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From Prints to Power: Karamu House and the Black Art Market in Cleveland
Back to Distinguished Scholars in the Public Humanities Lectures
Cleveland Public Library, Main Library, Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium
325 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114, United States
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![This print by William E. Smith was the first by any Black artist to enter the CMA backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash ’s collection. It was purchased from the museum backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash ’s May Show, an annual exhibition highlighting regional contemporary art. Karamu Artists Inc. used this juried display to establish a reputation locally that they were then able to leverage into further opportunities. The praise that their prints received was widely noted at a time when Black artists were otherwise unrepresented in museums; as a critic for Cleveland backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash backslash ’s historically Black newspaper, the Call and Post, noted, “A feeling of deep racial pride was mine as I noticed the names of [ members of Karamu Artists Inc. in the galleries ] .”. Flyer for From Prints to Power: Karamu House and the Black Art Market in Cleveland](/upload/cwru/2025/image_upload_762122_fig_5_130113428.png)
About Erin Benay
Erin Benay is an associate professor of early modern art and director of undergraduate studies. She is also one of the inaugural Distinguished Scholars in the Public Humanities. As part of this honor, she will deliver an annual lecture exploring her work within a broader conversation on the impact and significance of the public humanities.Karamu House: A Legacy in Black Arts
Founded in 1915 in Cleveland, Karamu House is one of the nation’s earliest and most influential Black community and performing arts centers. While widely celebrated for its contributions to African American theater, its Graphic Arts Workshop has received far less attention—until now. A groundbreaking exhibition, co-curated by Professor Benay and Britany Salsbury, will open at the Cleveland Museum of Art (March 23–August 17, 2025), shining a long-overdue spotlight on its role in the Black Arts Movement.Lecture Overview: From Prints to Power
In her lecture, Benay will examine relief prints created in the 1940s by Charles Sallée, William E. Smith, and Hughie Lee-Smith, artists whose contributions to the history of art have been largely overlooked. By repositioning their work within the broader tradition of collaborative printmaking, Benay will illustrate how these artists helped foster an enduring Black art and collecting scene in Cleveland.Event Details
📖 Lecture Title: From Prints to Power: Karamu House and the Black Art Market in Cleveland📍 Cleveland Public Library, Main Library, Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium
📅 Wednesday, April 9, 2025
🕔 Lecture at 5 p.m., followed by a reception at 6 p.m.
Food Provided
Where
Cleveland Public Library, Main Library, Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium
325 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114, United States
Speakers
Erin Benay
Associate Professor of Early Modern Art and Director of Undergraduate Studies
Department of Art History and Art, College of Arts and Sciences