Spring 2020

Theaster Gates: Black Image Corporation explores the legacy of the Johnson Publishing Company archive. Curated by artist Theaster Gates (born 1973, lives in Chicago), this exhibition features photographs by Moneta Sleet Jr. and Isaac Sutton, who were both renowned Johnson Publishing Company photographers. Gates reimagined and redeployed never-before-seen images of women from the company’s rich collection. In this participatory exhibition, visitors will be encouraged to freely handle this extensive visual archive and invited to engage directly with these compelling and varied representations depicting Black women in their everyday lives, historical moments, and studio settings. Click here for the press release.

Photo: Isaac Sutton, 1969. Courtesy Johnson Publishing Company Archive.

The Museum’s 2019 – 2020 exhibition season is made possible by