Filmmakers Garrett Bradley, Arthur Jafa, and Ja’Tovia Gary Showcase Their Work at the Barnes Foundation’s ‘Freedom Dreams’ Exhibition
This month, the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia will unveil Freedom Dreams, an extensive exhibition dedicated to exploring Black American history and identity through the lens of film created by five prominent artists.
The exhibition will showcase works by Arthur Jafa, David Hartt, Garrett Bradley, Ja’Tovia Gary, and Tourmaline. It has been co-curated by James Claiborne, the Fleischner Family Vice President for Engagement at the Barnes, and Maori Karmael Holmes, Chief Executive and Artistic Officer of BlackStar Projects.
The films featured in the exhibition include Arthur Jafa’s influential Love is the Message, The Message is Death (2016); David Hartt’s On Exactitude in Science (Watts) (2021); America (2019) by Garrett Bradley; Ja’Tovia Gary’s Quiet As It’s Kept (2023); and Tourmaline’s Pollinator (2022).
Freedom Dreams marks the first opportunity for all five films to be screened together at a museum in Philadelphia.
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In a joint statement, Claiborne and Holmes emphasized, “One of our goals with Freedom Dreams is to reveal connections among different generations of Black artists in America across varying disciplines who have found commonality in moving image assemblage and in creating an archive where none previously existed.”
They continued, “Through the exhibition, we will draw out points of connection between the artists’ histories and their work, and invite audiences to reflect on a larger question: what does liberation and freedom look like for Black Americans 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence?”
Freedom Dreams will be on display in the Roberts Gallery at the Barnes from April 12 to August 9, 2026. The exhibition is sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal.
