Black Art and Artists

Founded in 1977, the California African American Museum has a long and rich history. The first African American museum of art, history, and culture fully supported by a state, CAAM was the direct result of a sustained, multiyear campaign of activism undertaken by visionary founders and community members. Its creation was an early and tangible recognition by the State of California of the critically important role African Americans have played in the American West’s cultural, economic, and political development. The Museum’s permanent collection houses 5,000 objects that span landscape painting and portraiture, modern and contemporary art, historical objects and print materials, and mixed-media artworks. Though the collection emphasizes objects pertinent to California and the American West, it also houses a growing collection of artworks from the African diaspora as well as important works by African Americans from across the United States.

The Museum of African American Art (MAAA) was founded in 1976 by noted artist and art historian Dr. Samella Lewis and a group of academic, artistic, business, and community leaders whose goal was to increase public awareness of African American art. The museum educates visitors of all ages and identities about the arts through the lens of African American culture. Exhibits and programs at MAAA allow artists and their work to inspire new thinking about issues that intersect with the shared experiences of people across the African diaspora and beyond. The museum's uniquely accessible art space allows us to exhibit the work of extraordinary local artists and bring meaningful art experiences to the public. MAAA proudly welcomes all visitors with free admission, serves as an important community gathering space, and creates educational experiences for students and lifelong learners.

Art + Practice (A+P) is a private operating 501(c)3 foundation based in the neighborhood of Leimert Park in South Los Angeles. A+P supports LA transition-age foster youth through our collaboration with nonprofit social service provider First Place for Youth and provides Angelenos with free access to museum-curated contemporary art. Admission to all art programming is free and open to the public. A+P occupies a nearly 20,000 square foot campus, from which it organizes its programs and activities.

The Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum (MCLM) is home to the Mayme Agnew Clayton Collection of African-American History and Culture. The collection contains over two million rare books, films, documents, photographs, artifacts, and works of art related to the history and culture of African Americans in the United States, with a special focus on Southern California and the American West. The collection is one of the most important collections chronicling the history and culture of Americans of African descent in the United States of America.

Just south of Manchester and off of Crenshaw, the Crenshaw Dairy Mart emerges from an investment in abolition, modes of accessibility in art practice, and weaving community solidarity through new memories. The space seeks to imagine a new collective memory through programming, events, and arts installations which cultivate and nurture communal arts and education.

Since its inception, Residency Art Gallery’s goal has been to serve the area of South Central Los Angeles. They celebrate contemporary artists that continue to make projects for communities of color. Residency Art Gallery is a safe space for all genders, races and cultures. In addition to exhibitions, they encourage dialogue between artists, activists, and the community by regularly holding discussions within the space.

Founded in 2017, SoLA Contemporary advocates for change by empowering people from diverse backgrounds to explore the intersection of art, culture, society, and politics. They are a nonprofit, artist-run organization that serves as a cornerstone for cultural and artistic innovation in South Los Angeles. SoLA is a safe and receptive space for anyone seeking to experience the power of contemporary art.

Dominique Gallery serves as a space where Black, female and/or queer artists, and artists of other marginalized identities, can exist, be seen and valued.

Galerie Lakaye is a contemporary ethnic art gallery with a special focus on Haitian art. Owners Carine Fabius and Pascal Giacomini operate the gallery from their home in Hollywood, CA. The gallery opened its doors in 1990, introducing little-known and museum-stature artists from Haiti to Los Angeles.

Located in its namesake neighborhood in New York City, the Studio Museum in Harlem is the nexus for artists of African descent locally, nationally, and internationally and for work that has been inspired and influenced by Black culture. It is a site for the dynamic exchange of ideas about art and society. The museum also offers a rich digital archive with many of its holdings available to view online.

MoAD, a contemporary art museum, celebrates Black cultures, ignites challenging conversations, and inspires learning through the global lens of the African Diaspora in the heart of San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood.

​The African American Museum in Philadelphia is the first institution built by a major United States city to house and interpret the life and work of African Americans. The museum is dedicated to reflecting the richness and vibrancy of African American heritage and culture. They also maintain an online portal that provides access to high quality images of many of the artworks and artifacts in their collection.

Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture presents, preserves and celebrates excellence in the art, history and culture of African-Americans and people of African descent. For those unable to visit the museum in person, there is an exhibition archive, digital exhibitions, virtual experiences and a selection of images of their collection available online.

Located in Brooklyn, NY, the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) uses the visual and performing arts as a point of departure for exploring new artistic production across a variety of disciplines. Through exhibitions, community programming and educational initiatives centered in social justice, MoCADA incites dialogue on pressing social and political issues facing the African Diaspora and fosters a dynamic space for the creation and continuous evolution of culture.

The DuSable Museum of African American History is a Chicago community institution and the first non-profit Museum dedicated to the collection, documentation, preservation, study and the dissemination of the history and culture of Africans and African Americans. Though a history museum first, the DuSable consistently exhibits a wide range of art by African American artists.