“Harlem of the West: Jazz, Bebop and Beatnik,” California African American Museum
Following are the LA museums that are dedicated to the African American experience, and a sampling of the museums that feature important African American exhibits.
“Harlem of the West: Jazz, Bebop and Beatnik.” San Francisco’s Fillmore District of the 1940s and ‘50s. Through Feb. 28
“After 1968: Contemporary Artists and the Civil Rights Legacy.” Explores the civil rights era through newly commissioned works by artists born after 1968. Through March 7.
“An Idea Called Tomorrow – 1.” Showcases works by 15 contemporary artists imagining what a civil future looks like. Through March 7.
“Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40 Years of Firsts.” Through June 6.
www.caamuseum.org
Housed in LA’s historic Fire Station 30, which opened in 1913 as one of Los Angeles’ two African American-only fire stations, its permanent collection includes a wide array of firefighting equipment including an 1890 horse-drawn wagon, photos, uniforms and memorabilia from LA and across the country.
www.aaffmuseum.org
The only museum of its kind west of the Mississippi River, MAAA operates solely on private and corporate donations.
“The Stuff of Dreams: A Collaboration of the Soul.” The stone sculptures of Stella Singleton-Jones, works of collage artist Jaami Abdul-Samad, and painter and mixed-media artist Rudolph Bent. Through April 30.
MAAA’s permanent collection includes paintings, masks, batiks, carvings and ceremonial objects from Africa, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, South America and the United States. Its permanent “Palmer Hayden Collection” showcases the life and works of this leading Harlem Renaissance artist.
www.maaala.org
The African American section in the Community Gallery includes an 1889 parade flag from the famed Buffalo Soldiers 9th Calvary Regiment along with a stereograph image of the regiment’s Troop A. The first African American singing cowboy and the first African American singing cowboy to play a leading good guy, Herb Jeffries, who is now in his 90s, is featured in the Imagination Gallery, which focuses on film, television and radio. Jeffries’ movie poster for Harlem Rides the Range (1938) and posters for The Crimson Skull (1921) and The Bulldogger (1922), both made by all Black crews and all Black casts and intended for segregated African American audiences are among the displays.
www.autrynationalcenter.org
“America I AM: The African American Imprint.” Celebrates nearly 500 years of African American contributions to the U.S. and the world, with artifacts, multimedia and programs. The exhibit includes the “door of no return,” personal artifacts and innovations of African American artists, activists and inventors; and key moments in the nation’s evolution. Through April 15.
Related “America I AM” exhibitions, programs and films are at partner institutions across LA, including the CAAM and the Skirball Cultural Center. Through April 15.
www.californiasciencecenter.org
“Art, Activism, Access: 40 Years of Ethnic Studies at UCLA.” Murals, graphic art, films, ephemera and photographs showcase the key role UCLA’s four Ethnic Studies centers including the Bunche Center for African American Studies have played in the nation’s ongoing struggle with diversity, access and inclusion. Feb. 28 – June 13.
“Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.” Displays outstanding examples of global artistic achievement primarily from Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Americas. Continuing.
www.fowler.ucla.edu
“Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1968.” Showcases nearly 170 images portraying historical turning points including the 1956 Montgomery bus boycott and the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Many have never before been publicly displayed. The Skirball has added a new section to this exhibit, which documents the struggle for civil rights in Los Angeles including the 1965 Watts Riots. Through March 7.
“An Idea Called Tomorrow - 2.” Celebrates individual responsibility in building a better tomorrow with commissioned works by 15 contemporary artists. Through March 7.
“Breach of Peace: Photographs of Freedom Riders by Eric Etheridge.” Displays 40 contemporary portraits of Freedom Riders, who in 1961, converged on Jackson, Mississippi to challenge state segregation laws; and explores their unique perspective on that historical period. Several photographs of the now senior citizens are displayed alongside their original police mug shots. Through May 9.
www.skirball.org
