Mickalene Thomas

In 1971, underestimated artist Faith Ringgold made a monumental painting for the women incarcerated at Rikers Island jail called “For the Women’s House.” Fifty years later, artist Mary Baxter, who at the age of twenty-five gave birth in prison, finds herself banding together with an eccentric bunch of activists, politicians, artists, corrections officers, and Faith Ringgold to free the painting with the ultimate goal of freeing the women.

Do I Look Like a Lady? (Comedians and Singers) presents a dynamic checkerboard of moving image footage featuring African-American actors and singers from across the 20th century: from Jackie “Moms” Mabley to Eartha Kitt, Whoopi Goldberg, Whitney Houston, and several others. The video focuses on their individual voices as they express heartbreaking roles, pointed lyrics, sharp jokes, and strong statements of resistance to the dominant culture. The work is a powerful, and often riotous, reflection on the roles of black women in the United States.

An examination of how the American flag can be reclaimed as a symbol of unity for all Americans, with a focus on the LGBTQ community.

Queer culture and the arts would be much poorer without the presence and contribution of butch and stud lesbians, whose identity is both its own aesthetic and a defiant repudiation of the male gaze.

A groundbreaking, immersive, nonlinear cinematic journey where artists' expressions blend with historical and real-life footage, unveils the profound impact of white supremacy on our human connections. Led by a dynamic team including Jacqueline Woodson, Catherine Gund, Erika Dilday, Meshell Ndegeocello, and M. Trevino, this collaborative masterpiece weaves together diverse visions, poignantly revealing how race, racism, and resistance shape our shared breath, not just in moments of crisis, but in the enduring, pervasive legacy of that risk.