The Reading Room, a Black art reference library and archive, had its debut pop-up on March 18th and March 19th. The pop-up welcomed visitors to browse the collection. The Reading Room's founder, Amarie Gipson, also displayed a compilation of found and archival footage on Black cultural production, including award show acceptance speeches, music videos, film scenes, video profiles and more.

The pop-up concluded with a screening of Black Art: In the Absence of Light directed by Sam Pollard (2021). The documentary highlights the contributions of Black artists, the ways in which institutional racism has silenced Black artists, and how Black artists intentionally reclaimed their space within the art world. The screening closed with a discussion of the film lead by Gipson and Janice Bond, founder of Art is Bond gallery. A small selection of publications from The Reading Room is open to the public to view at Sanman Studios.

For more information on The Reading Room follow the instagram page @thereadingroom.htx.

‍