Christopher Myers: Harlem Is a Myth

A site-specific metal installation depicting mythic Harlem figures—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a centaur, jazz legends with wings, and young people with animal features—exploring inner stories and magic.

Why go

Myers transforms iconic Harlem personalities into hybrid mythological beings, grounding the work in a personal encounter on 125th Street where a stranger told him he had invisible wings. The installation inaugurates the Museum's new Education Workshop, designed for intergenerational creative engagement.

What to expect

A wall-mounted metal installation in the Studio Museum's newly dedicated Education Workshop space, featuring transformed figures from Harlem's cultural history rendered as mythic beings with animal and celestial attributes.

Things to know

• Site-specific commission for the Studio Museum's inaugural Education Workshop.
• Myers won a Caldecott Honor in 1998 for illustrating the book Harlem and a Coretta Scott King Award in 2016.
• Recent solo exhibition at Grand Rapids Art Museum (February–April 2025) titled Each year this blood shall change and blossom: Christopher My
• Featured in the 24th Sydney Biennale in 2024.
• Work held in permanent collections at National Gallery of Art, Brooklyn Museum, MoMA Chicago, LACMA, and others.
• Born 1974 in New York City; studied art-semiotics at Brown University and participated in Whitney Museum Independent Studio Program.

Plan your visit

Plan your visit at visit.studiomuseum.org. The Museum is located at 144 West 125th Street. Check hours before visiting.