Online Exhibition

ON VIEW: FEBRUARY 1

While American artists like Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg have long been considered the progenitors of assemblage and collage art in the US, there is an extensive history of Black American artists working in the medium. In recent decades, the representation and inclusion of 20th-century artists like Romare Bearden and Betye Saar in cultural institutions and art collections have substantially increased. However, there is still more to be done to understand the Black American experience as expressed through the assemblage and collage art of emerging artists working today.

In this exhibition, these thoughtfully layered works reveal the deeply personal stories of the artists and move viewers to contemplate their own relationships with the subject matter and reused materials. The artists in this collection use their work to react to and comment on current social and political issues and contribute to the long tradition of assemblage and collage art made by Black American artists. Through the manipulation and reconfiguration of found and reused materials, these artists (like their predecessors) produce images of defiance that build up and unite their shared personal and cultural histories.

Curated by Aurora Garrison.