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.