National Portrait Gallery acquires Stephen Towns portrait of Joyce J Scott.
March 28, 2024
Eighth and G streets N.W., Washington, D.C. Smithsonian
Stephen Towns Studio and Goya Contemporary Gallery are pleased to jointly announce the National Portrait Gallery’s recent acquisition of Stephen Towns’ portrait of Baltimore artist Joyce J. Scott (b.1948, Baltimore, MD) painted by Baltimore artist Stephen Towns (b. 1980 Lincolnville, SC). The acquisition was made official in February 2024.
“I’m so honored to be the subject of Stephen’s painting, It’s just fabulous. I don’t even know what to say because it’s that good.” said Joyce J. Scott.
Download Full Press release Here
Chain Gang acquired and on view at The Wichita Art Museum
December 20, 2023 - December 20, 2025
1400 West Museum Boulevard Wichita, Kansas 67203
With the exhibition (im)permanent, The Wichita Art Museum (WAM) celebrates their prized permanent collection of more than 10,000 artworks. (im)permanent is an umbrella exhibition featuring a series of smaller, frequently changing exhibitions that focus on a specific theme, highlight a new acquisition, or take a deep dive into a period of American art. (im)permanent pairs WAM favorites with artworks that have been in storage for decades, these focused exhibitions explore the collection in fresh and dynamic ways.
The Chain Gang was purchased by the Wichita Art Museum, Museum Purchase, Burneta Adair Endowment Fund in 2023.
Hair Lessons acquired and on view at The Rockwell Museum
Winter 2023 - Summer 2024
The Rockwell Museum | 111 Cedar St, Corning, NY 14830
In his work, Towns often highlights common social activities in Black communities, such as women gathering to get ready for a special event. He portrays these everyday scenes on a grand scale, infusing them with importance and dignity. “Hair Lessons” depicts a scene of Black women doing hair in what Towns has identified as a church. This painting is based on a photograph by Charles “Tennie” Harris (1908-1998). For Towns, Harris’s photograph evokes sense memories from childhood when he went to the salon with his sisters. He remembers the smell of the salon, particularly of hair being pressed, and the conversations happening around him. The artist has imbued the feelings of that experience into his painting.
“Hair Lessons” joins Towns’s “I Am the Glory Print,” which was also acquired in 2022 and is currently on view in the “Heroes” Annual Theme exhibit.
Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures
March 24, 2023 – August 18, 2024
National Museum of African American History and Culture | 1400 Constitution Ave., NW. Washington, DC 4th Floor, Visual Art and the American Experience
Investigating Afrofuturist expression through art, music, activism and more, this exhibition explores and reveals Afrofuturism’s historic and poignant engagement with African American history and popular culture. From the enslaved looking to the cosmos for freedom to popular sci-fi stories inspiring Black astronauts, to the musical influence of Sun Ra, OutKast, Janelle Monae, P-Funk and more, this exhibition covers the broad and impactful spectrum of Afrofuturism. A highlight of the exhibition is the Black Panther hero costume worn by the late Chadwick Boseman. The Black Panther is the first superhero of African descent to appear in mainstream American comics, and the film itself is the first major cinematic production based on the character.
The exhibition also utilizes select objects to elevate stories that speak to Black liberation and social equality, such as Trayvon Martin’s flight suit from Experience Aviation, and his childhood dream of being an astronaut. Learn more here
Reckoning: Protest. Defiance. Resilience.
September 10, 2021 – Ongoing
National Museum of African American History and Culture | 1400 Constitution Ave., NW. Washington, DC 4th Floor, Visual Art and the American Experience
My series An Offering has been acquired by the National Museum of African American History and Culture and is being exhibited in Reckoning. Located in the museum’s Visual Art and the American Experience space, the exhibition explores the Black Lives Matter movement, violence against African Americans, and how art depicts Black resistance, resilience, and protest. The newly acquired portrait of Breonna Taylor painted by renowned artist Amy Sherald is on view in the exhibition until May and is buttressed by 27 newly exhibited images and artwork by Stephen Towns, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Sheila Pree Bright, Bisa Butler, Shaun Leonardo, David Hammons, and many more. For more info, visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s website.