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Celebrating Black history through the power of art

At the Dixon, Black Artists in America explores African American art from 1976–2000, with 50+ works showing how Black artists documented history as it unfolded.

Community Spotlight

Published: February 5, 2026

During Black History Month, we’re reminded that art is one of the most powerful ways to understand history—not just as something that happened, but as something lived, questioned, and shaped in real time. Black artists have long used creative expression to document injustice, celebrate identity, and respond to moments that redefine our nation.

Mid-Southerners have a chance to experience that perspective firsthand at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens with Black Artists in America: From the Bicentennial to September 11. This exhibition traces African American art from 1976 to the dawn of the new millennium, bringing together more than fifty works by artists whose lives span Jim Crow, the civil rights movement, and the evolving struggles for racial justice. From established giants like Romare Bearden and Elizabeth Catlett to boundary-pushing voices like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Carrie Mae Weems, the show reveals how Black artists have interpreted history as it unfolded.

A vibrant collage depicts three musicians in colorful clothing playing instruments—guitar, banjo, and saxophone—against a patchwork background of houses and greenery, evoking a lively, joyful atmosphere.

On February 8, curator Dr. Earnestine Jenkins will also present a lecture highlighting Memphis’s own rich Black artistic legacy—connecting national history to our local story. Learn more at Dixon.org.