Getty Foundation

05/28/2026

Last week we gathered in New York City with grantees from across the country for the Black Visual Arts Archives convening.

Over 4 days together, we explored the vital work of uncovering, preserving, and activating archival collections that document the contributions of Black artists in the United States. We dove into the challenges and opportunities of this work and reinforced this growing community dedicated to stewarding Black visual arts archives. We know that everyone had to step away from their busy work schedules to attend, and we’re deeply grateful for your time.

A special thank you to Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library for hosting us and sharing their special centennial exhibitions and merch (visit and check it out!) and Bob Gore Productions for photographing the event.

Do you know someone who works with collections related to Black visual arts? Grant support is available for archival processing and public programming, and all the details are available here: getty.edu/projects/black-visual-arts-archives

All photos: Black Visual Arts Archives Convening, 2026. Photos by Bob Gore

05/26/2026

05/26/2026

Applications are now open for “Prints Across the Pacific, 1565–1815,” a Connecting Art Histories project exploring print culture as a key medium of cultural exchange across the early modern Pacific.

UCLA CMRS Center for Early Global Studies invites early to mid-career scholars based in Southeast Asia and Latin America working in art history, book history, literature, curation, librarianship, and related fields to apply. Selected participants (12–15 total) will join three fully funded international seminars in Manila, Mexico City/Puebla, and Madrid/Rome, featuring collaborative research, site visits, and discussions on global print histories.

Submit materials to [email protected] and [email protected] by June 22, 2026.

Learn more about the program and application process: https://cmrs.ucla.edu/research/call-for-participants-convocatoria-para-participantes/

Image: Carta hydrographica y chorographica de las Yslas Filipinas : dedicada al Rey Nuestro Señor por el Mariscal d. Campo D. Fernando Valdes Tamon Cavallo del Orden de Santiago de Govor. Y Capn. Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division

05/20/2026

Final reminder: submit your PST ART 2030 Letter of Inquiry (LOI) by June 1st, 5:00 PM PST! There's less than two weeks to submit an LOI for a PST ART 2030 Exhibition Research Grant. Information including instructions, FAQ, and LOI form, can be found on our website: https://www.getty.edu/projects/pacific-standard-time-2030/.

The fourth edition of this landmark region-wide collaboration exploring artistic and cultural exchange between Southern California and the Pacific Rim

05/13/2026

Archives hold untold of Black art and artists, and Getty is working to make them more accessible.

Today Getty awarded $1.8M to cultural institutions across the US through its Black Visual Arts Archives initiative.

https://www.getty.edu/news/getty-award-to-increase-access-to-black-visual-arts-archives/

05/08/2026

Have you heard of CONCRETO? This 36‑month project focused on promoting the green rehabilitation of Europe’s modern concrete architecture is the work of 13 partners from five EU countries. It’s also an outgrowth of several Keeping It Modern grants and workshops, including Pier Luigi Nervi’s Stadio Flaminio in Rome and Middle East Technical University in Turkey!

Inspired by the Renaissance concept of the "Artist's Shop" or "La Bottega," CONCRETO develops a learner‑centered apprenticeship model where students and professionals gain hands‑on experience through real-life projects, progressing from students to apprentices. The alliance addresses the shortage of specialist skills in modern concrete conservation by developing shared guidelines and standards for the sustainable maintenance of concrete buildings.

Learn more:

05/07/2026

For decades, the Green Book helped Black travelers navigate Jim Crow–era America by identifying places where safety and dignity were possible. Los Angeles was one of its most active hubs, although many of the sites have since been lost to racist planning, redevelopment, and neglect. Traditional preservation standards, which emphasized architectural aesthetics over cultural meaning, further excluded Black heritage sites from protection. In response, initiatives like Conserving Black Modernism (a partnership with National Trust for Historic Preservation) protect and elevate the often-overlooked works of Black architects, ensuring their contributions are recognized as vital parts of our cultural and architectural heritage.

Read about the community-centered efforts to steward their own heritage:

Conserving buildings central to African American history—including the safe havens listed in a guidebook for Black travelers—tells a fuller, more honest American story.

05/06/2026

Last week we joined scholarship grantees from Latin America and the Caribbean for the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) 54th Annual Meeting in Montreal. Held in collaboration with Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property and centered on the theme “Conservation at the Intersection of Innovation and Tradition,” the meeting brought together an international community of cultural heritage professionals to learn, collaborate, and connect.

One of the highlights was the New Attendee Welcome & Orientation which fostered early networking and connection among scholars and the broader conservation community, including Building Networks grantees and colleagues from AIC and APOYO. Corina (Cory) Rogge is pictured giving a welcome.

Check out APOYOnline Association for Heritage Preservation of the Americas’s page for more recaps of last week’s activities.

05/06/2026

05/05/2026

We’re still reflecting on last week’s Conserving Black Modernism workshop and its whirlwind of lectures, case studies, hands-on workshops, and site visits!

Co-hosted with Getty Conservation Institute and Executive Director Brent Leggs's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund team at National Trust for Historic Preservation, the workshop brought architects, preservationists, scholars, and community leaders together to deepen their understanding of Black modernist architecture and values-based conservation practices. Participants explored the contributions of Black architects and communities, addressed the challenges of conserving 20th-century modern sites, and shared case studies including the Nina Simone Childhood Home, Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, Morehouse College, and the A.G. Gaston Motel.

The workshop culminated in site visits to Carson City Hall and Founder's Church in Los Angeles, reinforcing how community engagement, research, and planning can guide conservation strategies to sustain cultural significance for years to come.

Photos 1, 4 & 5: Morgan Forde, provided courtesy of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation