Courtney J. Martin, 2024. Photo by Mara Lavitt   Courtney J. Martin is the first Black person to lead a major artist-endowed foundation   ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT artist-endowed foundations has a new leader. The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation announced the appointment of Courtney J. Martin as executive director in February. A curator and art historian, Martin joined the Rauschenberg Foundation from the Yale Center for British Art at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., where she had served as the Paul Mellon Director since 2019. Martin’s appointment is historic. Succeeding Kathy Hal ..read more

Installation view of “Firelei Báez: Sueño de la Madrugada (A Midnight’s Dream),” 2024. South London Gallery, London, UK | Photo by Above Ground, Courtesy South London Gallery   On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions   THE CAPTIVATING WORK of Firelei Báez (b. 1981) is an exercise in world building. Engaging with mythology, folklore, and history, Báez explores the powerful legacies of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora. Born in the Dominican Republic, she lives and works in New York. “Firelei Báez: Sueño de la Madrugada (A Midnight’s Dream)” at South London Gallery is the artist ..read more

Trailer: Written and directed by Titus Kaphar, “Exhibiting Forgiveness” reflects the artist’s life, reconnecting with his father after 15 years, and prominently features his paintings. The film is set to open in theaters in Oct. 18, 2024. | Video by Roadside Flix   THE STIRRING PAINTINGS OF Titus Kaphar (b. 1976) and his own life experience inspired his directorial debut. “Exhibiting Forgiveness” is about the relationship between a father and son, the pain and anguish of absence, and the potential for healing and forgiveness. It’s a visually arresting film with a heart-wrenching narrative ..read more

CRENSHAW DAIRY MART | Opening Reception, “JUICE WOOD: I Could Show You..,” Crenshaw Dairy Mart, Inglewood, Calif. (Sept. 24–29, 2023), Presented as part of The Crenshaw Dairy Mart Fellowship For Abolition And The Advancement of the Creative Economy (CDM-FAACE). | Courtesy the artist and Crenshaw Dairy Mart, Photo by Angel Xotlanihua / Elon Schoenholz   MAJOR MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS of Beverly Buchanan, Julien Creuzet, Renee Green, Essex Hemphill, and Martine Syms and research focusing on the legacy of John Biggers are among the many pivotal projects receiving funding from the Teiger Foundation ..read more

Installation view of “Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere,” Hayward Gallery, London, UK, 2024. Shown, TAVARES STRACHAN, “Ruin of a Giant (Marcus Garvey),” 2024. | Photo by Mark Blower, Courtesy the artist and Hayward Gallery   A FORMIDABLE SCULPTURE of Black Nationalist Marcus Garvey’s head is stationed out front of Hayward Gallery at Southbank Centre in London, announcing the first mid-career survey of Tavares Strachan (b. 1979). Born in the Bahamas and based in New York, Strachan’s ambitious practice celebrates overlooked Black history and important unsung heroes who have shaped ..read more

DAVID C. DRISKELL, “Five Blue Notes,” 1980 (painting, 22.50 x 29.50 inches). | Gift of Nene Humphrey from the Benny Andrews and Nene Humphrey Collection, 2010.06.020. © David C. Driskell / David C. Driskell Center, 2017, Photography by Greg Staley, 2018   AN ARTIST, CURATOR, AND SCHOLAR, David C. Driskell (1931-2020) is a foundational figure in African American art history and therefore, inherently, American art history. “David C. Driskell and Friends: Creativity, Collaboration, and Friendship” gathers works by Driskell and his “friends,” showcasing the depth and breadth of his influence ..read more

CAROLYN MAZLOOMI, “Hands Up…Don’t Shoot #2,” 2024 (poly-cotton fabric, cotton thread, cotton batting, fabric paint, 58 x 102 inches / 147.32 x 259.08 cm). | © Carolyn Mazloomi, Courtesy the artist and Claire Oliver Gallery   STORYTELLING, CRAFTSMANSHIP, and the often harsh realities of African American history co-exist in the work of Carolyn Mazloomi (b. 1948). A West Chester, Ohio-based artist, curator, and author, Mazloomi was an aerospace engineer before transforming her career. She first began quilting in the 1970s. Today, her quilt designs pay homage to legendary civil rights activis ..read more

Allison Glenn. | Photo by Grace Roselli   A NEW EXHIBITION opened this month in East Detroit. “In an effort to be held” at the Shepherd is presented by Library Street Collective and curated by Allison Glenn, a New York-based curator and writer. Featuring 26 artists, the group show focuses on experimentation with material and form in a variety of mediums. Masses of metal twisted and manipulated into anthropomorphic sculpture are on view with mixed-media, assemblage, and collage works, paintings and watercolors, works employing beeswax and resin, and others repurposing ordinary objects and ..read more

DEBORAH ROBERTS, “When you see me,” 2019 (mixed media and collage on canvas). | Dallas Museum of Art, TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art Fund, 2020.20. © Deborah Roberts. Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York   On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions   A GROUP OF SEVEN BOYS dressed in sweaters, collared shirts, and dress pants strides across the canvas in “When you see me” (2019), a large-scale collage painting by Deborah Roberts. The artist lives and works in Austin, Texas, and her practice focuses on perceptions of Black girls and boys. For many ..read more

ARTHUR JAFA, “Mickey Mouse was a Scorpio,” 2017 (chromogenic print mounted on aluminum, 52 × 83 inches / 132.1 × 210.8 cm). | Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Gift of Marilyn and Larry Fields, 2023.61. Photo by Fredrik Nilsen   A PROLIFERATION OF CELEBRATED Black contemporary artists focuses on figuration and portraiture and explores joy, leisure, and self-representation. Arthur Jafa (b. 1960) doesn’t do that. He has a very different take on examining the Black experience and attempting to embody Black experiences in his work. Jafa’s practice is an elegy on Black life, inter ..read more