In recognition of Black History Month and the opening of Faith Ringgold: An American Artist this February, the Crocker will install a concurrent exhibition of recent acquisitions and promised gifts of art by African American artists. The title of the exhibition takes its name from the poem Still I Rise by acclaimed poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. As in Angelou’s poem, we honor the strength and resiliency of African Americans, elevating their voices and highlighting their contributions to art and the Museum’s growing collection.

The majority of artists featured in the exhibition are artists who worked from 1950 to the present day. The work of Romare Bearden, Beauford Delaney, Hayward Ellis King, Evangeline Juliet “EJ” Montgomery, Betye Saar, Sam Gilliam, Elizabeth Catlett, Norman Lewis, Richard Mayhew, Faith Ringgold, Alison Saar, Alma Woodsey Thomas, Allen Stringfellow, and Mickalene Thomas will all be represented in the exhibition.