African Diaspora

Although there were earlier museums devoted to African American culture, the creation of the Studio Museum in Harlem in 1968 had special significance. In part this was due to its Harlem location, but it was also on account of its emphasis on art rather than history.

As we searched our inventory for something special for Black History Month, the catalogue for Richard Powell’s 1989 exhibition “The Blues Aesthetic: Black Culture and Modernism” provided the necessary inspiration. Gallery 98 has assembled a collection of related ephemera.

Explore art ephemera from the final decades of the 20th century, reflecting the heightened self-awareness and demands for political change that shaped the multicultural art world.

What makes for a collectible gallery announcement card? The key quality is a powerful iconic image by a well-known artist that evokes the concerns of the particular time the exhibition took place.