Karamu Artists Inc.

An exploration of the rich history of printmaking at Clevelands Karamu House, a center of Black arts, culture, and community since 1915 Karamu House, founded as a settlement house in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1915, is one of the preeminent homes of Black arts, culture, and community in America. Noted for its theater program, Karamu House also hosts a rich legacy in the graphic arts. Printmaking workshops open to artists and community alike launched in the 1930s, allowing a young Langston Hughesas one notable exampleto experiment with print. Linked with printmakings ethos of accessibility and democracy, a group including Elmer W. Brown, Hughie Lee-Smith, Charles L. Sallee Jr., and William E. Smithsome of the most prominent Black printmakers of the WPA erafounded Karamu Artists, Inc. Reproductions of works by such artists are accompanied by essays situating the prints, the artists, and this locus of Black arts and culture in the histories it shaped. These writings are complemented by an interview with printmaker and Karamu alumnus Curlee Raven Holton. Distributed for the Cleveland Museum of Art Exhibition Schedule: Cleveland Museum of Art (March 23August 17, 2025)