The Bo Bartlett Center in Columbus, Georgia, is hosting the exhibition "We Are the Drum and the Scribe: Black Art In America Collection" from January 20 to May 16. The show features over 40 works from the private collection of Najee & Seteria Dorsey and Black Art In America (BAIA), including pieces by Kerry James Marshall, Wadsworth Jarrell, David Driskell, and contemporary artists like Dr Fahamu Pecou and Alfred Conteh. A public reception is scheduled for February 19th.
The exhibition matters because it positions BAIA as both a preserver and amplifier of Black artistic expression, addressing historical exclusion from mainstream art institutions. By showcasing a diverse range of Black artists across generations, the show challenges the "vacuum in the image bank" identified by Kerry James Marshall and underscores the crucial role of Black collectors in safeguarding cultural legacy. It arrives amid ongoing efforts by museums to rectify gaps in representation, making it a timely affirmation that Black stories belong at the center of American art history.