*Historical records tied to generations of Black artists, educators, and cultural leaders are set to become more accessible through a new round of support from the Getty Foundation.
The organization has awarded $1.8 million to eight institutions as part of its ongoing Black Visual Arts Archives initiative, a program designed to improve access to collections that document Black artistic and cultural contributions, per the news release via Black PR Wire.
Several of the newly funded projects center on the work and legacy of Black women. At the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, archival materials connected to Atlanta arts figures Stephanie Hughley, Kathleen Joy Ballard Peters, and Mary Parks Washington will be digitized. The David C. Driskell Center is also advancing work related to Where We At Black Women Artists, Inc., a collective that supported artists including Faith Ringgold, Dindga McCannon, and Kay Brown.
The latest awards bring the initiative’s total funding to $4.5 million since its launch in 2022. Across the country, museums, universities, and libraries have received 20 grants through the program, which helps institutions organize, digitize, and share collections that might otherwise remain difficult for researchers and the public to access.
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“These grants will help cultural institutions across the country uncover an abundance of untold stories of Black creativity and resilience,” said Miguel de Baca, senior program officer at the Getty Foundation. “We can’t wait to see how these projects will make such inspiring collections more available to researchers and community members.”
Other recipients include Afro Charities, Inc.; the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History; Morgan State University’s Beulah M. Davis Special Collections Department; the South Side Community Art Center; and the University of Chicago’s South Side Home Movie Project.
At the University of Chicago, funding will support efforts to identify and digitize rare moving image materials documenting Black visual arts and cultural life on the city’s South Side during the mid-20th century. Meanwhile, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive will expand access to archival records connected to its renowned collection of quilts created by Black artists.
“Arriving as The Driskell Center marks its 25th anniversary, Getty’s grant secures the records that make Black art histories possible, ensuring they are preserved and widely accessible,” said Jordana Moore Saggese, director of The Driskell Center. “Through the processing and digitization of these vital collections, alongside a new digital platform for public access, the project extends David C. Driskell’s lifelong commitment to expanding who and what counts in American art.”
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