African American Heritage Month

In 1759, the Diamond sailed to unspecified ports in the Americas, Jamaica, Panama, Colombia, and more unspecified destinations in what was then known as the Spanish Caribbean, embarking and disembarking human cargo as part of the slave trade. The Diamond serves as an entry point into a discussion of the movement of Africans and African-descended captives to the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea-bordered regions, the ocean memory of those human cargo lost to the voyages through the Americas, and how that loss reverberates into the present.

Stream films on Kanopy or Hoopla, both on-demand streaming film services. They both have an extensive library of African American cinema and documentaries that are free with your Los Angeles City or Los Angeles County library card.

kanopy.com/en/category/40898?frontend=kui

 hoopladigital.com

Michael Jackson’s fashion sense has always been iconic. Our display of original artifacts on loan from the Michael Jackson estate showcases memorable pieces, including beaded jackets Jackson wore during the Jacksons’ 1984 Victory tour. Also featured is our original short film about making Jackson’s Thriller music video.

Sundays & Mondays, Wednesdays – Fridays 11:00 noon – 5:00 p.m.
Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Explore 30 years of music history, from blues, folk, and rock ‘n’ roll to hip-hop and alternative music, through the lens of photographer Jay Blakesberg. Featuring more than 150 photographs shot on film between 1978 and 2008, Retro Blakesberg captures three decades of pivotal moments in music history. The dynamic exhibit showcases multiple genres and iconic musicians, ranging from Snoop Dogg, B-40, and Bob Dylan to PJ Harvey, Pearl Jam, and the Grateful Dead.

Imagining Black Diasporas: 21st-Century Art and Poetics fi nds aesthetic connections among 60 artists working in Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The exhibition and its catalog are among the first to examine nearly a quarter century of production by Black artists. The project debuts new acquisitions for LACMA and expands the Pan-African exhibition canon, historically focused on the Black Atlantic, by showcasing artists working along the Pacific Rim.

Luther Vandross: Artistry and Elegance celebrates the extraordinary life and legacy of Luther Vandross, an eight-time Grammy winner, revered songwriter, arranger, producer, performer, and one of the most gifted vocalists in music history. The exhibit offers an intimate glimpse into Vandross’ creative process and showcases his ornate stage wardrobe, exclusive performance footage from his popular tours, and a never-before-heard recording of him in the studio.

The exhibition Alice Coltrane, Monument Eternal is inspired by the life and legacy of jazz musician, devotional leader, and mother Alice Coltrane. The title takes its name from her book Monument Eternal (1977), which reflected her newfound spiritual beliefs, the loss of her husband, the saxophonist John Coltrane, and the path to healing and self-discovery. The exhibition presents work by contemporary American artists paired with ephemera from Coltrane’s personal archive.

This moving, seminal visual arts project was conceptualized and developed by the Watts Towers Arts Center Director, Rosie Lee Hooks, who commissioned 13 artists from the community to use shovels as a canvas to honor the legacy of our ancestors. Each of the world-renowned master artists who accepted the challenge has a history of building art institutions in Watts and in the greater Los Angeles area.

This installation features some of the many forms incarceration has taken in the American West over time, in conversation with a new photo series taken in a California state prison by fine art photographer Pep Williams. Located in the jail cell area of the Autry’s firearms galleries, the installation brings past and present into dialogue.

Adults – $14, Students (with current ID) and Seniors (60+) – $10, Children (3–12) – $6

Tuesdays – Fridays 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Saturdays – Sundays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.