09/08/2026
Without HBCUs, the fruit of Black visual art legacies might have died on the vine. Early on, fostering Black art and sustaining its legacy became a part of the educational mission of many HBCUs. By adding art classes to their curriculum, they gave students access to this vital form of creative expression. By exhibiting and collecting art, they ensured African American contributions to the American art canon.
Clark Atlanta University began exhibiting and collecting art in 1942, providing much-needed exposure and resources to Black artists nationally. Between 1942 and 1970, Atlanta University held a juried annual art exhibition on its campus.
Segregation policies, discriminatory policies, and a lack of understanding of African American aesthetics and culture limited Black visual artists’ opportunities to exhibit their work in many American museums. The Atlanta University Annuals encouraged Black creative aspirations, becoming an important southern hub for people to view and learn more about Black art. The brainchild of faculty artist Hale Woodruff, the “Exhibition of Paintings by Negro Artists of America,” also awarded cash prizes. The university acquired prize-winning works, establishing a crucial record of Black art.
“At The Vanguard: Making and Saving History at HBCUs” weaves together stories of ingenuity, artistry, persistence, and resistance through the transformative world of HBCUs. You can see it at Clark Atlanta University Art Museum starting Thursday, September 17!
“At the Vanguard” is a collaboration between the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. It is part of the HBCU History and Culture Access Consortium Initiative made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and a bequest from Dr. Beryl Carter Rice.
📷: Collection of the Clark Atlanta University Museum or AUC: Robert W. Woodruff Library
