African American Art History Initiative

Multi-Project Initiative

Making African American art history more visible to the public and accessible to the scholarly community worldwide

Black and white photograph of a shirtless Alvin Ailey wildly dancing with Carmen De Lavallade in striped costumes

Choreographer and activist Alvin Ailey in motion with dancer and actress Carmen De Lavallade, ca. 1950. Photograph by Howard Morehead. Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Made possible by the Ford Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Smithsonian Institution

Photo: Howard Morehead/ EBONY Collection

About

Goal

The African American Art History Initiative (AAAHI)—a program of the Getty Research Institute—focuses on the history, practices, and cultural legacies of artists of African American and African diasporic heritage. AAAHI aims to provide a more robust and accurate history of American art, one that will have a decisive impact on the narrative of global culture.

Outcomes

The initiative's major areas include archive and library acquisitions, research projects and academic outreach, interpretive programming, education, and cataloging.

Background

About this Initiative

The African American Art History Initiative (AAAHI) was established by the Getty Research Institute to create a center for the study of African American art. The initiative has several major areas of activity, including acquisitions in Special Collections and the Library, as well as newly-created oral histories. It supports the generation of new knowledge through institutional research projects, internships, and fellowships in the Scholars Program. The initiative’s work is disseminated through exhibitions, publications, and public programs, and through partnerships with institutions across the country.

Scholars Program

The Getty Scholars Program supports innovative research about art, conceived in the broadest terms, and its histories, by providing a locus for international scholars to forge collaborations across disciplines and professional practices. Each year the program accepts applicants under an annual theme, and under the umbrella of that theme, dedicated grants are available via the African American Art History Initiative (AAAHI). This residential program, which welcomed its first cohort of AAAHI scholars in fall 2021, provides financial support and housing to scholars who are expanding critical inquiry of African American art and its frameworks. As part of the scholar year cohort, AAAHI scholars have opportunities to present their research and receive feedback from an interdisciplinary group of peers. AAAHI scholars can also expect programming with Getty staff supporting the study of African American art.

We invite applications from scholars who focus on African American art and visual culture in all time periods and media and in a broad range of theoretical and methodological traditions. Projects that propose engagement with Getty’s growing collections of archival and primary source material related to African American art history are welcome. However, relevance to Getty holdings is not a project requirement. Applicants should indicate in their project proposal how their project would align with AAAHI's aim to make African American art history more visible to the public and accessible to the scholarly community worldwide.

Applications are accepted from early July through early October. See the Getty Scholars Program page for more information.

Grant Opportunity

Apply by October 1, 2024 for a residential grant for the 2025–2026 academic year

Apply Now

Projects in This Initiative

  1. Blondell Cummings: Dance as Moving Pictures

    Black and white photograph of person wearing light colored jumpsuit jumping in air with one leg bent and both arms up near head.

    Interdisciplinary look at the innovative work of choreographer and video artist Blondell Cummings

  2. Samella Lewis: World Building in African American Art History

    Black and white photograph of a female figure sitting on a chair in front of a chalkboard with a complicated line drawing of a color wheel, and various art works

    Bringing critical focus to the groundbreaking work of artist, curator, and scholar Samella Lewis

  3. From Vision to Archive: The Legacy of Paul R. Williams

    Williams sits behind a table and points something out on a 3D model of a house to another person sitting with his back to the camera.

    Bringing the work of this groundbreaking Southern California architect to the broader public

  4. Johnson Publishing Company Archive

    A woman wearing white shorts and t-shirt sits on the diving board of a backyard swimming pool.

    Celebrating and safeguarding a unique and precious record of American experience in the 20th century

Resources

News