A landmark exhibition celebrates Peggy Cooper Cafritz’s transformative legacy through a remarkable collection of contemporary artists of African descent.
28 July 2026
The Studio Museum in Harlem presents ‘Dreams of This Future: The Collection of Peggy Cooper Cafritz’, a major exhibition honouring one of the most influential collectors, educators, and cultural advocates of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. This exhibition brings together works from the historic 2018 bequest that Cafritz left to the Studio Museum, affirming her enduring commitment to championing Black artists across generations.
More than a presentation of a private collection, the exhibition reveals the relationships, mentorship, and sustained acts of advocacy that shaped Cafritz’s vision. Her gift encompasses a multigenerational network of artists whose practices have transformed contemporary art, many of whom are closely connected to the Studio Museum through its renowned Artist in Residence programme and exhibition history. Featured artists include Wangechi Mutu, Simone Leigh, Kerry James Marshall, Deana Lawson, Hassan Hajjaj, Nick Cave, Jennifer Packer, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Titus Kaphar, Deborah Roberts, Sanford Biggers, Derek Fordjour, Diedrick Brackens, Kambui Olujimi, Jackie Nickerson, Nina Chanel Abney, Saya Woolfalk, and many others.
Organised by Connie H. Choi and Kiki Teshome, ‘Dreams of This Future’ offers a powerful meditation on collecting as an act of care, cultural stewardship, and future making. It celebrates Peggy Cooper Cafritz’s extraordinary belief that investing in artists is also an investment in the histories, communities, and possibilities they imagine.
This exhibition will be on view at Studio Museum in Harlem from 19 August 2026 until 28 February 2027.
