Thanks to the renowned Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY, Black women have yet another reason to feel proud. Currently celebrating their 100th year, the historic space just opened Forging Ahead: Recent Acquisitions of Black Women Artists, celebrating and displaying contemporary artwork created by Black women. The transformative exhibition features paintings, textiles, collages, sculpture, photography and more from 21 artists, including powerhouses such as Simone Leigh, Tschabalala Self, Xenobia Bailey and Helina Metaferia. Forging Ahead will be open until March 27, 2027, in the Schomburg Center’s main and media galleries. Psst: There is zero admission cost as the Schomburg is a division of the New York Public Library system.

Since its inception, the Schomburg Center has been deeply committed to uplifting the collective cultural genius of the African Diaspora. However gender gaps still exist. To improve the fine arts landscape, curators in the Schomburg’s Art and Artifacts and Photographs and Prints Divisions are actively tackling the underrepresentation of Black women artists by intentionally acquiring brilliant contemporary works. It is exciting to witness these talented Black women artists receive their flowers—and their rightful place in history.

“Forging Ahead: Recent Acquisitions of Black Women Artists is exciting because it highlights the Schomburg Center’s efforts to address gender disparities in its collections while simultaneously celebrating the work of Black women artists,” said La Tanya Autry, Associate Curator, Photographs and Prints at the Schomburg Center. “As they insist on Black life, these artists also contend with historical erasure. Having their artworks in our collection strengthens the institution’s ability to support research of past, present, and future Black life.”

“Despite the disparity across museum collections, gallery representation and auction showings, Black women press on, progress, and create. We see you and honor your work here!”” said Tammi Lawson, Curator of Art and Artifacts at the Schomburg Center.  “It has been my intention to fortify our collections with artwork by Black women artists.”

Notable works include:

• Untitled (2023) by artist Simone Leigh
• The full Mitochondria series (2008 – 2016) and a selection from the White Shoes series by photographer Nona Faustine (1977–2025)
• Talking Women (1990), Rosemary Karuga (1928–2021)
• the oyster world cries out its pearls like tears (2021), Firelei Báez
• Out of Body (2020), by Tschabalala Self

In addition to the powerful Forging Ahead exhibit, the Schomburg offers other beautiful and enlightening reasons to pay the center a visit. For starters, the center is deeply rooted in the personal collection of Afro-Puerto Rican scholar and bibliophile Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, which was acquired by the NYPL in 1926. It laid the groundwork for the institution. Also, the ashes of legendary poet Langston Hughes are interred beneath a striking lobby floor mosaic—titled Rivers—which is a brass cosmogram inspired by his poetry. And lastly, an insider tip for those who enjoy a bit of retail therapy during their cultural excursions, The Schomburg Shop has a stylish curated selection of books, apparel and jewelry created by Black and Brown artists.

Author: Bridgette Bartlett Royall

Read the original article on Essence.