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Through Sunday Only at the NGA: ‘Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955-1985’

By The Georgetowner • January 5, 2026 0 62

Grace Jones, New York City. Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955-1985

By Ryan Allen

The countdown has begun – only three days left to catch the National Gallery of Art’s impressive “Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955-1985” exhibition. The show features approximately 150 works by more than 100 artists, anchored by a stellar selection of photographs alongside graphic and mixed media pieces. Organized thematically, the exhibition traces how photography functioned as both an artistic and political tool during the Black Arts Movement. This cultural movement flourished in the 1960s-70s, using art rooted in Black identity and political self-determination as a tool for empowerment and social change. Don’t miss this opportunity for a strong start to your 2026 cultural calendar!

And as a last-minute bonus, featured photographer Ming Smith will be present for an in-person Artist Talk this coming Sunday (aka closing day), 12 to 1pm in the East Building Auditorium.

A photo gallery of works in the exhibit can be found below:

: Mother’s Day, 1962. From the series “Born Hip”. Gelatin silver print. 17.5 × 13.3 cm (image/paper); 30.3 × 23.3 cm (mount). Gift of the Illinois Arts Council. 2017.443

: Raphael Albert (1935-2009) archive 1960 -1980, including beauty pageants such as Miss Black and Beautiful and Miss West Indies in Great Britain; as well as documentary photographs and family portraits of the local community in West London.

: Rhythmic Cigarettes, Greenwich Village, New York; Albert Fennar (American, 1938 – 2018); New York, New York, United States; 1965; Gelatin silver print; 15.5 × 22.5 cm (6 1/8 × 8 7/8 in.); 2022.50.4; In Copyright (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/)

: Charles “Teenie” Harris (American, 1908-1998);Image from Sylvania television screen of woman wearing sleeveless patterned dress, holding hand to ear and microphone to man wearing dark suit, standing in front of crowd, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in Washington D.C.;August 28, 1963;black-and-white: Kodak safety film;overall: 4 × 5 in. (10.2 × 12.7 cm);Heinz Family Fund;2001.35.58721

: IMAGE WAS EITHER DIGITALLY CREATED (PHOTOGRAPHED USING A DIGITAL CAMERA), OR TRADITIONALLY CREATED (PHOTOGRAPHED USING A CAMERA AND FILM), USING A WET PROCESS, THEN SCANNED TO CREATE A DIGITAL FILE.

: James E. Hinton Mahalia Jackson Singing at Rally, Soldier Field, Chicago, 1963 1963 High Museum of Art © James E. Hinton

: Object No. L2023.20.3 C. Daniel Dawson (American, born 1943) Amiri #10, 1970 Gelatin silver print Sheet: 9 15/16”H × 7⅞”W (25.24 × 20 cm) Image: 8¾”H × 5⅞”W (22.23 × 14.92 cm) Image must be credited with the following collection and photo credit lines: Collection of Charles Daniel Dawson. Courtesy Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond.