Attend the opening reception at youtube.com/umhumanitiesinst

Join us as we celebrate our latest exhibition, Watch Me Work — Portraits of Self by Sydney G. James, with introductions by curator Amanda Krugliak, an artist talk with Sydney James in conversation with writer Scheherazade Washington Parrish, views of the exhibition, the unveiling of Sydney’s new mural on campus, and the premiere of the short documentary The Girl With the D Earring.

In Watch Me Work — Portraits of Self, Detroit artist Sydney James brings to the forefront and celebrates the work of Black women. The USPS worker, the artist, the event-planning Zoom mom—the paintings in this exhibition reposition the narrative of black women’s visibility and value. Each portrait honors the individual and collective contributions and labors of Black women, persistent through the pandemics, through police violence, and whether seen or unseen.