New Exhibition: Ajamu Kojo’s ‘Black Wall Street: A Case for Reparations’

This spring, the Montclair State University Galleries will help patrons reimagine the past of Black Americans through artist Ajamu Kojo’s Black Wall Street: A Case for Reparations.

On display from February 15 – April 23, the exhibition will be on view at the University Galleries’ flagship location, the George Segal Gallery.

Kojo’s first solo museum exhibition is an ongoing series of large-scale paintings that capture the imagined lives of Black professionals in the Greenwood District before the 1921 Tulsa, Oklahoma race massacre. The community was dubbed “Black Wall Street” for its thriving culture and wealth in spite of oppressive strong segregation laws. The portraits – which actually depict the artist’s fellow community members in Brooklyn reimagined as Black Wall Street citizens – present a spiritually uplifting dedication to the people who called Greenwood their home over a century ago.

“I met Ajamu and saw the first part of his series before the pandemic, and I’m so grateful we were able to come together to share his work with the public,” says Galleries Director Megan C. Austin. “This exhibition is a celebration of Black excellence and is so important to elevate in our community and beyond.

The exhibition will also headline a series of events scheduled to engage Montclair students and the community at large with the works.

In addition to an opening reception on February 17 from 4 to 7 p.m, Kojo will participate in a number of programs including ArtForum, a collaboration with the Art & Design program, on February 21. Kojo will also join Austin and Montclair State faculty  in a panel discussion titled, “Black Wall Street: A Model for Greatness” on February 22 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Sponsored by the African American Caucus, African American Studies Program and the Black Student Union, the discussion is open to the public and will be held in the School of Communication and Media building’s Presentation Hall.

“I want the Montclair State University students and the community at large to truly engage with these works,” says Austin. “The Galleries’ programming focuses on bringing artwork to the community that addresses a range of interdisciplinary topics. Bringing artwork of this caliber to the campus offers the opportunity for people to begin a conversation about the art, how we think about representation and our shared histories. We allocated a space within the Gallery for educational resources and materials to respond to the work and ideas presented by the artist.”

The Segal Gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For additional information, visit the University Galleries website at montclair.edu/galleries.