Winterthur to unveil immersive, first-of-its kind look at Black experience – The News Journal

On Saturday, May 3, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library will open “Almost Unknown, The Afric-American Picture Gallery,” an immersive, design-forward exhibition unlike anything we’ve ever done.
Visitors will explore a multisensory experience featuring light and shadow, sound, intimate gallery spaces, and design elements that amplify the story told by guest curator Jonathan Michael Square, using objects from Winterthur’s collection.
“Almost Unknown” is based on Square’s interpretation of a 19th-century essay by William J. Wilson, a Black journalist, educator, and social commentator who was born free in 1818.
Wilson’s essay “The Afric-American Picture Gallery” was published in 1859 as a seven-part installment in the Anglo-African Magazine. Writing under the pen name “Ethiop,” he guides readers on a tour through an imaginary collection of artworks that both celebrate and critique the experience of free and enslaved Black Americans in the 19th century.
“The essay challenges us to consider our past, reflect on our present, and imagine a more inclusive future,” says Square, a historian and educator who has used the text to teach courses at Harvard University and Parsons School of Design. “It’s a difficult read,” he adds. “It starts off linear and straightforward, then veers into the fantastical. There’s tension in it.”
Essay themes that influenced both the curation and design include Black childhood, the Underground Railroad, a Black Forest and Mount Vernon in a state of decay. The design also includes nods to 19th-century magic lantern shows, shadow plays and silhouette puppets.
“The layout and curation begin with that linear structure, then transition into something more abstract and immersive, reflecting the essay’s dreamlike evolution,” explains Square. The result is an art installation that invites visitors to experience the intensity of the objects through the design.
In “Almost Unknown,” Square assembled drawings, paintings, sculptures, books and other objects from Winterthur’s collection to represent Wilson’s gallery and Black life in the United States and across the Diaspora.
The selected objects do not directly replicate Wilson’s descriptions. Instead, the exhibition reflects Square’s interpretation of the text, its contemporary relevance, and the connections he has drawn with Wilson’s imagined gallery.
The result is a tight group of 30 objects, thoughtfully selected by Square, along with several pieces on loan. Included are copies of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”; Phyllis Wheatley’s “Poems on Various Subjects”; a silhouette attributed to Moses Williams, and a quilt by Priscilla Ballenger Leedom, who embroidered a sketch of a bald eagle drawn by an unnamed, enslaved boy.
Featured is a digital reproduction of an 1855 edition of the Provincial Freeman newspaper containing a farewell from Mary Ann Shadd, the first female African American newspaper publisher. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, she later taught there in public schools.
“I want people to dig deeper into the stories of these and other transformative figures,” says Square. “I want visitors to feel the dynamism and vitality of African American history and culture, which is a story that’s layered and constantly evolving.”
The first item Square selected to exhibit is a modest iron trivet from 1770–1800. He instantly recognized the shape as a Sankofa. A symbol with roots in West Africa, Sankofa translates to “go back and get it.” The Sankofa repeats in the gallery design as a reminder to look to the past in order to move forward.
An iPad that encourages exploration of the Colored Conventions Project is the only modern element included. Square says the choice to omit contemporary African American art is his curatorial intervention.
“I wanted historical objects themselves and my interpretation of them to serve as an engine for dialogue,” he explains. “These pieces speak volumes when you take the time to listen.”
Through this exhibition, Square has taken something almost unknown and is making it known, including Wilson, his essay, and often obscure but important stories of these objects. It is a testament to the depth and breadth of the Winterthur collection, which holds the power to represent many histories often unrecognized or previously untold.
The exhibition runs May 3 through Jan. 4, 2026.
“Almost Unknown: Continue the Journey,” a guided house tour, is scheduled from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. beginning May 3.
The “Looking Back to the Future: Realizing “The Afric-American Picture Gallery” symposium is Nov. 14 to 15. The keynote speaker is Fred Wilson, curator of “Mining the Museum,” the seminal 1992 exhibition at what is now the Maryland Center for History and Culture.
Learn more about the “Almost Unknown” exhibition and symposium at winterthur.org.
Alexandra Deutsch is the John L. and Marjorie P. McGraw Director of Collections at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.