Museums in New York City: The Studio Museum Harlem

By Tia Dryer


For a considerable time, the Studio Museum in Harlem was the singular major cultural establishment for art by African Americans. It is still one of the most vital museums in NY, and globally , for art that chronicles the African-American experience, especially although not exclusively in urban environments. The work displayed here includes African-American works and twentieth century Afro-Caribbean pieces, as well as conventional African art. The social facet of art is clearly on view in the permanent collection of the Studio Museum, as well as a consistent theme of hunting for the African identity in an American context.

The Studio Museum has gathered a incredible amount of recognition from the community of museums in New York City, in total due to its Artists in Residence program, which permits one or two emerging studio and gallery artists of African descent to reside on location while they create. This allows the artists to do their artwork, network with members of the community and begin successful careers as artists. Also, the museum is a center for the Harlem arts community by hosting dialogues, panels, lectures, classes and performances on a wide range of current affairs related to the African-American experience.



Found on 125th St, fifteen blocks north of Central Park in Harlem, the Studio Museum is very much an organic product of its environment. This Harlem museum is close to numerous other famous locales, including the legendary Apollo Theater. Down the way, the New York Public Libraryis 1 or 2 blocks east, and there are also a bunch of parks, including the Morningstar Park and Central Park. The area itself is an unprecedented landmark, full of plaques and notes of significance. Once a ghetto for released slaves and persons fleeing the repressive Jim Crow laws in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Harlem turned into a cultural treasure throughout the 1920s and continues to play a crucial role in African-American culture.

The permanent collection of the Studio Museum in Harlem is composed of over 1,600 works by noted African-American artists, both in the Harlem community and throughout country. These artists, including Melvin Edwards, Robert Colescott, Terry Adkins, Lois Mailou Jones, Hector Hyppolite, Norman Lewis, Betye Saar, Nari Ward and others have definitely had an effect on the art world as well as in the greater African-American community. The general theme of all the work inside this museum is the Black identity; the museum is a very important and engaging location for everyone with an interest in American history to go to visit and take in. Express themes include black liberation politics, dance, expressionism, roots and music, as well as the subjects of fascism, sexism and the urban experience. These subjects might be questionable to some visitors, but they represent a timely, crucial debate within the larger American culture about the perceptions and roles of African-Americans in it, and it happens to be one of many significant museums in N. Y to learn about a spread of concepts, new and old.




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