Valerie Mercer, the lead curator of African American art at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), has spent over two decades building a collection that now includes more than 700 works. Last fall, the museum unveiled a major reinstallation titled "Reimagine African American Art," moving African American art from scattered locations to the heart of the institution, near Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry Murals. The rehang traces a lineage from 19th-century painters like Robert S. Duncanson to modern innovators like Sam Gilliam, covering key cultural movements such as the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement.
This reinstallation matters because it represents a permanent structural commitment to centering African American art within the museum's narrative of American culture, correcting decades of marginalization. Mercer's methodical acquisitions and curatorial vision have transformed a thinly represented area into a defining strength, making a powerful case that a complete history of American art must include African American artists. The shift also aims to better engage Detroit's large African American community, addressing historical gaps in both the collection and museum attendance.