Performing Arts Room Pop-Up | June 5 –July 5, 2026

Free public artist talk | Juneteenth Celebration | Saturday, June 20 | 3–4 PM | Performance Art Room

Tawny Chatmon, a Maryland-based artist born in Tokyo, creates richly layered and celebratory portraits that center Black life, beauty, and history. Through a distinctive process that blends photography with painting, collage, and intricate hand-embellishment, Chatmon elevates her subjects—frequently children and members of her own community—into spaces of reverence and power. Drawing inspiration from art historical traditions while actively reimagining them, her work challenges centuries of exclusion by placing African American figures at the forefront of visual culture. The works presented in this exhibition were generously loaned by the artist’s family and a significant private collector in our region, underscoring the depth of local support for her practice and our shared commitment to championing artists whose voices expand the canon.

Presented as a special exhibition in the Performing Arts Room during our Juneteenth celebration, this installation is intentionally positioned at the heart of the Museum’s programming.

Chatmon will join us for a public lecture in the same space, creating an opportunity for dialogue and reflection. As we commemorate the 250th Anniversary of America’s independence and examine themes of identity, belonging, and the evolving American story, her portraits have a profound resonance. By honoring Black youth, ancestry, and lived experience with dignity and splendor, Chatmon’s portraits affirm that America’s story is not singular, but plural. This exhibition not only celebrates Juneteenth, but also invites our community to consider how identity, heritage, and representation shape the nation we continue to build together.

Image: Tawny Chatmon, The Awakening / Covered / Vienna?, 2017–2019, 24k gold leaf and acrylic on archival pigment print, 36 × 24 in. Courtesy of the Chatmon Family Collection.