Jacob Lawrence, Memorabilia, 1990, lithograph. Museum purchase with funds from the Binghamton Fund (2021.17)

Building on the successful exhibition in Fall 2023 of artwork by African American artist Ed Wilson (1925–96) and other works by Black artists in the permanent collection, the Binghamton University Art Museum is partnering with the Binghamton Philharmonic for a program entitled Classically Black: Great Music by African American Composers. During the 2024-25 academic year, 3000 elementary and middle school students in Greater Binghamton will have lessons that pair Black composers and artists. In February, Black History Month, students and their chaperones will attend a performance of music by Black composers and view a pop-up exhibition of artwork by Black artists from the BUAM. This collaborative outreach program with the Binghamton Philharmonic is designed to make select original works of art from the collection more accessible to the community, thereby facilitating intimate interactions with art. The program allows for learners to explore the relationships between Black artists and their communities through works on paper by Romare Bearden, LaToya Hobbs and Jacob Lawrence, as well as a sculpture by Ed Wilson. 

The goal of this project is to expose up to 3000 school children and their chaperones and 900 Binghamton Philharmonic patrons to works of art by Black creators and addresses the need for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), namely of African American creators, in the performing and visual arts.

Generous funding for this university and community collaborative project is provided by the Stephen David Ross University and Community Projects Fund.

For more information, contact Amanda Lynn, BUAM Coordinator of Education and Public Programs, at alynn1@binghamton.edu.