This collection showcases the work of Cameroonian artist Franck Kemkeng Noah, who was an artist-in-residence at Texas Southern University in Spring 2023. Noah's art is multimedia, often using found objects, and explores identity and globalization through a Bamileke lens. During his time at TSU, Noah mentored students and created a painting.
Professor Carroll Harris Simms was a master ceramicist, sculptor, and jeweller. He worked alongside Dr. John T. Biggers to establish Texas Southern University's art department as a hub for Black artists in the South. This collection contains several of his ceramic works.
The chapel has been at the heart of Tuskegee University since 1898, serving as both the spiritual center of campus life and a gathering place for the surrounding community. Over the years, it has hosted students in worship and welcomed religious leaders, presidents, activists, and celebrities to its stage. This collection presents photographs, letters, and audio recordings that demonstrate the chapel's central role in university life.
The first five presidents of Tuskegee University—Booker T. Washington, Robert R. Moton, Frederick D. Patterson, Luther H. Foster, and Benjamin F. Payton—each left a lasting mark on the institution’s growth and legacy. Washington built Tuskegee into a model for vocational and industrial education, while Moton expanded its national influence during the Jim Crow era. Patterson, Foster, and Payton modernized the university, broadening academic programs, advancing research, and positioning Tuskegee as a leader in higher education for African Americans. Highlighted in this collection are photographs capturing these influential leaders.
Correspondence between Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika) and Albert Washington, aka Nuh Abdul Qaiyum (“Nuh” is the Arabic pronunciation of Noah), who was sentenced to prison in 1975 for a Black Liberation Army (BLA) connected shooting of police officers in New York that took place in 1971. Qaiyum, along with Herman Bell and Anthony Bottom, were sentenced to 25 years to life in federal prison for the murder of two cops. Because of questionable police tactics and shaky evidence in court, the three were considered political prisoners and became known as The New York 3. This item set contains correspondence between Adams-Johnson and Washington during his imprisonment while the two were romantically involved.
Black Liberation Army member Albert Washington, aka Nuh Abdul Qaiyum (“Nuh” is the Arabic pronunciation of Noah), was imprisoned in 1975 after being convicted with two others in the 1971 killing of two police officers. While imprisoned, Qaiyum exchanged letters with several other political prisoners including Sundiata Acoli, Gunnie Haskins, Assata Shakur (Joanne Chesimard), and others. This item set is Frankye Adams-Johnson’s collection of letters to and from Black imprisoned revolutionaries.
The Atlanta University Annuals, originally known as the Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Negro Artists in America, was an annual juried art competition designed for Black diasporic artists, held at Atlanta University from 1942 to 1970. The winning pieces from the Annuals competition were accessioned into the art collection of Atlanta University and comprise the foundation of the CAU Art Museum's permanent collection. Black artists who were creating and being collected between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries are identified as Black Modernists. The art produced during the Modernist period often reflected on the historical and contemporary status of Black people in the United States, while also incorporating Black perspectives from various people around the world. Select artists from the Black Modernist canon in the Atlanta University Annuals introduce the Black Modernist era through award-winning pieces that showcase the diverse themes, styles, and forms with which 20th-century Black artists engaged. The Black Modernism Canon in the CAUAM Permanent Collection provides a list of Black Modernist artists who competed in the Annuals, or whose works have been donated to the CAUAM permanent collection.
