One of Only Two HBCUs in the U.S. and Georgia Universities Selected for the Prestigious National Program
Clark Atlanta University (CAU) is proud to announce its inclusion in the Getty Foundation’s prestigious Black Visual Arts Archives program. The university has been awarded $140,000 as part of Getty’s $2.6 million investment to support libraries, museums, and universities across the United States in preserving and increasing access to archival collections documenting the work of Black artists.
The grant will enable Clark Atlanta University to establish an official institutional archive for its museum, with a focus on assessing and inventorying significant records related to the Museum’s history, exhibitions, and artist and object files, which are currently stored in non-archival filing cabinets.
“This grant represents a transformative opportunity for Clark Atlanta University to properly preserve our rich artistic heritage and make these invaluable resources accessible to scholars, students, and the community for generations to come,” said Danille Taylor, Ph.D., executive director of the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum. “We are honored to be among the select institutions chosen for this important initiative.”
CAU Art Museum History
The CAU Museum’s core collections were built through the venerated Atlanta Art Annuals, which played a significant role in showcasing and supporting major African American artists who were often excluded from mainstream art institutions, such as Henry O. Tanner, Elizabeth Catlett, and Charles White.
Clark Atlanta University joins six other institutions receiving funding in this grant cycle, including Amistad Research Center in New Orleans, California State University Los Angeles, Emory University in Atlanta, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum in Washington D.C., and Visual AIDS in New York City.
“We need a fuller understanding of the influence of Black artists, architects, and cultural institutions to tell a more complete history of American art and culture, and we can work towards achieving this by investing in Black archives,” said Miguel de Baca, senior program officer at the Getty Foundation. “Black Visual Arts Archives delivers critical support to make these archives and the stories of creativity, resiliency, and community they hold more accessible to researchers and the general public.”
The Black Visual Arts Archives program is designed to increase access to archival collections across the country that hold vital information about work created by Black artists. A major goal of the program is to increase visibility of archives to the public through exhibitions, community programming, and digital projects.
Results from the pilot phase of Black Visual Arts Archives will be presented during the annual Society of American Archivists conference, taking place in Anaheim, California, from August 24-27, 2025.
About Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University was formed with the consolidation of Atlanta University and Clark College. Atlanta University, established in 1865 by the American Missionary Association, was the nation’s first institution to award graduate degrees to African Americans. Clark College, established four years later in 1869, was the nation’s first four-year liberal arts college to serve a primarily African American student population. Today, with nearly 4,000 students, CAU is the largest of the four institutions (CAU, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Morehouse School of Medicine) that comprise the Atlanta University Center Consortium. It is also the largest of the 37-member UNCF institutions. CAU offers a wide range of bachelor, master and doctorate degree programs in business, education, public administration, and social work and in innovative fields such as cyber-physical systems. Notable alumni include: James Weldon Johnson, poet, and songwriter of Lift Every Voice and Sing “The Black National Anthem”; Ralph David Abernathy Sr., American civil rights activist; Congressman Hank Johnson, Georgia District 4; Kenya Barris, American award-winning television and movie producer; Kenny Leon, Tony Award-winning Broadway Director; and Jacque Reid, Emmy Award-winning Television Personality and Journalist. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit www.cau.edu.