I am so grateful to have shared my work and connected with the community at the Peoria Riverfront Museum around the Joyful Resistance exhibition. From the hands-on energy during the Beaded Portrait Workshop to the thoughtful dialogue during our Museum Conversation in the Giant Screen Theater and our gallery tours, it was a truly inspiring experience. A special highlight was getting to explore the rich history of Peoria and tour key Richard Pryor locations. A heartfelt thank y

BY SHANTAY ROBINSON July 17, 2026 A shrine to Black cultural scripts stands in West Haven, Connecticut, a short ride from Union Station. It isn’t an official monument of any kind, but the studio of Felandus Thames, who has been based in the Constitution State since 2008. During a visit in March, the two-room space served as the temporary home to Thames’s latest beaded curtain portraits of notable Black luminaries, which lay on tables awaiting completion. One of his earlier

February 28–June 14, 2026 Florence Griswold Museum 96 Lyme Street Old Lyme, CT 06371 860.434.5542 Welcoming something new can unlock revelations. This exhibition highlights selected additions to the Florence Griswold Museum’s collections over the past decade, a number of which will be displayed for the first time. Art that joins our existing collection introduces its own excitement and fresh perspectives. Pairing old and new works sparks novel ideas and connections, which are

On view March 14- May 16, 2026, Felandus Thames presented by Emblazon Arts The Outpost at The Last Resort Artist Retreat Viewing: Wed- Sat 11a-6p (TLRARrsvp@charmccc.org) Reception and Artist/Curator’s Talk: TBA With its first artist presentation of the year, Emblazon Arts brings Felandus Thames to Baltimore, offering a point of entry into the Black experience in a space committed to building worlds where art and connection thrive. Through parables, cultural idioms, a

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield will showcase works by people who live and work in New York's shadow. By Annabel Keenan Reporting from Ridgefield, Conn. April 15, 2026 Just over an hour outside New York City in the quiet bedroom town of Ridgefield, Conn., the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum faces a conundrum. So close to New York, it competes for attention with some of the world’s top museums. To be fair, the Aldrich is no small fish. It has made a name for

On Exhibition November 21, 2025 - January 3, 2027 Black American culture is American culture. For the first time in the museum’s history, Joyful Resistance brings together a multidisciplinary collection of works from the pioneering Black American artists, authors and designers across the nation, spanning generations. A celebration of the enduring spirit, creativity, and agency of Black people across time and space, this exhibition honors the vibrant tapestry of Black life, wh

Written by Kate Mothes From thousands of colorful hair beads, Felandus Thames conjures vibrant patterns and portraits. He takes historical photographs as a starting point, focusing especially on Black and Indigenous figures whose stories have largely been underrepresented in American historical narrative. These include dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey and Amos Haskins, a 19th-century Wampanoag man who became a master mariner—one of the few Indigenous people to do so. Base