By HWM

The Studio Museum in Harlem is continuing its spring programming with a series of events and exhibitions exploring Black identity, memory, spirituality, and creative expression.

One of the featured events this month is “Studio Salon: When Home Is a Photograph,” taking place May 17 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The conversation celebrates the release of scholar Leigh Raiford’s new book, “When Home Is a Photograph: Blackness and Belonging in the World,” published by Duke University Press.

Raiford will appear alongside cultural critic and writer Salamishah Tillet to discuss how Black people have used photography as a tool for belonging, identity, and home-making. The book examines the work of Black-American activists and artists while exploring the emotional and political role photography can play in shaping personal histories.

The museum is also expanding its interactive programming through a pair of writing workshops led by author and scholar Aimee Meredith Cox.

The first session, hosted May 14 at The Museum of Modern Art, centers on artworks featured in Gallery 510: “Looking for Langston.” According to organizers, the workshop will incorporate Black feminist themes alongside guided meditation, conscious breathing, movement exercises, and both structured and free-form writing prompts.

A second Writing Club session will take place May 28 at the Studio Museum, allowing participants to engage directly with exhibitions and artwork currently on display.

Throughout May, the museum is also continuing its popular “Studio Sundays” series every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The weekly programming includes family gallery tours, storytime, art-making workshops, talks, and exhibition tours designed for visitors of all ages.

Several major exhibitions remain on view this season.

“Fade,” the sixth installment in the museum’s acclaimed “F” exhibition series, features work from 17 artists responding to social and political upheaval through spirituality, surrealism, and nonlinear ideas of time.

Another featured installation, “BLEED” by artist Kapwani Kiwanga, draws inspiration from quilting traditions and the symbolism woven into textile patterns. The installation uses fugitive dyes that gradually change over time, turning the artwork itself into a visual record of impermanence and transformation.

Meanwhile, the exhibition “Small-Scale” highlights intimate works from the museum’s permanent collection, challenging the notion that artistic importance must come in monumental form.

The museum’s reinstalled permanent works also include recognizable pieces by artists such as David Hammons, Glenn Ligon, and Houston E. Conwill.

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