“African Americans & The Arts” Exhibit

n alignment with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History’s 2024 Black History Month festival theme, Petaluma Blacks for Community Development presents African Americans and the Arts, an exhibition. The exhibition celebrates African American expression across several genres, including music, dance, literature, film, architecture, and the visual arts.

African Americans and the Arts showcase local contemporary artists Denise Ward and Orin Carpenter, and will also highlight the artistic achievements of acclaimed African American painters across the decades, including Joshua Johnson, Alma Thomas, and Faith Ringgold. The exhibition also highlights the accomplishments of award-winning science fiction writer Octavia Butler, groundbreaking dancer Misty Copeland, pioneering architect Norma Merrick Sklarek, and lauded filmmaker Spike Lee.

Additionally, the exhibition will recognize the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and honor the contributions of numerous Black American musicians.