Podcast Summary: “History of The Studio Museum”

All Of It with Alison Stewart, WNYC — November 17, 2025

Overview of the Episode

This episode celebrates the highly anticipated reopening of the Studio Museum in Harlem after nearly eight years of renovation and expansion. Host Alison Stewart brings together guests Dr. Salamisha Tillett (Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and Rutgers University Newark professor) and Alex Greenberger (Art News senior editor) to discuss the museum’s rich history, its pivotal role in the art world, key artworks in the reopening exhibition, and its enormous significance for Black artists and the Harlem community. The episode is lively and inclusive, interspersed with listener calls and reflections from artists connected to the museum.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Studio Museum’s Grand Reopening

• The museum has reopened after a seven-year closure, unveiling a dramatically expanded, seven-story, 82,000-square-foot space, designed by Adjaye Associates. (02:39)
• Alex Greenberger notes the transformation:
  • “It just feels like a bigger museum… very sleek, very beautiful. It feels like a totally different place if you’ve been to it before.” (02:39)

2. Historical Context & Founding Mission

• Founded in 1968 during a period of social change—post-Civil Rights, Black Arts Movement, and following Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.
• Dr. Salamisha Tillett outlines the museum’s dual audience:
  • “Its original audience were both the members of the Harlem community that were its neighbors, as well as Black artists or artists of the African diaspora, whose work had been highly underrepresented and underserved by mainstream institutions…” (04:28)
• The institution began in a modest space above a liquor store but had ambitious goals to champion Black artists and engage its neighborhood.

3. The Role of Place—Harlem as Spiritual Home

• The museum’s connection to place is central. Salamisha observes that Harlem is embedded in the museum’s identity, and the renovation reflects that intentionality.
  • “It’s like a monument to Harlem as well as an institution to the art world.” (03:20)
• The new architecture is designed to act as both refuge and gathering place—"the stoop, the street, the sanctuary, and the stage." (20:06)

4. Community and Artistic Legacy

• The Studio Museum’s impact is felt far beyond its walls.
  • “It doesn’t see art and community as in competition... It sees them as kind of feeding off of each other.” (06:40)
• Alumni of its influential Artist-in-Residence program include Kehinde Wiley, Mickalene Thomas, and Lauren Halsey, shaping the trajectory of Black art globally. (05:42, 10:02)

5. The Importance of the Permanent Collection & Highlighted Artworks

a. Lauren Halsey, yes, We’re Open, and yes, we’re black Owned (2021)

• Symbolic of the reopening—ties together the museum’s mission and the assertion of space for Black creativity.
  • “It kind of speaks as just a mission statement of what this museum is all about.” (05:42)

b. William T. Williams, Trane

• Williams was pivotal in establishing the Artist-in-Residence program. His abstraction pays homage to John Coltrane and exemplifies the museum’s embrace of avant-garde Black art. (10:02)

c. Camille Norman, Sound Sculpture

• A listener favorite, featuring brass tubes emitting a humming chorus, evoking migration and communal movement. (13:03)
  • “It’s sort of thinking about migrations of people and the way that Black communities across the nation, but also across the world, have migrated together and come together in a space.” (13:03)

d. Kerry James Marshall, Silence is Golden (1986)

• A defining work challenging the invisibility of Black figures in art history.
  • “It’s from 1986. I would say it’s maybe one of the best paintings of the 80s anywhere… it’s saying, really, do you see me? Do you notice me in relation to all this other art?” (17:30)

e. Faith Ringgold, Echoes of Harlem

• One of her earliest “story quilts,” commemorating local residents and embodying the neighborhood’s spirit. (21:52)
  • “A very important piece… a congregation of people in this quilt… the faces are arrayed all around it.” (21:52)

f. Tom Lloyd, Electronic Refractions II

• The first-ever show at the museum returns for this reopening, signaling an embrace of both legacy and progression. (06:40, 26:38)

6. Nurturing Artists & Curators

• The museum’s curatorial and educational programs have launched many significant careers.
  • “Not only were they made more rigorous because of their time at the Studio Museum, but they were able to take all of those lessons and deploy them in institutions, whether it be the Guggenheim or MoMA…” (06:40)

7. Thelma Golden’s Leadership

• Thelma Golden, director since 2005, is credited with visionary leadership, massive fundraising, and cultivating inclusive programming.
  • Salamisha: “All hail to Thelma Golden. Gratitude to the team that she's been able to assemble over this time to keep this vision alive…” (23:03)
  • Thelma (clip): “It was always this museum’s goal to be a home for Black art. The collection really represents a cross-generational amazing conversation between artists who made works over 100 years ago and artists who are making work right now.” (24:36)

8. Meaning for Community and Visitors

• Listeners and past exhibiting artists recalled the museum as a place where Black artists first felt valued and celebrated—often in contrast to mainstream institutions. (Ben Jones, 18:40)
  • “The Studio Museum was always a wonderful, wonderful place because it let us black artists feel like we were valued—even though many of the mainstream institutions, like the Met and the Modern… we had to protest a lot to make sure that these institutions were recognizing us…” (18:40)
• The new building is lauded as a "homecoming" for the community and artists alike. (George from Manhattan, 08:19)

9. Education and Future Generations

• The updated museum features innovative classrooms and programs for young artists.
  • Alex: “If you’re a kid and you go to this museum, you can see that… there are people who look like me in this space—not just operating it, you know, curating the shows… but also on the walls and seeing, like, okay, I matter in a space like this.” (25:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Alex Greenberger on the transformed space:
  “It just feels like a bigger museum… very sleek, very beautiful. It feels like a totally different place if you’ve been to it before.” (02:39)

• Salamisha Tillett on the museum’s purpose:
  “It’s like a monument to Harlem as well as an institution to the art world.” (03:20)

• Alex Greenberger on Lauren Halsey’s piece as a mission statement:
  “It essentially is saying, you know, we have a right to be here and we deserve this space. And now we want to show off all of our creativity…” (05:42)

• Dr. Tillett on lineage:
  “It doesn’t see art and community as in competition… It sees them as kind of feeding off of each other.” (06:40)

• Ben Jones, artist and early exhibitor:
  “The Studio Museum was always a wonderful, wonderful place because it let us Black artists Feel like we were valued…” (18:40)

• Winston Huggins, artist, on the building’s spirit:
  “It looks like the building today looks like a really nice big sound system speaker and really fascinating.” (16:04)

• Thelma Golden (clip):
  “The collection really represents a cross-generational amazing conversation between artists who made works over 100 years ago and artists who are making work right now.” (24:36)

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• [02:39] Alex Greenberger describes the expanded museum’s design and feel.
• [03:20] Salamisha Tillett addresses the reopening as a “monument to Harlem.”
• [04:28] Salamisha recounts the founding mission and intended audiences.
• [05:42] Discussion of Lauren Halsey’s reopening piece as a mission statement.
• [06:40] Salamisha on art history, community, and the Studio Museum’s broader impact.
• [10:02] History and importance of William T. Williams and the Artist-in-Residence program.
• [13:03] Listener praise for Camille Norman’s sound sculpture.
• [17:30] Kerry James Marshall’s “Silence is Golden” discussed as a classic.
• [18:40] Ben Jones, early exhibiting artist, reflects on the institutional impact.
• [20:06] Salamisha explains the building’s architectural intentions (“stoop, street, sanctuary, stage”).
• [21:52] Faith Ringgold’s “Echoes of Harlem” discussed in depth.
• [23:03] Salamisha commends Thelma Golden’s transformative leadership.
• [24:36] Clip: Thelma Golden on the museum as “home for Black art.”
• [25:07] Alex on the museum’s critical role for young artists and access.

Conclusion

This episode paints the Studio Museum in Harlem as much more than an art space—it’s a community pillar, a haven and laboratory for Black creativity, and a force transforming the broader art world. Through history, personal stories, and close readings of artworks, listeners are invited to reflect on the power, past, and potential of this singular institution. The dialogue leaves both longtime supporters and newcomers with a sense of pride and excitement for the Studio Museum’s new chapter.