There is a Woman in Every Color: Black Women in Art

There Is a Woman in Every Color: Black Women in Art, organized by the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, examines Black women’s representation in American art over the past two centuries. The exhibition features more than forty works, including art by luminaries such as Alma Thomas, Carrie Mae Weems, Betye Saar, Faith Ringgold, Kara Walker, and Mickalene Thomas. 

There Is a Woman in Every Color is organized in six thematic sections. "Patterns of Visibility" explores the foundational issue of visual representations of Black women from the 19th century to the present. Works in "Classical Beauty" consider the ways in which some artists have fetishized the Black female body and others have represented Black women's bodies on their own terms. "Labor Force" and "Documented Histories" look at the lived experiences of Black women as captured in photography and material culture. "Influential Literature" and "Artistic Exploration" focus on modern and contemporary works by Black women artists.

There Is a Woman in Every Color confronts the history of marginalization and makes visible the presence of women of color in the history of American art. We invite you to participate by joining us for a number of public programs that engage and expand on the themes of the exhibition. Click below to find a list of events associated with There Is a Woman in Every Color. Educators will also find gallery activity guides that use the works in this exhibition to deepen student engagement with course content in a variety of disciplines. 

Image above: Mickalene Thomas, Tell Me What You're Thinking (detail), 2016, chromogenic print. Collection of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.