Exhibitions at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art highlight Black history

There are dozens of images inside the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford captured by Connecticut students. 

“They spent about 12 weeks making a portfolio of work and this is the result of that,” programs manager Bethani Blake said. 

The images are part of the collection “There is Always Something Left to Love.” The contemporary work was created by students in Hartford and surrounding towns through The Amistad Center’s SNAP! Photography teen program. 

It’s one of two exhibits at the museum that pay homage to Black history.

“We have themes of home, categorized into family, faith, agency, and place. Based on the question, what is home to you, we asked what they felt home was, and they formed these categories and made work around this,” Blake said.

“There is Always Something to Love” is open through Feb. 11.

Upstairs, the second exhibition is called “Love Overflowing: Home and the Decor of Freedom.” The artwork highlights notable Black Americans and how they used their homes to reflect on their achievements.

“We are excited about the exhibition because it is a chance to imagine future representation for Black families and Black design,” curator at-large Frank Mitchell said.

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On Friday morning, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz toured both exhibitions to kick off Black History Month celebrations.

“There are amazing works of art, by Black photographers and this is something you don’t normally see in museums,” Bysiewicz said. 

One of the most eye-catching pieces and a place where people can take selfies is the Ebony Test Kitchen replica. The wallpaper was known for being inside the historic Johnson publishing building in Chicago, where the Ebony Magazine was produced.

“As sort of as an iconic site, that nurtured people’s understanding of the value of home and kitchen, and culinary practice as it emerged in the 20th century,” Mitchell said.

 “Love Overflowing: Home and the Décor of Freedom” is open through May 12.