Sited in the new artist in residence studios and lounge, this installation recognizes the enduring impact of the Museum’s signature Artist-in-Residence program. Nearly all former artists in residence are represented through a combination of newly commissioned works on paper, objects from the Museum’s collection, and art on loan from friends and family.

Proposed as a founding initiative in 1968, the Artist-in-Residence program has earned the Studio Museum in Harlem recognition for its catalytic role in advancing the work of visual artists of African and Afro-Latinx descent. Envisioned by artist William T. Williams as an “intimate community of artists working and learning from each other,” the program, launched in 1969, was one of three founding initiatives, alongside the Film Unit and the Studio Program. At the time, participants in the program were asked to lead workshops and host open studios to encourage experimentation and collaboration with the people of Harlem and local artists. In the 1980s, under the directorship of Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, the Museum formally exhibited artwork made by the artists in residence in a culminating exhibition, accompanied by a short publication. At its core, the residency program offers artists an unparalleled opportunity to develop their practice from within the Studio Museum’s walls. With Harlem as a backdrop and inspiration, the program includes studio spaces for artists to work, exhibit, and engage with visitors in one of the most important historical centers for Black cultural production. As the only initiative from the Museum’s formation that remains active to this day, the Artist-in-Residence program is central to the institution’s mission and has supported over 150 artists since its inception.

Gesturing toward the future of this program and the artists who will soon occupy this space, the residency’s alumni were asked to reflect on their time at the Studio Museum when making new work for this presentation. Seen together, these artists’ memories and impressions form a visual narrative not only of the history of this program but of the Museum itself.

Exhibiting artists include Raúl Acero, Manuel Acevedo, Terry Adkins, Mequitta Ahuja, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Elia Alba, Francisco Alvarado-Juárez, Candida Alvarez, Nicole Awai, Xenobia Bailey, Sadie Barnette, Sheila Batiste, Kevin Beasley, Sanford Biggers, Bright Bimpong, Willie Birch, Terry Boddie, Chakaia Booker, James Andrew Brown, Charles R. Burwell, Carole Byard, Bernard Cameron, Jordan Casteel, Vladimir Cybil Charlier, June Clark, LeRoy Clarke, Gregory Coates, Willie Cole, Bethany Collins, Brett Cook, william cordova, Ada Pilar Cruz, sonia louise davis, C. Daniel Dawson, Nadine DeLawrence-Maine, Louis Delsarte, Abigail DeVille, Leonardo Drew, James Dupree, David Fludd, Paul C. Gardère, Justin George, Cameron Granger, Deborah Grant, Renée Green, Rashawn Griffin, Lauren Halsey, Allison Janae Hamilton, Russell M. Hamilton, David Hammons, Ranu Harding, Kira Lynn Harris, Maren Hassinger, Cynthia Hawkins, Janet O. Henry, Leslie Hewitt, EJ Hill, Candace Hill-Montgomery, Jacqui Holmes Calhoun, Jibade-Khalil Huffman, Walter C. Jackson, E. Jane, Noah Jemison, Steffani Jemison, Titus Kaphar, Lauren Kelley, John Kendrick, Autumn Knight, Simone Leigh, Richard Lewis, Eric N. Mack, Kerry James Marshall, Jacob Mason-Macklin, Valerie Maynard, Dave McKenzie, Jerome Meadows, Julie Mehretu, Jeffrey Meris, Wardell Milan, Adia Millett, Tyrone Mitchell, Meleko Mokgosi, Devin N. Morris, Petrona Morrison, Sana Musasama, Wangechi Mutu, Marilyn Nance, Floyd Newsum, Senam Okudzeto, Demetrius Oliver, Karyn Olivier, Clifford Owens, Jennifer Packer, Lee Paté, Kamau Amu Patton, Malcolm Peacock, Adam Pendleton, Dawit L. Petros, Julia Phillips, James Phillips, Naudline Pierre, Valerie Piraino, Zoë Pulley, Michael Richards, Elliot Reed, Tanea Richardson, Bob Rivera, Andy Robert, Nadine Robinson, Marc Andre Robinson, Jorge Luis Rodriguez, John Rozelle, Alison Saar, Eve Sandler, Jacolby Satterwhite, Tschabalala Self, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Xaviera Simmons, Sable Elyse Smith, Aj Smith, Lloyd H. Stevens, Frank Stewart, Michelle Talibah, Texas Isaiah, Mickalene Thomas, Julio Valdez, William Villalongo, Leon Waller, Nari Ward, Cullen Washington Jr., Stephanie Weaver, Charisse Pearlina Weston, Kehinde Wiley, Michael Kelly Williams, Grace Williams, Qualeasha Wood, Saya Woolfalk, and Christopher Wynter.