This fall, Newfields will invite visitors to experience the vision, innovation and cultural influence of modern and contemporary Black artists through “Rise Through Everything: Geometry, Rhythm, and Gesture.”
Opening August 21, 2026, in the Golden Gallery, the exhibition brings together prints, photographs, drawings and collages that demonstrate how artists have transformed works on paper into powerful expressions of cultural knowledge, lived experience and self-definition.
Curated by Anna Stein, associate curator of works on paper at Newfields, “Rise Through Everything” features 16 works by artists including Yashua Klos, Derrick Adams and Ayana V. Jackson. Ten of the pieces are recent acquisitions making their Newfields debut.
“Perhaps my favorite thing about this exhibition is how many stunning additions to our collection it debuts,” Stein said. “Ten of the works are new acquisitions that really showcase the direction we are taking at Newfields with the experiences we are crafting and stories we are telling.”
By placing emerging and contemporary voices alongside established masters, the exhibition creates an intergenerational conversation about art, identity and memory. Visitors will discover how Black artists from different locations and periods use geometric structures, rhythmic patterns and expressive bodily gestures to challenge artistic conventions and create new visual narratives.
Throughout the exhibition, geometry becomes more than a compositional device. Patterns, lines and shapes provide frameworks through which artists can explore the construction of identity, personal histories and collective experiences. Rhythm creates a sense of energy and movement, while gesture brings the presence of the body—and the individual—into each work.
Together, these elements reveal how artists can use familiar visual languages in deeply personal and transformative ways.
At the heart of “Rise Through Everything” is the idea that paper is much more than a surface. It can become a dynamic arena where artistic traditions collide, overlap and evolve. Whether used for drawing, printmaking, photography or collage, the material offers artists a space to question assumptions, reshape perceptions and present new possibilities.
The exhibition also highlights the richness and vastness of Black creativity. Rather than presenting a single narrative or artistic approach, it celebrates a range of perspectives and practices, demonstrating how artists have continually expanded the boundaries of what works on paper can accomplish.
With its combination of new acquisitions and celebrated artistic voices, “Rise Through Everything” provides visitors with an opportunity to experience where the Newfields collection is heading while exploring the enduring power of Black artistic expression.
“Rise Through Everything: Geometry, Rhythm, and Gesture” opens August 21, 2026, in the Golden Gallery at Newfields and will remain on view through spring 2027. The exhibition is included with general admission. Advance tickets are not required but are encouraged.
Image Credit: Yashua Klos (American, b. 1977), The Sun in Her Hair, 2023, woodblock prints on paper, muslin, acrylic, spray paint, colored pencil, and wood mounted on canvas, 48 x 48 in.; 50-1/2 x 50-1/2 in. (framed). Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, General Endowed Discretionary Art Fund, Gift of Mr. Donald S. Powers by exchange, 2025.3. © Yashua Klos.
