Black History at Mia
Celebrate the exceptional historical and creative cultural contributions made by African American artists with exhibitions, virtual events, videos, stories, and more.
Exhibitions
In the Presence of Our Ancestors: Southern Perspectives in African American Art
This show brings together methods of visual storytelling and ancestral memory through the individual practices of artists from the “Black Belt” region of the American South—a term that refers to the region’s black soil, as well as the legacies of African Americans who shaped its social and agrarian culture.
Freedom Rising: I Am the Story / L’Merchie Frazier
L’Merchie Frazier is a fiber artist, quilter, historian, innovator, poet, and holographer. This show examines the lives and legacies of African-descended people, including children and their communities across centuries of memory, places, and activism.
The Enduring Soul
A collaboration between the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Cultural Wellness Center, The Enduring Soul presents artwork by African and African American artists that honor the connection between ancestors and the living and between what is seen and the invisible.
African American Art and Artists
Explore art by African American Artists in Mia's collection
It is our mission to enrich the community by collecting, preserving, and making accessible outstanding works of art from the world’s diverse cultures. With over 90,000 artworks, Mia’s collection includes art from six continents, spanning about 5,000 years.
Explore Related Videos
Discover past talks, art-making activities, and other videos connected to Black art and artists. Click through many videos using the < > signs in the upper left of the above video viewer.
Podcast Episodes
Miracles in Stone: The Curious Celebrity of God's Sculptor
William Edmondson is a middle-aged laborer in Nashville, Tennessee, at the height of the Great Depression, when God tells him to carve a tombstone. Soon, he’s the first African-American artist to have a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art.
Young, Gifted, and Gone: The Woman Who Never Came Back
Elizabeth Catlett, the granddaughter of enslaved African-Americans, is a struggling artist at the height of Jim Crow. But when she moves to Mexico City in 1946, she finds love, inspiration, and eventually fame. There’s just one catch: she can’t come home.