Art. Culture. Life.

NBAF is a cultural compass and living archive. Explore what we’re reading, hearing, seeing, and creating below.

NBAF Bookshelf

How A Color Tells The Story of My People - Imani Perry

Throughout history, the concept of Blackness has been remarkably intertwined with another color: blue. In daily life, it is evoked in countless ways. Blue skies and blue water offer hope for that which lies beyond the current conditions. But blue is also the color of deep melancholy and heartache, echoing Louis Armstrong’s question, “What did I do to be so Black and blue?” In this book, celebrated author Imani Perry uses the world’s favorite color as a springboard for a riveting emotional, cultural, and spiritual journey—an examination of race and Blackness that transcends politics or ideology.

Perry traces both blue and Blackness from their earliest roots to their many embodiments of contemporary culture, drawing deeply from her own life as well as art and history: The dyed indigo cloths of West Africa that were traded for human life in the 16th century. The mixture of awe and aversion in the old-fashioned characterization of dark-skinned people as “Blue Black.” The fundamentally American art form of blues music, sitting at the crossroads of pain and pleasure. The blue flowers Perry plants to honor a loved one gone too soon.

Poignant, spellbinding, and utterly original, Black in Blues is a brilliant new work that could only have come from the mind of one of our greatest writers and thinkers. Attuned to the harrowing and the sublime aspects of the human experience, it is every bit as vivid, rich, and striking as blue itself.

Creative AF (Artist Feature)

Creative AF is our monthly nod to the culture-shapers, boundary-pushers, and vision-bearers whose work makes us pause, move, and think.

Camille A. Brown

Camille A. Brown is an acclaimed director, choreographer, and founder of Camille A. Brown & Dancers (CABD), whose work centers African American identity through deeply personal and cultural storytelling. Known for blending ancestral memory with contemporary narratives, she moves fluidly across stage, film, and television, earning widespread recognition for her innovative and socially resonant choreography.

Her acclaimed trilogy on race, culture, and identity—Mr. TOL E. RAncE, BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play, and ink—has been celebrated nationally, with performances at The Kennedy Center and The Apollo Theater. CABD’s community engagement initiative, EVERY BODY MOVE, fosters intergenerational programs using social dance to inspire action and creativity.

In 2022, Brown made history as the first Black woman in over 65 years to direct and choreograph a Broadway play with for colored girls..., earning seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Direction and Choreography. She also became the first Black artist to direct a mainstage production at The Metropolitan Opera with Fire Shut Up in My Bones. Her Broadway credits include Choir Boy, Once on This Island, Hell’s Kitchen, Gypsy, the upcoming revival of Dreamgirls (Fall 2026), and the Broadway-bound Hippest Trip | The Soul Train Musical.

Brown’s work spans film and television, including Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Harlem (Amazon), and Jesus Christ Superstar Live! (NBC). She is the subject of the NAACP-nominated PBS documentary Camille A. Brown: Giant Steps.

She is a five-time Tony nominee, recipient of the Obie Award, Chita Rivera Award, Drama Desk nominations, Audelco, ISPA’s Distinguished Artist, Guggenheim, Doris Duke Artist Award, and many more. In 2025, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in recognition of her transformative contributions to the arts.

Brown holds two honorary doctorates and is a graduate of UNC School of the Arts. Her early training included Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE and commissions from Ailey II, Urban Bush Women, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where she later set several works.

Most recently, her company returned to The Joyce with I AM, and her original choreography for Gypsy—the first new choreography for a Broadway revival—earned her widespread acclaim and her fifth Tony nomination.

Road Trip - For the Culture Chasers

Harlem Bound: The Studio Museum Reopens

After years of anticipation, the Studio Museum in Harlem is opening the doors to its new, purpose-built home on November 15, 2025. We anticipate it will be both opening and homecoming.

For culture seekers traveling the country in pursuit of Black excellence, history, and creativity, Harlem just became a top-tier destination again. Nestled in the heart of 125th Street, the newly constructed 82,000-square-foot facility is a bold architectural statement designed by Adjaye Associates in collaboration with Cooper Robertson. This new space features expanded galleries, a rooftop terrace, theater, education spaces, a café, and room to gather. It is an intentional canvas for the stories, ideas, and brilliance of artists of African descent.

Opening weekend kicks off with a Community Day on November 15, followed by a festive Studio Sunday on November 16, from 11AM to 6PM. Whether you’re a longtime patron or a first-time visitor, this is a chance to experience the next chapter of an institution that has shaped the global Black visual arts movement.

📍The Studio Museum in Harlem
144 W 125th St, New York, NY
Opening: November 15, 2025
www.studiomuseum.org

Playlist

In case you miss Tank & the Bangas when we present them in the park, here's a playlist of their collection.

A Letter from the NBAF President

Greetings,

I’m Leatrice Ellzy, President and CEO of the National Black Arts Festival (NBAF). I’m honored and excited to return to the institution where my professional journey in Black arts and culture began. This return comes at a time when so much of what we hold sacred, our identity, creativity, and cultural storytelling, is being challenged, censored, and erased. It’s not lost on me how urgent this moment is.

For generations, Black people looked to the North Star, not only for direction, but for deliverance. It was a signal. It was a quiet, brilliant guide through the dark. A reminder that even in uncertainty, we can chart our own course.

As I begin this new chapter at NBAF, I find myself asking: What is our compass now? When the stars are obscured, the maps redrawn, and the ground shifting, what orients Black artists, thinkers, and communities? Is it ancestral knowing? The impulse towards dignified resistance? The clarity of imagination? Or simply, each other?

This season, we move with intention toward discernment more than destination. It is not the rush to arrive, but the refusal to drift. The practice of holding space, holding true, and holding truth.

My commitment to you as we move ahead is clear: collaborative leadership, visionary programming, and a deep, abiding love for this work. As we strengthen our operational capacity and restore the full scope of our programming, you’ll see us re-invest in artists across disciplines, design programs rooted in joy and resistance, and return to our full citywide summer festival.

This vision is possible. More importantly, it’s essential. But it requires the collective effort of the entire village. I invite you to build with us by giving $100 to the Festival Fund and encouraging your friends and family to do the same. These are the initial steps of collectively building something bigger than ourselves. I love this for us. Let’s get to work!

With gratitude and purpose,
Leatrice Ellzy
President + CEO
National Black Arts Festival