Written By Paul Garwood

With its reopening, the Studio Museum in Harlem is doubling down on youth programs that help Black teens see themselves as artists and storytellers.

Following its grand reopening on November 15, 2025, the Studio Museum in Harlem is relaunching Studio Sunday, a full-day community program on November 16, welcoming families and neighbors to free art-making workshops, performances, and gallery exploration. It turns the museum into a living classroom where Black creativity is hands-on, not just observed from a distance.

The museum is also opening applications for “Expanding the Walls,” its long-running teen photography and arts program that equips young people—many of them from Harlem and surrounding communities—with artistic skills, mentors, and a sense of belonging in cultural spaces. Graduates often go on to pursue college and careers in the arts.

For Positive Black Network, this is a powerful reminder that when we invest in arts education for Black youth, we’re not just teaching technique; we’re giving them tools to document their lives, shape narratives, and claim space in a world that often tries to erase them.