Curating Black Aesthetics and Transatlantic Modernisms

This workshop invites junior researchers, curators, and other cultural practitioners to engage in dialogue around curatorial and scholarly practices in the fields of Black aesthetics, diasporic visual cultures, and transatlantic modernisms.

The workshop is structured around two curatorial case studies. The first focuses on The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism (2024, Metropolitan Museum of Art), curated by Denise Murrell, which explored the ways Black artists portrayed everyday modern life in the new Black cities that took shape in the 1920s–40s in New York City’s Harlem and across the US. The second case study examines Superfine: Tailoring Black Style (2025, Metropolitan Museum of Art), curated by Monica Miller, which explored the importance of style to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora from the 18th to the 21st century, focusing on the aesthetic and strategy of dandyism.

The workshop will combine presentations and collective discussion. The final hour will feature presentations (10 min) by two selected participants, offering an opportunity to share research in progress and receive feedback from peers and invited discussants. 

Preparatory readings provided by Denise Murrell and Monica Miller will be circulated in late May. 

Lunch is provided after the workshop. Workshop attendance also includes registration for the public event Black Modernisms: Mobility, Transculturality, and Art in the Early 20th Century at the SMK on 4 June at 15:00–17:00.

The workshop is facilitated by Nina Cramer, Anna Vestergaard Jørgensen, and Qwin Werle in collaboration with the Center for Practice-based Art Studies (PASS), which offers ECTS credits for participation. 

The workshop is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.