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Dubbed as the second Harlem renaissance. On New York City's 125th Street, where a statue of Adam Clayton Powell Jr marches onwards and upwards, the atmosphere is buzzing with bustle and buzz.

A Community in Transformation

The celebrated Apollo Theater is in the middle of major renovations. The National Black Theatre is preparing to move into an $80M arts complex spanning a entire block. Additionally, another organization recently opened a $250 million building containing its main offices, low-income residences and commercial areas.

“This building says to the world: Harlem matters; Black art matters; Black institutions matter,” stated the chairman of the governing board. “It will serve as a beacon on 125th Street, a place where creativity and community meet.”

Historical Foundation

This institution was founded by artists, activists, donors and community members to confront the systemic exclusion of African American artists from established museums. Its debut in a rented loft above an off-licence in 1968, a traumatic year of assassinations, uprisings and societal transformation.

“This moment feels what it must have felt like when it all started,” reflected a museum leader. “The museum was born in a time of change. The country was divided. People were marching. Artists were demanding to be recognized.”

Building Design

The new $160M structure covers 82,000 square feet across seven levels. Designed by design teams, the building constitutes the first custom-designed home for the institution and almost doubles its gallery and activity areas.

The facility includes exhibition spaces, an large entrance hall, adaptable event areas, a dedicated education workshop, a coffee shop and retail store, plus a open-air deck with sweeping urban vistas. An impressive staircase, clad in terrazzo, fills the main atrium space.

Collection Highlights

The opening exhibition schedule reflects the museum's past, present and future with several key shows. One exhibition features the first institutional career survey of innovative creator Tom Lloyd, whose illuminated works appeared in the institution's first show.

• An artist's 1969 abstract Trane pays respect to jazz legend
• Another prominent artist's Silence Is Golden confronts invisibility and Black representation
• Jean-Michel Basquiat's significant painting features vigorous marks and fragments of collage
• Faith Ringgold's initial narrative textile captures her community in both celebratory and elegiac tones

Cultural Significance

The institution's opening feels especially meaningful during a time when inclusion programs, cultural institutions and the way African American history is told face increased scrutiny. New York has just chosen a mayor who embodies the city's cultural diversity, and this neighborhood has a special ability for making renaissance resemble defiance.

“Harlem has always been evolving,” commented a longtime director. “It's a district that has been changing since it was established. But this area has also been a neighbourhood where African American culture has flourished.”

The museum honors its influential artist-in-residence programme with an former residents exhibition including notable names such as contemporary portraitist, mixed-media artist and Titus Kaphar. The display combines new commissions with older artworks spanning multiple decades.

Continuing Mission

Including recent acquisitions are sound-based works and sculptural pieces. Seven bronze time capsules created by artist Houston Conwill contain private statements by seven distinguished Black Americans, originally buried in the institution's outdoor space in the mid-1980s and now exhibited with plans to be unveiled in the year 2034.

Visitors can explore an archival presentation of photographs and memorabilia documenting the museum's history through its shows, events and programmes over almost sixty years. This rich history includes notable occasions ranging from royal visits to community performances that together demonstrate the institution's enduring impact.