Charmaine Branch

Through a series of case studies, this dissertation analyzes Black women artists’ contributions to Black intellectual histories of collecting and archiving in the United States. I bring together theoretical considerations of the archive in Black studies and archival methods employed by Black artists to better understand how stewarding history can translate into artistic practice. Each case study highlights the work of an individual who created a collection of Black visual culture intended for public audiences. I frame my analysis within a Black feminist understanding of community care, pointing to different strategies of knowledge production and recuperation that make community-based archives possible. These methods rely on the collaborative efforts of artist networks, including painters, printmakers, and sculptors represented in the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection. Several artists’ papers and oral histories housed at the Archives of American Art also provide context for these networks by offering insights into the personal and professional ties between artists such as Margaret Burroughs and Elizabeth Catlett.