This beautifully illustrated exhibition catalogue is the first book to explore the paintings of artist Robert Peterson. Peterson’s work celebrates the contemporary Black experience, featuring individuals, couples, and families in everyday moments. Honoring Black communities, Peterson inserts contemporary African Americans into the history of portraiture—which has traditionally memorialized the rich, white, and elite—to emphasize resilience and solidarity rather than the power of the few.
With dozens of color images, the catalogue includes reflections from Peterson’s collectors, including Pulitzer-prize winning writer Nikole Hannah-Jones, alongside an interview with the artist and an essay by Kéla Jackson, Harvard University Ph.D. candidate. It is edited by TK Smith, Curator of the Arts of Africa and the African Diaspora at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University.This volume accompanies the exhibition Robert Peterson: Somewhere in America at the Wichita Art Museum September 28, 2024 to January 5, 2025. Robert Peterson: Somewhere in America is organized by the Wichita Art Museum. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. This catalogue has been made possible with funds from the Friends of the Wichita Art Museum.