A golden portrait of a Black woman with a large afro is on the left. On the right, bold orange and purple text reads: Black Refractions: Highlights from the Studio Museum in Harlem, January 23–April 10, 2021. UMFA Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

Black Refractions Digital Experience

Ready to experience this dynamic exhibition from the comfort of your couch? Scroll down for a highlights video, a digital presentation from The Studio Museum curator, audio commentaries from Black community members on selected artworks, a digital toolkit to guide K–12 or University classroom learning, and a hands-on art-making activity.

Settle in, and stay as long as you like!

Three women are shown in black and white portraits. The left woman raises her arm; the center woman smiles, holding fabric; the right woman looks ahead, standing outdoors with trees in the background.
Black Refractions: Artists in Conversation

On March 31, 2021, The American Federation of Arts (AFA), in partnership with the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA), hosted a panel discussion with three artists Maren Hassinger, Adia Millett, and Shinique Smith. 

Watch the recorded event
Exhibition Highlights Video

Spend a few minutes checking out the Black Refractions galleries with UMFA senior curator Whitney Tassie.

Watch the Highlights Video
Two people stand closely together in a modern art gallery, viewing colorful abstract paintings on white walls. A large, winding metal chain sculpture is displayed on the wooden floor.
A man in a plaid jacket stands beside a bicycle, holding a colorful mermaid kite and an owl kite. The background includes a building labeled “Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building.”.
Curator Talk

Explore key works from the exhibition with Connie H. Choi, associate curator at The Studio Museum in Harlem, in this recording of her February 4 presentation to UMFA Art Lovers.

Watch the Talk
Classroom Toolkit

Download the Black Refractions toolkit, a resource for exploring and discussing the exhibition in your K–12 or University classes.

Download PDF: Black Refractions ToolKit
A gallery displays a tall woven sculpture on a white pedestal, with a colorful abstract painting on the left wall and a dark, fringed textile artwork with green and blue hues on the right wall.
Two people stand in front of a brightly colored painting in an art gallery. The artwork depicts a person holding a large, vibrant kite with a cartoon character and a bird, set against an urban background.
From Harlem to Utah: Stories of Blackness 

Hear from Black creatives, leaders, and professionals in our local community as they share their personal perspectives on works of art in the exhibition.

Listen to From Harlem to Utah
Third Saturday Online: Collage and Drawing

Many of the artworks in Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem tell a personal story of artists of African descent. One way artwork can tell stories is through images and patterns (a pattern is a repeated design). Although there are many ways to understand these artworks, let’s get inspiration from three artworks in the exhibition that use pictures and patterns in unexpected ways. Then, at home, create your own artwork using magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes, and other art supplies to create a patterned collage and drawing. 

Access the Online Collage Activity
A painting shows a figure with dark skin, bright white eyes, and teeth, touching their mouth. The background is dark green, with a right panel featuring a red cross, a yellow block, an orange block, and a colorful woven pattern.
A painted portrait of a man with dark skin wearing a green suit, light blue shirt, and sitting cross-legged on a purple chair, set against a bright yellow background.
Third Saturday Online: Portraits of What I See and Feel about You

In this at-home activity consider the ways in which both Barkley L. Hendricks and Beauford Delaney approached and painted their subjects out of love, and with love, and then use this as inspiration for our own art-making.

Access the Online Portrait Activity