Studio Museum in Harlem

A homecoming for the ages, celebrating a cultural icon’s long-awaited return to Harlem.

Black background with white inscription 'It's just a bunch of hocus pocus'

  • Born in 1968—one of the most turbulent years in modern U.S. history—the Studio Museum in Harlem has long been a nexus for artists of African descent, locally, nationally, and globally.

    More than a destination, it is one of the few institutions in the world with the power to build an empowered, inspired community through art.

    And today, that mission matters more than ever.

    After closing in 2017 to build its beautiful new home from the ground up, the Museum triumphantly reopened its doors on 125th Street this November. In a city defined by world-class museums, the moment called for more than an announcement. It required a bold reaffirmation of the Studio Museum’s role as the leading institution for Black art, and a clear invitation for the community to return.

    Black art is more than creative expression. It’s a record of history, a mirror of the present, and a vision for the future. It deserves a home that doesn’t simply preserve its legacy, but actively nurtures its evolution. At the Studio Museum in Harlem, Black art is elevated, amplified, and given room to inspire generations.

    It’s where Black art lives.

    Grounded in that truth, the campaign brings the Museum’s tagline—Where Black Art Lives—to life through a rotating set of verbs that capture the boundless dimensionality of Black art.

    Spanning bold out-of-home, dynamic digital and social, print, radio, and a short narrative film directed by Grammy-nominated multidisciplinary artist Mike Carson, the work celebrates the reopening by declaring the Museum’s purpose loud and clear. Not just the return of a building, but the restoration of a vital gathering place for Black artists and the global creative community.

Black silhouette of a person standing on a mountain peak at sunset, with one arm raised.
A street corner in Harlem, New York City, with a multi-story brick building housing a Starbucks Coffee and an AT&T store. Pedestrians walk on the sidewalk, and traffic lights are visible. A large billboard on top of the building advertises a studio museum opening on 125th Street.
Night scene of a busy crosswalk in Times Square, New York City, with pedestrians, yellow taxis, and tall buildings, including the Empire State Building illuminated in the background, advertising billboards, and a Subway entrance.
An outdoor subway station with a digital billboard advertising the opening of an art exhibition at Studio Museum in Harlem, featuring an abstract colorful portrait of a face.
Street banner advertising the Studio Museum in Harlem, featuring artwork of diverse faces. The banner hangs on a pole against a red brick apartment building with fire escape balconies.
Poster on a fenced wall advertising the Studio Museum in Harlem with images of colorful objects and event details, a woman in a leopard print coat walking by
Advertisement poster for Studio Museum in Harlem, showcasing black art that heals, with the address 144 West 125th Street.
A collection of five art posters on a white wall and an open magazine on a white surface. The posters include colorful abstract art, a black and white photo of a person in a subway, a painted portrait of a man and woman, a black sculpture, and a geometric abstract painting. The magazine features black and white photos and text about Black art and an exhibition at the Studio Museum in Harlem.
People on a parade float holding signs and flags during a parade in an urban area with tall buildings and a cloudy sky.
A highway with multiple cars, green road signs, and a digital billboard advertising a museum opening in Harlem, with a city skyline in the background.