Exhibitions


  • New Jerusalem , c. 1957–1974
    Sister Gertrude Morgan (1900–1980)
    New Orleans, Louisiana
    Acrylic and/or tempera on metal lid
    American Folk Art Museum, gift of Bliss Carnochan in honor of Gerard C. Wertkin, American Folk Art Museum director (1991–2004), 2004.7.1

  • Baby Jesus and Three Wise Men, c. 1960
    Clementine Hunter (1886/1887-1988)
    Melrose Plantation, Natchitoches, LA
    Oil on board
    17 x 25”
    Collection of American Folk Art Museum, New York
    Gift of Robert L. Marcus Family, 1999.21.1

  • Bessie Harvey Black
    Rider of Revelation, 1985
    Paint and mixed media on wood
    American Folk Art Museum

  • William H. Johnson
    I Baptize Thee, 1940
    Oil on Burlap, 38 1/8 x 45 1/2 in.
    Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C. 1967.59.977

  • William Edmonson
    Preacher, 1935
    Limestone, 23 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 8 in.
    Frank H. McLung Museum The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

  • Sargent Johnson
    Singing Saints, 1940
    Lithograph, 13 1/4 x 10 3/8 in.
    Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1999.529.76

  • Charles White
    Preacher, 1952
    30 x 22 in.
    Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
    52.25

  • William Johnson
    Going to Church, 1940-41
    Oil on Burlap; 38 1/8 x 45 3/8 in.
    Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.
    1967.59.1003


Ashe to Amen

African-Americans and Biblical Imagery

February 15–May 26, 2013

The exhibition examines the complex place of the Bible in the life and art of African-Americans, with particular emphasis on how biblical traditions were used by artists of African descent to help cope with the life that was imposed on them in the Americas. Although the majority of the works included in the exhibition date from the 19th and 20th centuries, they often reflect the experiences of the Middle Passage and slavery, which left their indelible mark on the artistic consciousness of the African-American community.

Major support for MOBIA’s exhibitions and programs has been provided by American Bible Society and by Howard and Roberta Ahmanson. 

Ashe to Amen: African-Americans and Biblical Imagery is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. 

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Plan Your Visit Plan Your Visit Museum of Biblical Art
1865 Broadway at 61st Street
New York, NY 10023
Phone: (212) 408-1500
Hours & Ticketing
  • Thursday, May 17th

    • MOBIA is open six days a week
    • Monday: Closed
    • Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday:10 am–6 pm
    • Thursday: 10 am–8 pm
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