthday. For seven decades, Saar was assemblage's most fearless practitioner. She did not simply collect discarded objects; she indicted them. Her 1972 work The Liberation of Aunt Jemima seized a servile stereotype and armed it with a rifle and a

Blooming Through It by Ingrid Mathurin and bottom work by Alexandria Eregbu. The Art of Blackness at Block 37 is a celebrated exhibition platform that continues its mission of amplifying Black artists while creating space for dialogue around identity, history, and the future. Curated by LaShun Tines, Justin Dwaun Redding, and Anefertiti Bowman, this year's exhibition asks audiences to consider what emerges when truth is honored, memory is preserved, and imagination is embrace

Top left: The Musicians by Loïs Mailou Jones and right God Help America by Maria-Lana Queen. Bottom left Serve and Protect by Kim Rice and Blk Study Apparatus by Nnaemeka (Emeka) Ekwelum. Photos courtesy of Knowhere Art Gallery and the participating artists. This summer, Knowhere Art Gallery on Martha's Vineyard presents two compelling exhibitions that examine Black history, artistic lineage, and the tensions that continue to shape American life. Located in the heart of Oak B

Danny Simmons - 1953 - 2026 Daniel Dwayne Simmons Jr. — abstract expressionist painter, poet, published author, and philanthropist — passed away on June 14, 2026, at the age of 72. For those who knew his work, not just his famous last name, the loss is seismic.  In New York, he was the oldest Simmons brother — the quiet one who watched Russell build Def Jam and Joey become Rev Run of Run-DMC — while he built something altogether different: a life in paint, a gallery, a movem

Wooden quilts by Jean-Marcel St. Jacques will be part of a fundraising auction by Blacks in Green (BIG) on Juneteenth. On Friday, June 19, 2026, the Woodlawn & South Lakefront Tourism Center in Chicago's Obama Presidential District will host a special Juneteenth Wine, Cheese & Storytelling Fundraiser celebrating history, resilience, and the transformative power of art.  The evening will feature the unveiling of three new works by renowned New Orleans artist Jean-Marcel St. J

Top row: Artist Bryant Lamont with Pigment's Patricia Andrews-Keenan, work by Roger Carter, artists Paul Branton, Gerald Griffin and Bryant Lamont, work by Lamont; second row work by Bernard Williams, work by Paul Branton, Faye Edwards of Faiè Afrikan Art with photographer Tonika Johnson, artist Roger Carter; third row Bertha Thomas, Chair of the Board the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Institute with exhibition curator Raymond A. Thomas, work by Max Sansing, Claudette Rop

Works from the collection of Dr. J. Eugene Grisby, Jr.: From top Hale Woodruff , Jacob Lawrence and John Biggers.

Black Crown Art Auctions, the nation’s only active Black-owned and Black-operated fine art auction house specializing in work by African American artists, made its official debut at the opening reception of the 18th Annual Harlem Fine Art Show (HFAS). The launch took place Friday, February 20, at The Glasshouse in New York City. Guests met the founders, registered for upcoming sales, and previewed works slated for the inaugural auction in mid-March. The auction house was fou

Tyanna Buie is working on her installation, Be the Change! for the Obama Presidential Center. Photo Kaylee Pugliese/Courtesy RISD The soon-to-open Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is fast becoming one of the most ambitious public art programs in recent U.S. history, blending civic dialogue with artistic expression across its 19.3-acre campus. Set to open in spring 2026 , the Center has now commissioned works by more than 25 leading contemporary artists , including M

Photos by Monique Brinkman Hill, Vanessa Hobson and LeeAnn Trotter The opening reception of the 2nd Annual Black History Festival of the Arts, presented by the OH Art Foundation, was a celebratory gathering of artists, writers, curators, collectors, and cultural leaders in a shared affirmation of Black creative legacy. The evening marked the debut of Rephrases en Noir , a group exhibition that situates Black literature as both source material and conceptual foundation for