Ana Lucia Araujo

The Power of Art combines history and art to tell the story of enslaved Black artists and their descendants in the Americas. Relying on the long and powerful heritage of African arts and knowledge and engaging European and Native American artistic traditions, enslaved and freed artists and artisans created artworks and artifacts from clay, iron, fiber, textiles, stone, and wood. These creations allowed these artists to build a world of their own and sometimes provided them with a path to freedom. By exploring the trajectories of enslaved artists and craftspeople that have remained invisible in most museum collections across the Americas, this project illuminates their long-lasting contributions to the visual arts in the Americas.