The Rockwell Museum in Corning, New York, is presenting 'Gateways: African American Art from the Key Collection,' an exhibition featuring over 75 works by 71 artists. Spanning painting, sculpture, photography, and works on paper, the show traces 150 years of African American artistic production from the late nineteenth century to the present. The works are drawn from the collection of curator and arts administrator Eric Key, highlighting artists who have shaped and redefined the American cultural landscape.
This exhibition matters because it arrives at a time when questions of representation, memory, and cultural inheritance are urgently contested. By foregrounding overlooked histories and the resilience of Black artists, 'Gateways' reframes identity and belonging, offering a vital passage into stories that continue to shape the present. It serves as both a historical survey and an act of reclamation, inviting viewers into a broader conversation about visibility and self-determination.