Hammonds House Museum Opened NU AFRICANS Exhibition
Artists Grace Kisa and Maurice Evans showcased portraits and costumes to challenge Western beauty standards.
Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in African-American
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The Hammonds House Museum in Atlanta launched the exhibition NU AFRICANS, featuring portraits of Black women paired with handmade costumes. The show offers an in-person viewing of work that was previously restricted to online platforms during the 2020 pandemic.
Why it matters
The exhibition aims to celebrate the Black body and provide a rebuttal to narrow Western beauty standards through the lens of diaspora fashion and history. Museum officials organized this return engagement to reach a wider audience that missed the initial virtual debut.
The exhibition features approximately 30 portraits of Black women selected from a project involving 40 participants. The works are currently on display for the public in Atlanta.
The players
Grace Kisa
She is a Kenyan-born artist whose work explores identity through portraits and costume design.
Maurice Evans
He is an artist based in Smyrna, Tennessee, known for his collaborative work on diaspora-themed photography.
Hammonds House Museum
It is an Atlanta-based cultural institution dedicated to the preservation and presentation of African American fine art.
Christopher Swain
He is the curator responsible for organizing the NU AFRICANS exhibition.
The details
Artists Grace Kisa and Maurice Evans paired photographed portraits with handmade costumes, incorporating diverse African and diaspora references. Curator Christopher Swain organized the display to highlight the artistic depth of the subjects.
Timeline
The original exhibition debut was scheduled for 2020.
The exhibition officially opened on September 18, 2026.
The exhibition is scheduled to remain open through December 13, 2026.
Culture Shift
The exhibition aligns with a broader societal push to center Black narratives by reflecting on historic milestones like the Combahee River Raid. By re-centering the Black body in art, the work moves away from traditional gallery norms that have historically prioritized Western beauty standards.
Residents and visitors can now engage with the full-scale art installation in person through December. The exhibition provides a tangible opportunity for the community to view art that was previously inaccessible during the pandemic.
The takeaway
This exhibition demonstrates the importance of bringing digital-only archives into physical spaces to ensure wider community access. Attendees can gain a deeper appreciation for diaspora history by observing how the costume choices ground each portrait in cultural context.
Further reading
Discover more local stories by visiting the African-American section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Georgia Public Broadcasting.
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