For a considerable time, the Studio Museum in Harlem was the sole important cultural institution for art by African Americans. It still is one of the most vital museums in New York, and globally , for art that chronicles the African-American experience, particularly though not exclusively in urban environments. The work showcased here includes African-American works and Twentieth century Afro-Caribbean pieces, as well as traditional African artifacts and art. The social aspect of art is clearly on show in the permanent collection of the Studio Museum, as well as a consistent theme of looking for the African identity in an American context.

The Studio Museum has earned a incredible amount of recognition from the community of museums in New York City, very much due to its Artists in Residence program, which permits one or two developing studio and gallery artists of African descent to live on location while they create. This allows the artists to create art, network in the community and begin successful careers. In addition, the museum serves as a heart for the Harlem arts community by hosting dialogues, panels, lectures, classes and performances on a wide range of subjects related to the African-American experience.

Situated on 125th St, fifteen blocks north of Central Park in Harlem, the Studio Museum is very much an organic product of its neighborhood. This Harlem museum is close to a number of other famous locales, including the legendary Apollo Theater. Down the street, the New York Public Libraryis 1 or 2 blocks east, and there are also a number of parks, including the Morningstar Park and Central Park. The neighborhood itself is a ground-breaking landmark, full of plaques and notes of importance. Once a ghetto for liberated slaves and people fleeing the domineering Jim Crow laws in the later 1800s and early 1900s, Harlem became a cultural treasure in the 1920s and continues to play a crucial role in African-American culture.

The permanent collection of the Studio Museum in Harlem consists of over 1,600 works by famous African-American artists, both in the Harlem community and throughout country. These artists, including Robert Colescott, Terry Adkins, Melvin Edwards, Hector Hyppolite, Lois Mailou Jones, Norman Lewis, Betye Saar, Nari Ward and others have had a result on the art world as well as in the greater African-American community. The basic theme of all the work in this museum is the Black identity; the museum is an important and fascinating location for everyone with an abiding interest in American history to go visit and take in. Specific themes include black liberation politics, dance, expressionism, roots and music, as well as the subjects of fascism, sexism and the urban experience. These subjects could be arguable to some visitors, but they represent a timely, crucial debate in the broader American culture about the roles and perceptions of African-Americans in it, and it is one of many significant museums in N. Y to find out about a variety of concepts, old and new.