Years ago, when I was a university student, I enrolled in an African American Literature course. As part of that class, I helped organize a research trip to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. My personal research focus during that trip was the prolific Harlem Renaissance poet and playwright, Georgia Douglas Johnson.
I still remember the electricity of being in those archives, surrounded by the papers, art, and histories of some of the most important contributors to Black culture. I was an observer then, deeply humbled by the scale of the legacy preserved within those walls.
Today, I am incredibly honored and deeply moved to share that two of my own works—my artist book, Arctic Impressions, and my painting, Skyscape #10—have been officially acquired by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture for their permanent collection.
Above: "Arctic Impressions," an artist book generated in collaboration with the natural elements of Northern Norway.
Above: "Skyscape #11," inspired by the vast, shifting skies of the Arctic North.
To have my work transition from the solitude of my studio into a permanent repository of Black history is a milestone I never could have envisioned as a student sitting in that research room. When I created Arctic Impressions and Skyscape #10, I was thinking about [insert a brief thought on what connects these two works, e.g., memory, vastness, landscape, or identity]. To know that these pieces will now live alongside the legacies of the very creators who inspired my early academic and creative journey is profoundly validating.
An artist book is meant to be handled, read, and experienced, while a painting captures a singular visual space; I cannot think of a more perfect home for both than an institution dedicated to deep research, preservation, and community dialogue.
I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the curatorial team at the Schomburg Center for welcoming my work into their care, and to my professors and peers from that formative literature course who helped ignite this path. Most of all, thank you to everyone who has supported my studio practice over the years.
Both pieces will now be preserved as resources for future generations, researchers, and patrons. If you are in New York, I highly encourage you to spend time at the Schomburg Center—it remains a place of profound inspiration, just as it was for me all those years ago.
With immense gratitude,
Ernestine louise
Above: "Arctic Impressions," an artist book generated in collaboration with the natural elements of Northern Norway.