The Studio Museum in Harlem

Profile

Founded in 1968 to exhibit work by black artists and to promote local art, the Studio Museum considers Harlem to be more than just its location—the renowned neighborhood is often the subject of its exhibitions, like in "hrlm" or "Harlem Postcards". Originally located in a rented loft at Fifth Avenue and 125th Street, the museum moved a few blocks in 1979 when the New York Bank for Savings donated its 60,000 square foot building. Inside, the two floors of gallery space have a polished generic feel, belying the political, provocative nature of the art on view, which reflects different strains of black liberation politics and celebrates the neighborhood’s ethnic roots. Works range from historically significant Harlem photographers James VanDerZee and Aaron Siskand to newly established giants like Fred Wilson and Kara Walker and impressive emerging artists of African descent. Many of the featured artists are culled from the generous Artists-in-Residence program. The Studio’s Permanent Collection houses over 1,600 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, and installations by artists such as Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence. Incorporating everything from tap dance to hip-hop, Abstract Expressionism to comic books, the museum seeks to open a dialogue on the changing nature of black aesthetics. The contradictions of Harlem's cultural history and its gentrified present play out nicely in Hunter Tara and Jeannie Kim's 2005 "I Can't Afford to Live in Harlem" postcard photographs, which depict apartments too expensive for Harlem's new generation of artists. — Lori Cole

The Artists-In-Residence program offers studio space, a $15,000 fellowship, a $1,000 material stipend, and institutional support for one year to three emerging artists of African descent.

Tours
For tours of the Open Studios of the Artists-in-Residence, call 212-864-4500 x264.