The Studio Museum in Harlem

MISSION 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. HISTORY Since opening in a rent... Read more

MISSION
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.

HISTORY
Since opening in a rented loft at Fifth Avenue and 125th Street in 1968, The Studio Museum in Harlem has earned recognition for its catalytic role in promoting the works of artists of African descent. The Museum’s Artist-In-Residence program has nearly 100 graduates who have gone on to establish highly regarded careers. A wide variety of Education and Public Programs have brought the African-American experience alive for the public by means of lectures, dialogues, panel discussions and performances as well as interpretive programs both on-site and off-site for students and teachers. The Exhibitions program has also expanded the scope of art historical literature through the production of scholarly catalogues, brochures and pamphlets.

COLLECTION
The Museum’s Permanent Collection includes over 1,600 paintings, sculptures, watercolors, drawings, pastels, prints, photographs, mixed media works and installations. Featured in the Collection are work by artists such as Romare Bearden, Robert Colescott, Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, Chris Ofili, Betye Saar, Lorna Simpson, Kara Walker and Hale Woodruff. The Museum is also the custodian of an extensive archive of the work of photographer James VanDerZee, the quintessential chronicler of the Harlem community from 1906 to 1983.