Curator Rhinold Ponder discusses works by Wendell T. Brooks, part of Lewis Tanner Moore’s collection of Black artists

Join us this February as we explore Black history through the stories of Black creativity. From the many found in the State of the Arts archives, here are three featuring arts and cultural leaders who have made a lasting impact: Lonnie Bunch at the Smithsonian, and two collectors of history and art—Ralph S. Hunter, Sr. at the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey and Lewis Tanner Moore (1954-2024) and his iconic collection of Black artists.

In 2017, former and founding Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture Lonnie Bunch, a New Jersey native, gave us a tour. As President Obama has said, “What makes the museum so powerful and so visceral is that it’s the story of all of us, the folks whose names you never heard of, but whose contributions, days after day, decade after decade, combined to push us forward and the entire nation forward.”

Lonnie’s childhood experiences with racism in his New Jersey neighborhood led to questions that would go on to direct his life: “How does history shape the way people live, and how can I help people find a useful and usable history as they live their own lives today?” Lonnie’s work at the NMAAHC through 2019 offers a poetic trajectory and a lasting impact on those who have walked through those doors. Now, he serves as the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the first African American and the first historian to do so.

Heading to another iconic cultural institution, in this 2019 feature, we met Ralph E. Hunter, Sr. An avid collector of objects and art, his apartment was known as “The Museum.” Now, quite literally, his collection has a home in the museum he founded, the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey at the Noyes Arts Garage. In addition to an impressive permanent collection, the museum hosts exhibitions focusing on themes of civil rights, history, and culture.

As Ralph E. Hunter, Sr. invites us, “Come through and learn a lot about African American history. Not only in New Jersey—you gotta know that African American history is American history.”

Another advocate for Black artists, Lewis Tanner Moore‘s (1953-2024) collection was featured in a 2022 exhibition at the Arts Council of Princeton, co-curated by Rhinold Ponder and Judith Brodsky.

“We hope that others also take the mantle of capturing regional artists—particularly regional artists of color and regional women artists—and bring them to the fore so that people have a better understanding of these communities,” Rhinold Ponder noted. “But not only the communities—also, for Black folks and brown folks, of their humanity.”

The story of Black American art is rich and continually evolving. This month, and every month, get out and look at art. Create, immerse, and learn.

Take a look through our archives for more suggestions on places to visit and artists to follow!