Art as Anchor
Art as Anchor: The Milwaukee Public Library and the Black Arts Movement
Launching on Juneteenth Day, 2025, a new art installation at the Central Library and new digital collection honor the legacy of Milwaukee's Black Arts Movement and the anchor role played by the Milwaukee Public Library.
Featuring original work by luminaries of the Milwaukee Black Arts Movement from the Milwaukee Public Library Artwork Collection, the “Art as Anchor” installation celebrates artists of Milwaukee’s Black Arts Movement and calls attention to the Milwaukee Public Library’s role as an anchor for the movement. An important Black artists’ association, the Central City Artists & Craftsmen Association ‘Freewheelers,’ made their home at the Martin Luther King Library in the 1970s and 80s, and the Milwaukee Public Library was a frequent host of art fairs, exhibitions, and workshops which helped knit together the Black Arts Movement in Milwaukee.
The exhibit features the following works:
- Untitled (acrylic on illustration board, n.d.) by Richard T. Overton (American, 1913-2010)
- Untitled (pastel on paper, n.d.) by Richard T. Overton (American, 1913-2010)
- Untitled (acrylic and colored pencil on illustration board, n.d.) by Richard T. Overton (American, 1913-2010)
- Brothers (charcoal on paper, 1994) by Sylvester S. Sims (American, 1928-2012)
- Girl Reading (carved ebony, mahogany, and teak, 1981) by Edgar J. Jeter (1934-2004)
- Red Tropical Circle (Milwaukee Conservatory) (tinted photograph, n.d.) by Frank “Frankie B.” Cole (American, b. 1944)
- Pride of the Bamboo Forest (acrylic, pen, and ink on paper, 1977) by Gerald D. Coleman (American, b. 1948)
- Roz (lithograph on paper, 1981) by William J. Christian (American, 1932-1994)
The installation is on view at the Central Library, on the 2nd floor display hallway off Main Street. Explore the digital catalog for the exhibit here.
Digital Collection: The Milwaukee Black Arts Movement
A new digital collection brings together one-of-a-kind resources about the Milwaukee Black Arts Movement from across Milwaukee Public Library collections. Featuring original artwork, artist interviews, manuscript material, and photographs, the collection offers a unique window into the artists, institutions, and range of vision that grounded the Black Arts Movement in Milwaukee and enriched Wisconsin art. Explore the Milwaukee Black Arts Movement digital collection to learn more, and browse additional related material in this booklist.
Related Artwork
Significant related artwork by local artists of color is on view across the Milwaukee Public Library System. Representative work is on view at the Central, Center Street, Atkinson, Martin Luther King, East, Good Hope, and Villard Square libraries. Among the artists represented are Ammar Nsoroma, Reynaldo Hernandez, Prophet William J. Blackmon, Charly Palmer, Evelyn Patricia Terry, and Rosemary Ollison. Learn more here.
Programming
Stay tuned to our Events page for upcoming programming opportunities in connection with the exhibit.