Black History Month is a time to celebrate and honor members of the African community who’ve left a significant mark or have paved a new road for future members. Some of the most influential members have been and continue to be artists who encapsulate the essence of their period. Some of these artists’ works can now be viewed in The American Federation of Arts’ traveling exhibition, Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem. It features the works from over 80 noteworthy artists, ranging from Njideka Akunyili Crosby to Kerry James Marshall. With over 100 works from the 1920s to the present, the exhibit will be shown at six venues across the United States including Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco, CA (January 16 – April 14, 2019); Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC (May 24 – August 18, 2019); Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, MI (September 13 – December 8, 2019); Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA (January 17 – April 12, 2020); Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA (May 9 – August 2, 2020); and Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT (August 28 – December 13, 2020).

Henry Taylor, how i got over, 2011, Acrylic on canvas.
Henry Taylor /American Federation of Arts
Barkley L. Hendricks, Lawdy Mama, 1969, Oil and gold leaf on canvas
Estate of Barkley L. Hendricks/Jack Shainman Gallery/American Federation of Arts
Otobong Nkanga, House Boy, 2004, Watercolor, ink and acrylic on paper
Otobong Nkanga/American Federation of Arts
Beauford Delaney, Portrait of a Young Musician, 1970, Acrylic on canvas
Estate of Beauford Delaney/American Federation of Arts
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Nous étions, 2007, Oil on canvas.
Adam Reich/American Federation of Arts
Kerry James Marshall, Silence is Golden, 1986, Acrylic on panel.
Kerry James Marshall/American Federation of Arts
Mickalene Thomas, Panthera, 2002, Rhinestones on acrylic on birch panel.
Mickalene Thomas/Artists Rights Society/American Federation of Arts
Juliana Huxtable, Untitled (Psychosocial Stuntin'), 2015, Color inkjet print.
Juliana Huxtable/American Federation of Arts
Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Nwantinti, 2012 Acrylic, pastel, charcoal, colored pencil, and Xerox transfers on paper.
Njideka Akunyili Crosby/American Federation of Arts
Faith Ringgold, Echoes of Harlem, 1980, Acrylic on canvas
Faith Ringgold/American Federation of Arts
Jordan Casteel, Kevin the Kiteman, 2016, Oil on canvas.
Jordan Casteel/American Federation of Arts
Wangechi Mutu, Hide 'n' Seek, Kill or Speak, 2004, paint, ink, collage, mixed media on mylar.
Wangechi Mutu/American Federation of Arts
Norman Lewis, Blue and Boogie, 1974, Oil on canvas.
Estate of Norman W. Lewis/Michael Rosenfeld Gallery/American Federation of Arts
Kehinde Wiley, Conspicuous Fraud Series #1 (Eminence), 2001,Oil on canvas.
Kehinde Wiley/American Federation of Arts
Dawoud Bey, Harlem U.S.A. A Man in Bowler Hat, 1976. Silver print.
Dawoud Bey/Njideka Akunyili/ Rena Bransten Gallery/American Federation of Arts