Artist Willie Birch’s First-Ever Retrospective Hits the Road Next Month
"Uptown Memories (A Day in the Life of the Magnolia Project)," by Willie Birch (1995) (Photo courtesy of The American Federation of Arts)
The American Federation of Arts (AFA) has officially announced a national tour for Willie Birch: Stories to Tell, a major exhibition spanning six decades of the legendary artist’s career.
Co-organized with the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), this exhibition is a deep dive into the heart of the Black American experience, told through the eyes of Willie Birch, one of the most impactful artists of the 20th century, starting May 5 at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles.
A New Orleans-based artist and community organizer, Birch has spent his life documenting the joys and struggles of his neighbors. Whether it’s the beat of a brass band or the quiet dignity of a front porch, his work captures the "retentions" of African traditions in every corner of Black life.
“I care about the story,” Birch famously said. And the stories he tells are complex—balancing pain with joy, and vulnerability with pride. From 1960s paintings to massive papier-mâché sculptures and large-scale charcoal drawings, the exhibition features over 80 works that act as both aesthetic masterpieces and intriguing social documents.
Curated by Russell Lord, the show travels from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, New York, and back to New Orleans. For those who want to take the stories home, a 208-page hardcover catalogue published with Yale University Press will be available this June.
Willie Birch: Stories to Tell is Black artistic excellence—a conversation with one of the most unwavering and empathetic observers of our time.
Learn more about the exhibition here.
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