Black History, Black Art 2026: Your Guide to Cultural Festivals, Art Exhibitions, and More This February
- ColorBloc Magazine
- 8 hours ago
- 13 min read
As we honor Black History Month 2026, this year marks a historic milestone. One hundred years ago, what began as Negro History Week evolved into a national recognition of Black history, culture, and achievement. In this centennial year, museums, galleries, and cultural institutions across the U.S. are commemorating Black history through art, community, and creative expression.
From Los Angeles to New York City, Atlanta to Washington, D.C., and more, this guide highlights where Black history and Black art events throughout February.
Los Angeles Black History Events & Art Exhibitions
LA Opera: An Ode to Black Opera
Location: 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, CA 90037
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: LA Opera Connects celebrates the work of Black composers with a special performance at CAAM featuring Cedric Berry (bass), Ashley Faatoalia (tenor), Grace Lee (piano), and Thalia Moore (soprano). The evening honors Black contributions to opera through classical performance and storytelling.
An Evening with African American Authors
Location: Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St, Santa Monica, CA
Date: February 21, 2026 | 6:00 PM
Description: Authors Antwone Fisher (Finding Fish) and Denise Nicholas (Freshwater Road, Finding Home) come together for a conversation on literature, film, and Black history. The discussion is moderated by Gil Robertson, co-founder and president of the African American Critics Association, with book signings to follow.
Los Angeles Black History Month Festival
Location: Pan Pacific Park, Los Angeles, CA
Date: February 21, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Description: A citywide celebration featuring live music, art installations, food vendors, and community organizations honoring Black culture and heritage.
We Hold These Truths: Celebrating Black History Month over 100 years
Location: Los Angeles Southwest College Theater
Date: Sunday, February 22, 2026 | 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Description: "We Hold These Truths: Celebrating Black History Month Over 100 Years" highlights the essential role Black Americans have played in the fight for democracy in America through unforgettable, powerhouse performances.
Harriet Tubman: Love Slave – Viral Black History Month Stage Play (LA)
Location: Los Angeles Theatre Production
Date: February 27–March 1
Description: This bold new theatrical work reimagines Harriet Tubman as a young woman navigating love, agency, power, and liberation in 19th-century America. Blending movement, dramatic storytelling, music, and contemporary staging, the production challenges audiences to reconsider how Black historical figures are remembered and how their humanity is often erased.
Annual Black History Round Table Discussion and Student Poster Reception
Location: 4020 Marlton Ave, Los Angeles, CA
Date: February 10, 2026 | 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Description: In recognition of the national theme, A Century of Black History Commemorations, this year’s Annual Black History Roundtable Panel reflects on the enduring legacy of Dr. Carter G. Woodson and the founders of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, whose work institutionalized the study, teaching, and commemoration of Black history beginning in 1915.
Daughters of the Dust Screening
Location: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 6067 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Date: February 11, 2026
Description: Writer and director Julie Dash joins Academy Governor Ava DuVernay for a special screening of Daughters of the Dust. Released in 1991, the film became the first feature by a Black woman to receive national theatrical distribution and remains a landmark in Black cinema.
The 45th Annual Black Doll Show: Sower of Seeds: Creating a New Tomorrow
Location: William Grant Still Arts Center, 2520 S West View St, Los Angeles, CA
Dates: Through February 14, 2026 | Workshops: February 7 and February 12, 2026
Description: Inspired by Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower, this year’s Black Doll Show features handmade and collected dolls reflecting themes of renewal, resilience, and transformation.
Origin Awards: Honoring the Work of Charles Burnett
Location: El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, Los Angeles, CA
Date: February 19, 2026
Description: The Origin Awards honor the 26 African American founding families of El Pueblo de Los Angeles alongside contemporary trailblazers. The 2026 recipient is Academy Award winner Charles Burnett, director of Killer of Sheep and To Sleep with Anger.
Juice Screening
Location: Vidiots, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Date: February 19, 2026
Description: Vidiots presents a screening of the 1990s coming-of-age film Juice, featuring a pre-show all-vinyl DJ set and a post-screening conversation with writer and director Ernest Dickerson. The film is notable for marking Tupac Shakur’s first film appearance.
An Evening with African American Authors
Location: Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St, Santa Monica, CA
Date: February 21, 2026 | 6:00 PM
Description: Authors Antwone Fisher (Finding Fish) and Denise Nicholas (Freshwater Road, Finding Home) come together for a conversation on literature, film, and Black history. The discussion is moderated by Gil Robertson, co-founder and president of the African American Critics Association, with book signings to follow.
Pan African Film & Arts Festival
Location: Baldwin Hills Crenshaw District, Los Angeles, CA
Dates: February 7–22, 2026
Description: One of the largest Black film festivals in the world, showcasing films from across the African diaspora alongside an ArtFest highlighting visual artists and designers.
African American Festival at the Aquarium of the Pacific
Location: Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, CA
Dates: February 21–22, 2026
Description: The 24th annual African American Festival celebrates African American and African cultures through music, dance, storytelling, and hands-on art experiences. Though held in Long Beach, it is considered a major Los Angeles–area Black History Month event.
African Americans for Los Angeles Opera Black History Month Recital
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Date: Mid-February 2026 (annual event)
Description: An annual recital honoring the contributions of African Americans to opera and classical music. Performances typically take place during the third week of February in partnership with cultural institutions.
2026 African American Heritage Month Gallery Exhibition: When Black Women Lead
Location: Henry P. Rio Gallery, 3rd Floor, Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA
Dates: Through February 24, 2026
Description: When Black Women Lead is the 2026 African American Heritage Month gallery exhibition at Los Angeles City Hall. The exhibition highlights multiple generations of Black women who have led some of the city’s most influential organizations, celebrating leadership, civic impact, and legacy. The exhibition is open to the public throughout February.
New York City Black History Events & Art Exhibitions
Black Future Festival
Location: Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn, NY
Dates: February 15–21, 2026
Description: A weeklong celebration focused on Black futures, creativity, and joy through performances, storytelling, and interactive art experiences.
First Saturdays: Black History Month Edition
Location: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY
Date: February 7, 2026 | 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Description: Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturday program celebrates Black History Month with live music, art-making, film screenings, and curator-led conversations spotlighting Black artists and cultural history. This free evening event draws one of the largest museum crowds of the month.
Seneca Village Walking Tour
Location: Central Park West & W 81st St, Manhattan
Dates: February 17 – March 23, 2026
Description: This guided walking tour explores the history of Seneca Village, a 19th-century community of predominantly Black landowners displaced during the creation of Central Park. The tour offers critical context on Black land ownership, displacement, and resilience in New York City.
Still We Smile Photography Exhibition
Location: AM:PM Gallery, 108 Marcy Ave, Brooklyn, NY
Dates: February 14 – March 9, 2026Opening Night: February 14, 2026 | 6:00 PM
Description: Still We Smile is a photography exhibition celebrating Black joy, resistance, and everyday life. Curated by Julius Mark, Monika Anne, and Iman Abdul, the show features over 30 Black-identifying photographers sharing deeply personal and communal narratives.
Black History Month at The Schomburg Center
Location: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Blvd, NY
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: The Schomburg Center hosts exhibitions, author talks, film screenings, and community conversations throughout Black History Month, continuing its legacy as one of the world’s leading institutions dedicated to Black history and culture.
Black History Month Film Screenings
Location: Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave, Queens, NY
Dates: Select dates throughout February 2026
Description: Curated film screenings honoring Black filmmakers, actors, and cinematic history, often paired with panel discussions and guest appearances.
Atlanta Black History Events & Art Exhibitions
Atlanta Black Expo
Location: Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA
Dates: February 20–22, 2026
Description: One of Atlanta’s largest Black History Month gatherings, the Atlanta Black Expo brings together Black-owned businesses, creatives, and entrepreneurs. The weekend includes exhibitions, panel discussions, workshops, and cultural programming focused on economic empowerment and community building.
Amanda Williams: We Say What Black This Is
Location: Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, 350 Spelman Lane SW, Atlanta, GA
Dates: February 6 – May 24, 2026
Description: MacArthur Fellow Amanda Williams presents a powerful exhibition examining Blackness through color, architecture, and cultural symbolism. The exhibition challenges rigid definitions of Black identity while honoring its complexity, resilience, and cultural depth.
Black History Month Parade
Location: Downtown Atlanta, GA
Date: February 22, 2026
Description: Atlanta’s annual Black History Month Parade celebrates African American heritage through marching bands, floats, cultural organizations, and community groups. The parade is one of the city’s most visible public commemorations of Black history.
National Black Arts Festival Dance Celebration
Location: Pittsburgh Yards, 352 University Ave SW, Atlanta, GA
Date: February 22, 2026
Description: Presented by the National Black Arts Festival, this dance event features performances highlighting the evolution of Black movement, rhythm, and storytelling. The program centers contemporary Black choreographers and performers.
We Shall Overcome: African American Stories from the Civil War to Civil Rights
Location: Oakland Cemetery, 248 Oakland Ave SE, Atlanta, GA
Dates: February 2, 8–9, 16, and 23, 2026
Description: Guided tours exploring African American history through personal narratives of formerly enslaved people, soldiers, educators, and civil rights leaders. Oakland Cemetery’s program offers historical depth within a reflective setting.
Vanguard Art Show
Location: Westside Cultural Arts Center, 760 10th St NW, Atlanta, GA
Date: February 15, 2026
Description: A contemporary art showcase highlighting emerging and established Black artists across painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media. The Vanguard Art Show centers new perspectives within Atlanta’s creative landscape.
Black History Art, Culture & Education Celebration
Location: Lawrenceville Arts Center, Lawrenceville, GA
Date: February 16, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Description: A free community celebration featuring art exhibitions, live performances, educational programming, and cultural storytelling highlighting Black history and creative expression.
Black Futures Month
Location: Children’s Museum of Atlanta, 275 Centennial Olympic Park Dr NW, Atlanta, GA
Dates: February 1–28, 2026
Description: A monthlong program celebrating Black leaders, innovators, and cultural changemakers through interactive exhibits and youth-focused activities designed to inspire future generations.
ZuCot Gallery Black History Month Exhibition
Location: ZuCot Gallery, 100 Centennial Olympic Park Dr, Atlanta, GA
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: ZuCot Gallery presents a Black History Month exhibition featuring contemporary Black artists working across painting, sculpture, and mixed media. The gallery remains one of Atlanta’s premier Black-owned art spaces.
Washington, D.C. Black History Events & Art Exhibitions
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Location: 1400 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: The museum hosts performances, talks, film screenings, and exhibitions celebrating Black history, art, and culture.
A Century of Black Arts Education
Location: Anacostia Community Museum, Washington, DC
Dates: February - March 2026
Description: An exhibition exploring the impact of Black arts education in Washington, D.C. throughout the twentieth century.
Hold On, Change Is Coming
Location: Zenith Gallery, 1429 Iris St NW, Washington, DC
Dates: Through March 1, 2026
Description: Zenith Gallery’s Black History Month exhibition features artists whose work reflects resilience, transformation, and Black identity. The exhibition brings together painters, sculptors, and mixed media artists whose work has been shown nationally and internationally.
Black History Month Author Talks & Film Screenings
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St NW, Washington, DC
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: The DC Public Library system hosts author talks, panel discussions, film screenings, and educational programming throughout the month, centering Black literature, history, and contemporary thought.
Chela Mitchell Gallery Black History Month Programming
Location: Washington, DC
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: Chela Mitchell Gallery showcases Black artists working across photography, painting, and mixed media, with exhibitions and programming aligned with Black History Month.
Houston Black History Events & Art Exhibitions
Woodson Black Fest
Location: Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Date: February 21, 2026
Description: A celebration blending contemporary art, spoken word, and performance in honor of Black creativity and expression.
Houston Museum of African American Culture
Location: Houston, TX
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: Exhibitions and public programs celebrating African American history and visual culture.
Maryland Black History Events & Art Exhibitions
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture
Location: Baltimore, MD
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: Exhibitions and programming highlighting Black history in Maryland and beyond.
She Speaks: Black Women Artists and the Power of Historical Memory
Location: Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum
Date: February 22, 2026
Description: a visionary presentation that examines the 250-year history of the United States of America through a Black Feminist lens. This exhibition brings together a powerful constellation of contemporary Maryland-based and internationally recognized Black women artists
Connecticut Black History Events & Art Exhibitions
Denycia: Conflict: Self and the World
Location: North End Recreation Center, 268 N Main St, Waterbury, CT
Dates: February 21–22, 2026
Description: Conflict: Self and the World is a solo art exhibition by Denycia featuring 30 abstract and mixed media paintings on canvas. Through visual storytelling, the exhibition navigates themes of identity, war, and religion, examining how these forces shape both personal and collective experience. Developed to spark conversation and reflection, the gallery invites viewers into a thoughtful journey of self-discovery while offering the opportunity to engage directly with the artist.
Amistad Center for Art & Culture Black History Month Exhibitions
Location: Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: The Amistad Center, one of the nation’s oldest African American art and history institutions, presents exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives honoring Black history and artistic excellence. Programming typically includes visual art exhibitions, artist talks, and community conversations centered on African American experiences in New England and beyond.
Connecticut Freedom Trail Black History Month Programs
Location: Various sites statewide, CT
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: The Connecticut Freedom Trail highlights historic sites connected to African American history, resistance, and achievement. During Black History Month, participating locations host lectures, walking tours, and educational programs that explore Black life in Connecticut from the colonial period to the present.
Black Inventors Who Made the Stuff Around Us at New Haven Museum
Location: 114 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT
Dates: February 12, 2026
Description: Dr. Ainissa Ramirez will share inventions that were created by Black inventors from the light bulb to the mailbox to the ice cream scoop during “Black Inventors Who Made the Stuff Around Us,” at the New Haven Museum on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 6 p.m., and be preceded by a reception at 5:30 p.m. The NH250 event is free with regular museum admission.
Chicago Black History Events & Art Exhibitions
Black History Month Commemorative Day
Location: Chicago History Museum, 1601 N Clark St, Chicago, IL
Date: February 28, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Description: An annual celebration featuring performances, talks, and interactive programming highlighting Black history and culture in Chicago and across the nation.
Black History Month at the DuSable Black History Museum
Location: 740 E 56th Pl, Chicago, IL
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: As the nation’s first independent museum dedicated to African American history, the DuSable presents exhibitions, lectures, and cultural programming throughout Black History Month.
I Dream I Cross the River in One Stride: Group Exhibition
Location: 1338 W Lake St, Chicago, IL
Dates: February 13 - March 28, 2026
Description: I Dream I Cross the River in One Stride takes Lorraine O’Grady’s foundational essay Olympia’s Maid: Reclaiming Black Female Subjectivity as a point of departure. If, as O’Grady argues, the Black female body has long functioned as the unseen reverse side of Western femininity.
Gallery Guichard Black History Month Exhibition
Location: 436 E 47th St, Chicago, IL
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: Gallery Guichard presents a Black History Month exhibition featuring established and emerging Black artists across painting, sculpture, and mixed media.
Philadelphia Black History Events & Art Exhibitions
Black History Month at the African American Museum in Philadelphia
Location: 701 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: The museum presents exhibitions, film screenings, performances, and educational programs celebrating African American history and contemporary Black culture.
Black History Month Programs at the Free Library of Philadelphia
Location: Various branches, Philadelphia, PA
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: The Free Library hosts author talks, community discussions, film screenings, and youth programming across the city in celebration of Black history.
Black History Month at the Museum of the American Revolution
Location: 101 S 3rd St, Philadelphia, PA
Dates: February 2026
Description: Special tours and talks exploring the contributions of Black Americans during the Revolutionary era and beyond.
Friday Night: Black History Month Edition
Location: Philadelphia Art Museum
Dates: Friday, February 13, 2026 | 5:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Description: Celebrate the history of Black American art, music, and food as you explore the galleries. Dance to the Indigo Ensemble (featuring DJ Cvgbird and a live music trio), sketch in the Pop Up Studio with Philly Drawing Club, add to a communal art project based on Julie Mehretu’s work in Gallery 251, and explore community partners tabling throughout the night.
San Francisco Bay Area Black History Events & Art Exhibitions
Black History Month at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)
Location: 685 Mission St, San Francisco, CA
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: MoAD presents exhibitions, artist talks, film screenings, and community programs celebrating Black global history and contemporary African diasporic culture.
Black Joy Parade
Location: Downtown Oakland, CA
Date: February 22, 2026
Description: A large-scale outdoor celebration centering Black joy, creativity, and community through live music, art, performances, and Black-owned vendors.
Jenkins Johnson Gallery Black History Month Exhibition
Location: San Francisco, CA
Dates: Throughout February 2026
Description: A Black-owned gallery showcasing contemporary artists of African descent, with exhibitions and conversations aligned with Black History Month.
As Black History Month marks its 100th year, these events and exhibitions offer powerful opportunities to engage with Black history as a living, evolving force. From museums and galleries to festivals and community spaces, February 2026 invites reflection, celebration, and connection. For additional details, ticketing, and updates, visit each venue’s official page and follow local institutions throughout the month.
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