About

Home > Museum of Fine Art > About

A Home For Black Women Artists

The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, located on the first floor of the Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D., Academic Center, has been a vital resource for the Spelman community and beyond since its opening in 1996. In 2025, we expanded our impact with the establishment of our second campus location, the Bank of America Gallery in the Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation and the Arts. Initial plans for the Museum were spearheaded by arts faculty members who believed that visual art is an essential component of a liberal arts education, playing a significant role in encouraging the intellectual growth and development of students. With its unwavering commitment to Black women artists, the Museum has become a unique hub for the Spelman community and the Atlanta University Center.

Working collaboratively with departments including Art and Visual Culture, Anthropology and Sociology, the African Diaspora and the World Program, Women’s Studies, Literature, Media and Writing, and many others, the Museum heightens pedagogical learning, integrates object-based learning into the academic curriculum, and fosters a lifelong and interdisciplinary engagement with visual art. The Museum has a growing reputation for presenting projects that are bold, daring, and mission-focused and expands art offerings in Atlanta, the region, and beyond. While the Museum serves as a site for teaching and learning, it is also open to the public and welcomes audiences beyond the Spelman community.

The Museum realizes its unique mission through its three priorities: presenting fantastically curated exhibitions, organizing dynamic and empowering programs, and expanding its relevant collection.

Contact Info

Spelman College Museum of Fine Art

GPS Address: 440 Westview Drive, Atlanta, GA 30310

404-270-5607
museum@spelman.edu

Wed. – Sat. | 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

A Legacy of Empowering Through Art

Johnnetta B. Cole and Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D.Since the 1930s, Spelman College has developed a collection of art primarily from the African Diaspora through the generosity of alumnae, artists, trustees, Friends of the College, and through select purchases. The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art became the nucleus of the College’s art collecting, preservation, and exhibition activities when it was established in 1996. To honor its unique mission and focus, the Museum acquires art highlighting the wide spectrum of works created by women artists of the African Diaspora.

Ethnographic, African, three-dimensional, polychrome, wooden artifacts have comprised the greater part of the College’s holdings. The collection also includes works by celebrated African American artists, including Beverly Buchanan, Elizabeth Catlett, Faith Ringgold, Jacob Lawrence, Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Hale Woodruff, and many others. More recent acquisitions are in alignment with the Museum’s mission. María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Lalla Essaydi, Ingrid Mwangi Robert Hutter, and Nandipha Mntambo are amongst the global roster of artists whose works are also represented in the College’s growing collection. Other recent acquisitions include works by Mequitta Ahuja, Firelei Báez, Vanessa L. German, Fabiola Jean-Louis, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Deborah Roberts, Berni Searle, Billie Zangewa, and a gift from the Souls Grown Deep Foundation of textiles from the Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers.

The Spelman College Collection is proud to be the custodian of artworks by celebrated artists across generations and throughout the African Diaspora. The Collection is a testament to the thought leadership continuously guiding the Museum. The Museum has become well-regarded for its highly acclaimed exhibitions, innovative academic and public programming, and a growing and dynamic collection. The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art is committed and well poised to continue to claim its charge as a resource and repository for significant works of art.