Selections from The Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art

The Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art
May 18 - August 31, 2025

Selections from The Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art

Selections from the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art

The eight works in this exhibition are on loan from The Petrucci Family Foundation, which began to collect the works of Black Artists in 2012 in “the belief that we cannot truly understand American history without understanding African American history.” The collection now includes more than 500 works of art in all media. Based in Asbury, New Jersey, the Foundation’s mission is to support education and create opportunities for Americans at every stage and station of life.

While the artists in this exhibition incorporate varying themes, techniques, and materials, the works in this exhibition have found common ground. Each work focuses on children as the subject and each tackles the creative process in unique ways. Not content to use photography, painting, printmaking or collage traditionally, the artists innovate, developing work that is arresting and beautiful while also making profound statements.

Katrina Andry brings a slave revolt in 1811 into the present. She depicts her son with a lit match, referencing an attempt to burn down plantations. Andry raises questions about what would have happened had the revolt succeeded. Lavett Ballard incorporates photographs of women from the African diaspora and uses fences as symbols of the barriers they face. Tawney Chatmon manipulates photographs, often exaggerating the subjects’ hair, changing their eyes, and elongating their bodies.

She embellishes with paint and mixed media, recalls the Byzantine period, and adds ornate frames to create a sense of importance. Tokie Rome-Taylor investigates ethnography, identity, history, and memory in her work, and in the series shown here, explores the legacy of plants that were and are still used by her ancestors for medicinal and spiritual purposes. On preserved tobacco and other indigenous leaves, Accra Shepp presents photographic portraits of those who worked the crops and farmland. All the works in this exhibition reference the African American experience while drawing upon the artists’ distinctive styles.

 

Featured Artists include:

  • Tokie Rome-Taylor
  • Accra Shepp
  • Katrina Andry
  • Tawny Chatmon
  • Lavett Ballard

 

On view from May 18 – August 31, 2025.

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In addition to inspiring people with our classes, we spark imaginations with world-class art installed on our terrace and in our galleries. We maintain the beautiful stone mill that deepens your ties with the past and provide a gathering place for your family and friends on the Toshiko Takaezu Terrace. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation so that we may continue educating, challenging, and inspiring community through the arts.

The Hunterdon Art Museum is barrier-free and accessible to people who use wheelchairs. Patrons who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired may contact the Museum through the New Jersey Relay Service at (TTY) 1 (800) 852-7899. Visit our Accessibility page for complete information.

Programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Hyde and Watson Foundation; The Large Foundation; and The Holt Foundation, along with other corporations, foundations, and individuals. 

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