
Members will receive a Zoom link via e-mail after reserving free tickets. Please note, this link will only be active on the day of the event.
Loïs Mailou Jones, Ubi Girl from Tai Region (detail), 1972. Acrylic on canvas. The Hayden Collection—Charles Henry Hayden Fund. © Loïs Mailou Jones Pierre-Noel Trust.
Loïs Mailou Jones, Ubi Girl from Tai Region (detail), 1972. Acrylic on canvas. The Hayden Collection—Charles Henry Hayden Fund. © Loïs Mailou Jones Pierre-Noel Trust.
Africa is at once a point of origin and a myriad of associations—real and imagined—for many Black artists working in the Americas. In the 20th century, some artists self-consciously responded to writer and philosopher Alain LeRoy Locke’s call to engage with “those ancestral arts.” Others continued to practice African artistic traditions passed down through generations.
This exhibition traces narratives of Blackness across the Atlantic world by bringing together work from artists who absorbed and reinterpreted African artistic practices, sacred customs, and cultural expressions. The artworks honor ancestral spirits and Black legacies through painting, sculpture, textiles, and dance. Artists from throughout the Americas are represented—with a special focus on those from or working in New England, like Allan Rohan Crite, Napoleon Jones-Henderson, Ifé Franklin, Bryan McFarlane, Karen Hampton, and Stephen Hamilton. Highlights from the collection include Ubi Girl from Tai Region (1972) by Loïs Mailou Jones, African Woman (about 1933) by James Richmond Barthé, Untitled (1943) by Wifredo Lam, and George Jackson (1971) by Kofi Bailey.
Visitors can explore how shared cultural heritages created connections that formed the basis of communities, highlighting the importance of Africa’s presence in the Americas. By turning their gaze inward and toward Africa, Black artists grounded their artistic expressions and infused strength and insight into their work.
This exhibition accompanies “Stories Artists Tell: Art of the Americas, the 20th Century,” a suite of galleries spanning place and time, and exploring different themes surrounding 20th-century art from the Americas.
Outside scholars and collaborators have been essential in the conceptualization and planning of this exhibition. Many thanks to Chenoa Baker, Kyrah Malika Daniels, Napoleon Jones-Henderson, and Stephen Hamilton.
Mixed media, acrylic, natural dyes, and pigments, and hand-woven, hand-dyed cloth. Courtesy of the artist. © Stephen Hamilton.
Bronze. William Francis Warden Fund. © John Wilson / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Mixed textile media. Collection of Napoleon Jones-Henderson. © Napoleon Jones-Henderson.
Oil on burlap. A. Shuman Collection—Abraham Shuman Fund. © Wifredo Lam / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Acrylic on canvas. The Hayden Collection—Charles Henry Hayden Fund. © Loïs Mailou Jones Pierre-Noel Trust.
Oil on panel. The John Axelrod Collection—Frank B. Bemis Fund, Charles H. Bayley Fund, and The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection. © Hale Aspacio Woodruff / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Patinated plaster, wood base. The John Axelrod Collection—Frank B. Bemis Fund, Charles H. Bayley Fund, and The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection. © Barthé Trust.
Digital inkjet print on heavy white wove paper. Museum purchase with funds donated by Johanna and Leslie Garfield. © Willie Cole.
Wood. The John Axelrod Collection—Frank B. Bemis Fund and Charles H. Bayley Fund.
Copper and enamel. The John Axelrod Collection—Frank B. Bemis Fund, Charles H. Bayley Fund, The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection.
Stoneware. The John Axelrod Collection—Frank B. Bemis Fund, Charles H. Bayley Fund, and The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection. Reproduced with permission.
Gouache on artist’s board. The John Axelrod Collection—Frank B. Bemis Fund, Charles H. Bayley Fund, and The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection. © Aaron Douglas / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Sweet grass, pine needles, bull rush, and palmetto fiber. Gift of Charles Devens, Mrs. Frances W. Lawrence, and The Seminarians. Reproduced with permission.
Aaron Douglas, Untitled, 1930. Gouache on artist’s board. The John Axelrod Collection—Frank B. Bemis Fund, Charles H. Bayley Fund, and The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection. © Aaron Douglas / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
For Art for This Moment, MFA Boston’s blog, “Touching Roots” advisor Chenoa Baker considers the importance of color in the exhibition and traces the powerful thread of Pan-Africanism across artworks from three different eras.