Detail of El Anatsui's "Between Earth and Heaven" 2006
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Black History Month

Celebrate Black History Month through art, talks, and more.

See work by Black artists across the Museum.

John Wilson (American, 1922–2015). My Brother, 1942. Oil on panel, 12 x 10 5/8 in. (30.48 x 26.9875 cm). Smith College Museum of Art, Purchased, (SC 1943.4.1) Courtesy of the Estate of John Wilson

An overdue exploration of an artist who put humanity and justice at the center of his work.

Image with the text "Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room" and Roberto Lugo's "Queen Abolition"

Powered by Afrofuturism, this construction imagines what might have been, had Seneca Village been allowed to thrive into the present and beyond.

A mother and daughter sketching.

February 6
Draw inspiration from the exhibition Iba Ndiaye: Between Latitude and Longitude and create your own composition exploring gestural line, texture, and color layering.

: Ellen Morton Littlejohn (1826–1899) and Margaret Morton Bibb (ca. 1832–ca. 1900–1910). Quilt, Star of Bethlehem pattern variation, ca. 1837–50. Silk and cotton, 88 1/4 x 87 1/8 in. (224.2 x 221.3 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Roger Morton and Dr. Paul C. Morton, 1962 (62.144)

February 20
Explore the histories and significance of objects made by enslaved and free Black artists and craftspeople through presentations and conversation with a range of experts.

Kahil El'Zabar performs with Ethnic Heritage Ensemble at The Met, photo by Stephanie Berger

February 21
See visionary jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer Sir Kahil El’Zabar embark on a spiritual journey through time with his storied Ethnic Heritage Ensemble.

Photo of Trent Johnson courtesy of the artist

February 24
Listen to Trent Johnson play the Museum’s historic Appleton Organ. Trent Johnson is an organist at Radio City Music Hall in NYC, where he plays the "Mighty Wurlitzer" organ for the Christmas Spectacular Show.

An educator reads to a room full of children in The Met Cloisters.

Every Tuesday from February 3–24
Join Met educators for picture-book readings in English and Spanish connected to objects at The Met Cloisters and to our uptown community. Recommended for families with children ages 18 months to 6 years.

A family making art

February 15
Come ready to look, imagine, and create! Drop in for free, hands-on family fun.Take inspiration from The Met collection as you learn about Black inventors and create works of art.

Three teens walking down a hallway in The Met's Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education

February 20
Celebrate Black History Month with special programs and activities for teens ages 11–18.

Learn more about the Black artists that shaped art history through Perspectives.

John Wilson’s The Incident in Mexico City, 1952
Read

Discover how John Wilson’s depiction of violence towards Black families embodies systemic problems facing Black mothers in the United States.

Harlem Is Everywhere, A New Podcast from The Met
Listen

A podcast exploring the art, music, literature, and legacy of the Harlem Renaissance.

Left: Africa Fashion (London : V&A Publishing, 2022). Right: Shantrelle P. Lewis. Dandy Lion: The Black Dandy and Street Style (New York: Aperture, 2017)
Read

Learn about global perspectives on Black fashion and dandyism.

A detail of a book cover with the title "Afrofuturism The World of Black Sci-fi and Fantasy culture" in orange and yellow against a dark background.
Read

Explore Watson Library’s collection of Afrofuturist books.