The Mills College Art Museum in Oakland, California, has opened "100 Years of Creative Visions," a centennial exhibition running through April 26 that showcases major works from its permanent collection. The show highlights the museum's long history of supporting diverse artistic communities, featuring pieces such as Hung Liu's "White Rice Bowl" and works by Diego Rivera, Alfredo Ramos Martinez, and members of the f/64 photography group including Imogen Cunningham, Ansel Adams, and Tina Modotti. The exhibition emphasizes creative friendships and the museum's role as a laboratory for risk-taking, with artists like Young Suh and Weston Teruya discussing how the institution encouraged experimental approaches.
This exhibition matters because it underscores the Mills College Art Museum's pioneering commitment to diversity and inclusion since its founding by Albert Bender in the 1920s. At a time when Asian and Mexican cultures faced prejudice in the Bay Area, Bender actively collected and showcased art from those communities, making the museum the second in the U.S. to acquire a Diego Rivera painting. The centennial celebration also honors Hung Liu's legacy of mentoring women of color, reflecting the museum's ongoing dedication to uplifting underrepresented voices and fostering social justice dialogues through contemporary art.