Brind Center for African and African Diasporic Art
Established in 2023, the Brind Center is dedicated to advancing scholarship and presenting gallery installations, special exhibitions, public programs, commissions, and community engagements that broaden awareness of the global, historical, and contemporary contributions of African and African Diasporic art across time.
Royal hat with chameleons, Yoruba artist, Nigeria, cotton, glass beads, fiber, c. 1920, BRN-22
About Us
In fall 2026, the Brind Center will open its permanent gallery with more than 150 objects. The inaugural installation will offer a person-centric survey of 20th-century African art, highlighting the centrality of the body in artistic traditions and situating the so-called “traditional” works in their proper historical context. It will also bring African art into dialogue with the museum’s holdings of Euro-American modernism, while extending the narrative to include artists of African descent in the diaspora who engage material legacies of the continent.
Through thoughtful acquisitions and partnerships, the Center is actively growing the collection, laying the foundation for a permanent presence within the museum that reflects both Africa’s deep artistic histories and the dynamic creativity of its diasporas.
Collection Highlights
Headdress, Early 20th century, BRN-54
Beaded Apron, 19th century, Ndebele, 90-2024-2
Pair of Fibulas, 19th-20th century, BRN-28a,b
Coronet (OrĂkògbĂłfo) with Birds, Early 1900's, Artist/maker unknown, Yoruba, cotton, glass beads, 2025-38-21