Black Art Month

As of this writing, it's the middle of March, and Black History Month 2026 is a fleeting memory in the midst of the deluge of world events that have happened since. But since this is an art blog and I get to discuss any art-related topics, I choose now to discuss what is colloquially called Black Art.

Calling it 'Black Art' assigns a label I'd rather not use; in an ideal world, we would just refer to it as art. Unfortunately, we live in a time and society (no Joker meme implied), where there's an extremely annoying tendency to label everything.

And again, unfortunately, there has long been the tendency to distinguish art and black art.

Ironically, using this label might actually be beneficial. Black artists were not always recognized or included in discussions, so they frequently had to reclaim the narrative by creating spaces for themselves, both figuratively and literally. In fact, this isn't the first time I've explored black art here and the inspiration that the so-called larger art society has taken from it. My post, Does Black Art Matter? discusses the inspiration that 'mainstream' artists like Pablo Picasso have found in so-called Black art, and my post So What Is Afro Surrealism? breaks down the types of art that may fall into this category, and some of my own art could be described as this as well. Consider this painting called simply, Freedom, inspired by the great Salvador Dali's work.

Freedom, oil on canvas, 2008

Historically, Black artists have frequently encountered difficulties in being showcased in galleries, museums, and similar venues. Take Jacob Lawrence, for example. Even his Wikipedia page doesn't emphasize his art as much as it does for 'mainstream' artists.

Portrait of Jacob Lawrence 1941

Pictured below is one of his favorites of mine, The Shoemaker

The Shoemaker, 1945

Lawrence's art is important because of the narrative voice of his work, which told the story of the everyday lives of African Americans, depicted in images like the Shoemaker as well as in his Migration series (originally called The Migration Of The Negro) which consists of 60 panels.

Migration Series panel 1

Although Black art has been relegated to the footnotes of art history, a full picture of our society and culture is incomplete without its contribution.

Then there's the art of Kerry James Marshall, who painted figures so unapologetically black that they were almost impossible to ignore.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self by Kerry James Marshall, 1980

And perhaps that's the point - these artists and so many others like them took control of the narrative, shifting the label from a constraint into something to be claimed.

So yeah, labels can be limiting. They can oversimplify. And they can be...annoying.

But they can also clarify.

When viewed this way, “Black art” is not a constraint—it's an acknowledgement. A way of saying: this work comes from a particular history, a particular experience, a particular way of seeing the world.

Now, go out and appreciate some Black Art. Until next time.