Celebrating Black and African American Heritage
Honor the experiences and contributions of Black and African American people, including the celebrated artists and influential authors in The Huntington’s collections. Discover important artworks on view, learn about the research taking place throughout the institution, and explore the vast archive of stories and programming.
Black History Month is observed every February to honor the history, accomplishments, and contributions of African Americans. The celebration began as Negro History Week in 1926, established by American historian, author, and journalist Carter G. Woodson. He chose February because it is the birth month of both President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. In 1976, the event was expanded from a week to a monthlong celebration.
Current Exhibition
Betye Saar: Drifting Toward Twilight
Through Nov. 30, 2027 | Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art
Renowned American artist Betye Saar’s large-scale work Drifting Toward Twilight—recently commissioned by The Huntington—is a site-specific installation that features a 17-foot-long vintage wooden canoe and found objects, including birdcages, antlers, and natural materials harvested by Saar from The Huntington’s grounds.
Stories
A Trailblazing African American Artist and Printer
Grafton Tyler Brown was one of the few African American artists and printers in the American West during the 19th century. He broke barriers as an illustrator and lithographer, a business owner, and a landscape painter.
Thomas Young’s “Afro-American Freeman’s Light”
Thomas Young’s 1896 volume of original poems and songs is among the few books by African American authors to have been published in the American West before the 20th century. Young’s as-yet-unheard voice belongs to the longer tradition of Black literature and, more broadly, American literature.
Octavia E. Butler in Community, Then and Now
Octavia E. Butler was one of the foremost writers of speculative fiction. Her work and the story of her life compel us to reckon with power, leadership, creativity, human relationships, and the unknown possibilities that await us in the stars.
California School for the Blind Commission
In 1933, Sargent Johnson began a monumental architectural installation for the California School for the Blind in Berkeley. It was commissioned by the federally sponsored Public Works of Art Project—part of the New Deal.
Reflecting on Black Artistic Influence in California
During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ’60s, California was an important site of African American creativity, even in the face of intense discrimination. Black enclaves emerged as places where African American leaders, activists, writers, performers, and visual artists could build community and make professional connections.
Hilton Als in Conversation with Karen R. Lawrence
Hilton Als joined Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence in a conversation about his career as a critic and curator, the relationship between visual and textual forms, and the endless inspiration found in The Huntington’s collections.