Join us on May 28, 2026, from 6:30–8 PM at MoAD for the launch of ENGAGE!: Art, Blackness & the Universe with a special Book Launch program celebrating When Home is a Photograph: Blackness & Belonging in the World by author and professor Leigh Raiford.
In conversation with artist Sadie Barnette and curator Key Jo Lee, the evening will explore Blackness, belonging, memory, and the ways photographs shape how we understand home and identity. The discussion will be followed by a reception and book signing.
RSVP with the link in bio! Free with Museum admission or for ENGAGE! Attendees.
#MoAD #ENGAGE #BlackArt #BayAreaArts #ContemporaryArt
We are excited to announce the return of ENGAGE!
A THREE DAY convening of dialogue, learning, and curated programs featuring keynote speaker Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein and more.
From May 28 to May 30, ENGAGE! brings together scholars, artists, performers, curators, and scientists for a dynamic gathering of conversation and activations.
Inspired by UNBOUND: Art, Blackness & the Universe, curated by Key Jo Lee (@keyjolee ), the convening invites us to reimagine Blackness as infinite and cosmically rich.
Featuring artists Michi Meko (@michimeko ), Oasa DuVerney (@oasasun ), and Rodney Ewing (@ledette ), with activations at Museum of the African Diaspora.
Co-presented with California College of the Arts (@cacollegeofarts ) and in collaboration with UC Berkeley Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies (@calblackstudies ).
Learn more and GET YOUR TICKETS today (link-in-bio).
#UNBOUND #ArtAndScience #BlackFutures #MoAD #ENGAGE
ENGAGE! Day 2 invites you into a full day of workshops, performance, healing, conversation, and artistic exploration at MoAD.
On Friday, May 29, step into one of three immersive workshops — a Figure Drawing Session led by Cornelia Stokes, Inaugural Assistant Curator of the Art of the African Diaspora, a Movement Workshop, or an Orishas Workshop — then spend the rest of the day going deeper.
Throughout the day, experience tarot and astrology readings, harp performances by Maya Nixon, guided tours through UNBOUND: Art, Blackness & the Universe, Nia Healing Dance with Stephanie Parker, and A Seat at the Feet of the Orisha with Reyna Brown.
VIP guests will join artists Oasa DuVerney, Rodney Ewing, and Michi Meko for an intimate artist engagement and champagne toast before the whole weekend closes with a DJ reception.
Friday, May 29 · 9:30AM–7:00PM Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco
Limited capacity remains for select experiences. Reserve your spot today (link-in-bio)!
#ENGAGE #UNBOUND #BlackArt #ContemporaryArt #MoAD
“Growing up in South Florida in the early nineties meant witnessing regular scenes on the evening news of Haitians who looked like me and my family desperately trying to make it to the shores of Miami, hoping to outrun the Coast Guard and law enforcement to get to safety. Dark Shores is a reflection, hallucination, apparition of those moments. It is an imprint on my mind and heart that never goes away.” — Didier William
Didier William’s work exists in the space between memory, migration, identity, and imagination. Through layered compositions blending painting, carving, collage, and printmaking, William reimagines Black diasporic histories while exploring the complexities of immigration, visibility, and belonging.
On view now at Museum of the African Diaspora, Dark Shores (2024) is featured in UNBOUND: Art, Blackness & the Universe — an exhibition moving between the earthly and the astral, the historical and the speculative.
View William’s work in conversation with Harmonia Rosales, Michi Meko, and others across the exhibition through August 16, 2026. Learn more and plan your visit today (link in bio).
#UNBOUNDExhibition #DidierWilliam #BlackArt #ContemporaryArt #MoAD
MAY EVENTS at MoAD | May 7th – May 30th, 2026
DOWNTOWN FIRST THURSDAYS @ MoAD (FREE)
THU May 7 · 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
@dftsanfrancisco
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THRIVE @ MoAD: Free Community Day sponsored by Kaiser Permanente (FREE)
SAT May 9 · 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
@kaiserpermanente
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AUTHORS IN CONVERSATION: Overground Railroad: The Green Book & the Roots of Black Travel in America
SAT May 9 · 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
@candacytaylor@jackiefrancissf
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ARTIST TALK & ACTIVATION: Salon Day with Beauty Plus
SAT May 23 · 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
@jasminereneeross@whoaa_neli@anniejackson_shopgirl
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BOOK LAUNCH: When Home Is a Photograph: Blackness & Belonging in the World
THU May 28 · 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
@346convent@sadiebarnette@keyjolee
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ENGAGE! @ MoAD
FRI May 29 · 9:30 AM – 7:00 PM
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ENGAGE! @ CCA
SAT May 30 · 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM
@cacollegeofarts
#MoAD #SanFranciscoEvents #BlackArt #BayAreaEvents #ThingsToDoSF
Jasmine Ross is a multimedia artist based in Oakland, California, and a recent graduate of Yale College, where she earned a B.A. in Ethics, Politics, Economics, and Art. Her documentary photography explores identity, intergenerational memory, and fictive kinship. Working primarily with large format cameras, Ross leans into the slow, intentional process of analog image-making, centering her practice on honoring community-builders in real time.
Her current exhibition, on view now at Museum of the African Diaspora, Beauty Plus reflects on the closure of a 31-year-old Black-owned beauty supply in New Haven. Through 4 x 5 film photography, Ross documents its final days—honoring the owner while capturing a deeper story of care, survival, and the layered realities of Black beauty spaces.
The work holds both empowerment and tension, revealing how these spaces nurture community while also navigating commodification and complex cultural economies.
Learn more at the link in bio.
#JasmineRoss #BlackArt #ContemporaryPhotography #MoAD #BlackBeauty
On view now at Museum of the African Diaspora—“Beauty Plus” by Jasmine Ross, part of MoAD’s 10th Emerging Artist Program cohort.
Beauty Plus documents the final days of a 31-year-old Black-owned beauty supply store in New Haven, Connecticut. Working with a 4×5 film camera, Ross centers the store’s owner, Mel, and the community that sustained it, capturing a story rooted in care, memory, and Black survival.
Through this work, Ross reflects on the role of Black-owned beauty spaces as sites of empowerment and access, while also examining the complexities of commodification within Black beauty culture. Brands that shaped everyday rituals, though often not Black-owned, point to the layered economics of identity—affirmed, yet frequently challenged by external forces.
Grounded in her practice of honoring community-builders, Beauty Plus becomes both tribute and record, holding space for the stories that shape collective memory.
Discover more and plan your visit via the link in bio.
#BeautyPlus #JasmineRoss #BlackArt #EmergingArtists #MoAD
A few days ago, we hosted our inaugural Spring Affair, a new format and a meaningful step forward for Museum of the African Diaspora.
It was an afternoon grounded in reflection, community, and shared purpose. We gathered to honor Crankstart, Kaiser Permanente, SFMOMA, and Mildred Howard, partners and visionaries whose impact continues to shape and sustain our work. I am deeply grateful for your leadership, generosity, and belief in what we are building together.
What stayed with me most was the feeling in the room, a reminder that this work has never been carried alone. Our community continues to uplift, hold, and move MoAD forward, even in moments of uncertainty. Following a year marked by funding shifts and real challenges, that collective support means everything.
Together, during the luncheon, we raised over $100,000 in support of our exhibitions, programs, and educational initiatives. With nearly 200 guests gathered, the afternoon affirmed what we know to be true: this museum is not just a space for exhibitions, but a living platform for artists, dialogue, and community.
Because of your support, we are able to continue investing in our work—uplifting artists, expanding our programs, and creating space for the stories that deserve to be seen and held. I leave this moment with deep gratitude and a renewed sense of the responsibility we carry together. Thank you for being part of it.
Spring Affair—MoAD’s Inaugural Luncheon, presented with generous support from Irwin and Concepcion Federman, Kaiser Permanente, Lisa Stone Pritzker Family Foundation, and Westridge Foundation. With additional support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, FivePoint, Diane Frankel, Jenkins Johnson Gallery, Barry Williams and Lalita Tademy, Wilson Sonsini Foundation, Peggy Woodford Forbes, and Mary Zlot.
#MoAD #SpringAffair #SupportTheArts #BlackArtMatters #ArtsCommunity
Last week, we hosted our first in-person activation of MoAD Mix, an evolving program launched last year as part of our continued commitment to expanding how Museum of the African Diaspora engages community, storytelling, and contemporary art.
MoAD Mix centers artists, performers, and audiences in shared space, creating new entry points into the museum and deepening our mission to present Black art and culture as a living, collective experience. This edition is hosted and led by our Public Engagement and Interpretation Coordinator Keisha Jones.
MoAD Mix: Currents — What the Water Remembers unfolded as a three-hour journey inspired by Yemaya, the nurturing and protective Orisha of the ocean, transforming the museum into a living tide.
Dancer and choreographer Natalya Janay Shoaf activated all three floors with a site-specific performance in dialogue with works from UNBOUND: Art, Blackness, and the Universe, including Harmonia Rosales and Gustavo Nazareno. Her movement traced water as archive, holding lineage, spirit, and memory, while Oakland-based DJ Kream shaped the sonic landscape with rhythms that echoed across diaspora and cosmos.
In celebration of UNBOUND’s celestial vision, guests gathered over wine, signature cocktails, and light bites, grounded in community and collective energy.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this first in-person presentation of MoAD Mix. This is just the beginning. Stay tuned for upcoming editions and future programs as we continue to expand this platform and deepen our connection with community.
#MoADMix #UNBOUND #BlackArtMatters #DiasporaVoices #ContemporaryArt
Last weekend, we gathered to celebrate 10 years of the Emerging Artist Program—honoring the artists who have shaped its legacy and the community that continues to carry it forward.
Set against the opening of Jasmine Ross’ Beauty Plus, the evening also brought together previous recipients of MoAD’s EAP Award, offering a moment to reflect on the vision, care, and impact that have defined the program over the past decade.
We also marked the announcement of the 10th cohort: Jasmine Ross, Demetri Broxton, Dorian Reid, and Tahirah Rasheed—each presenting solo exhibitions in the year ahead, continuing a tradition of amplifying emerging voices in contemporary art.
Learn more about MoAD’s Emerging Artist Program at the link in bio.
#MoAD #EmergingArtistProgram #BayAreaArt #ContemporaryArt #BlackArt
Mikael Owunna (@mikaelowunna ) is a Nigerian American multimedia artist, filmmaker, and engineer whose practice bridges technology, art, and African cosmologies. A co-founder of Rainbow Serpent (@rainbowserpentinc ) and former President of the City of Pittsburgh’s Public Art and Civic Design Commission, he works across photography, installation, sculpture, film, and emerging technologies such as VR and AR.
Through these mediums, Owunna explores how spirituality, science, and ancestral knowledge can expand the ways we understand Black identity and possibility.
His work—currently on view at Museum of the African Diaspora (@moadsf ) in the exhibition UNBOUND: Art, Blackness & the Universe—his luminous images transform spaces throughout the museum. Using custom ultraviolet lighting and fluorescent pigments, he paints his subjects by hand and photographs them in darkness, revealing the body as radiant, cosmic, and alive with ancestral presence.
Closing the month, Owunna will also be featured in MoAD Mix: A Spirited Discussion on Art & Culture featuring Artist Mikael Owunna, a virtual conversation on March 25, 2026, from 6–7 PM. The program will explore his creative process and how his work brings together spirituality, technology, and mythology to imagine new possibilities for Blackness and the universe.
#MikaelOwunna #UNBOUND #BlackArt #AfricanCosmology #ContemporaryArt
