Call & Response pulls the curtain back just a bit on how the Museum builds its collection, in this case, acquiring works by Black artists during the past 30 years. In assessing the potential addition of a work of art, Museum staff ask how a new piece will enrich the Museum’s existing holdings. Call & Response, therefore, is primarily an exhibition about making connections between works of art and the artists who created them. The paintings, sculptures, and works on paper will be installed in the gallery as if in conversation with each other.

Included in the show are works of art by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Romare Bearden, Robert Blackburn, Lorna Simpson, Dread Scott, Kara Walker, and Carrie Mae Weems.

Call & Response has been interpreted by seven community commenters who contributed a collection of responses via a multi-media app, using music, personal history, and comparative works of art.