WASHINGTON, DC.- This fall the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) presents a solo exhibition of richly layered, photography-based works by Tawny Chatmon. In Tawny Chatmon: Sanctuaries of Truth, Dissolution of Lies, the artist uses stylistic languages drawn from historical decorative motifs and potent African American cultural markers to create lush and strikingly powerful portraits that challenge racism and erasure. On view from October 15, 2025, to March 8, 2026, the exhibition features more than 25 large-scale photographs from recent series dating from 2019 to the present. This is the artist’s first museum exhibition in Washington, D.C.

“My colleagues and I have followed Chatmon’s career avidly for several years, with an eye to developing an exhibition that highlights her inventive vision, powerful iconography and exceptional level of craft,” said Virginia Treanor, senior curator at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. “NMWA is renowned for partnering with outstanding artists early in their careers—creators who go on to ever greater renown—and that history continues with Tawny Chatmon.”


Tawny Chatmon, May His Steps Be Divinely Guided, from the series “Iconography,” 2023–24; 24k gold leaf, paper, acrylic, and mixed media on archival pigment print, 56 x 44 in.; Collection of Damian W. Wilmot and Yndia S. Lorick-Wilmot; © Tawny Chatmon; Image courtesy of the artist and Galerie Myrtis.


Central to Tawny Chatmon’s work is the celebration of Black childhood, Black resistance and self-determination, and she often uses her own family members as models. While her studio practice is based in photography, Chatmon intensifies her works through meticulous manual processes, intricate staging and digital manipulation. Chatmon at times embellishes her prints with hand-applied acrylic paint, 24-karat gold leaf, semiprecious stones, beads, thread and other materials. She frames her portraits in gilded antique or contemporary baroque-style frames. These interventions give Chatmon’s subjects a gravitas that often belies their youth and confronts the absence, exclusion and devaluation of the Black body in Western art.

“Is there a redemptive power in visual arts? Do artists have the ability to control and shift the narrative through their work? These are questions that inform my creative process,” said Chatmon. “I believe both to be true. In the same way that literature continues to be a tool for shaping the human psyche, I believe visual arts carry the same ability.”


Tawny Chatmon, A Blessed Offering, from the series “The Reconciliation,” 2025; Embroidery and acrylic on archival pigment print, 52 x 37 in.; Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Myrtis; © Tawny Chatmon; Photo by Lee Stalsworth.


Exhibition Overview

The exhibition begins with iconic gilded works from Chatmon’s series “Remnants” (2021–23) and “Iconography” (2023–present). These large and intricately patterned works depicting Black children are stylistically inspired by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt’s turn-of-the-century “Golden Phase” and medieval European religious icons. In the new work We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For, from the series “Iconography” (2023–present), Chatmon’s young son is depicted in a sweatsuit with a pattern reminiscent of ancient mosaics, standing before a shimmering background of painted tile-like squares. The subject’s hoodie features a depiction of a father, clad in denim, holding a child. Chatmon’s images call on the viewer to recognize the “significance, preciousness, sacred nature, and value” of her Black subjects.

Chatmon’s work presents an unyielding affirmation of Black beauty and strength. To create the richly detailed clothing and background in works from the series “Remnants” and “Iconography,” she often uses gilded remnants of her past works. Some of her subjects wear clothing that features imagery of Black historical figures, while others show parents and children. These images serve to honor ancestral heroes. “I originally planned to focus primarily on historical figures as the iconographic imagery,” Chatmon says, “but as I progressed I felt it was important to focus on the icons within our own families and communities.”


Tawny Chatmon, Economic Heritage, from the series “The Reconciliation,” 2024; Embroidery and acrylic on archival pigment print, 58 x 42 in.; Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Myrtis; © Tawny Chatmon; Image courtesy of the artist and Galerie Myrtis.


Works from Chatmon’s series “The Restoration” (2024–present) are presented in an intimate gallery adjacent to the central space. In this body of work, Chatmon transforms dolls and figurines from the early 20th century that depict Black figures in demeaning ways and reflect harmful racial stereotypes. With the intention of removing these objects from the market, Chatmon sources cloth “Mammy” dolls from antique stores and online auctions, then gives them new life by sensitively repainting their features and reclothing them in new, richly detailed outfits. Photographs on view depict the restored dolls being held and cherished by children likewise dressed in luxurious attire, with some of the dolls displayed in an adjacent case. In Chatmon’s hands, the dolls reclaim dignity as new heirlooms and hold positions of honor in the artist’s compositions.

A third gallery space features selections from Chatmon’s series “The Reconciliation” (2024– present), in which Chatmon continues her tradition of depicting Black subjects in poses of beauty, strength and power. In these works, the sitters are shown with foods associated with communities throughout the African diaspora. Black food traditions are rooted in a history of resilience and survival, and Chatmon deftly explores the nuances often embodied in food items, such as watermelon. Initially a crop grown and sold by Black farmers who were newly freed after the Civil War, the watermelon became a symbol of mockery and contempt by white people who were resentful of Black success. Chatmon’s imagery restores the fruit to its rightful place in the economic and cultural heritage of Black Americans and reclaims it as a source of pride. These works reflect a reclamation and celebration of both communal and familial heritage. In another work from “The Reconciliation,” a bowl of black-eyed peas, which were brought to the Americas by enslaved West Africans and serve as a symbol of good luck and prosperity in the American South, are held by Chatmon’s own mother.


Tawny Chatmon, Not Your Blackamoor, from the series “The Restoration,” 2025; Cowrie shells, acrylic, and thread on archival pigment print, 50 x 48 in.; Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Myrtis; © Tawny Chatmon; Photo by Lee Stalsworth.


For this new body of work, rather than using gilded paper and paint to embellish her photographs, Chatmon uses thread to embroider the garments of her sitters with dazzling patterns. Concerns over unethical sourcing of gold, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have led Chatmon away from the use of gold leaf, and she instead explores the optical and conceptual possibilities of thread, beads and shells. The symbolism-laden layers continue her use of overlapping physical and digital collage.

About the Artist

Tawny Chatmon (b. 1979, Tokyo, Japan) is a photography-based artist known for her richly layered portraits that celebrate her Black subjects, especially children. Combining her own photography with other mixed-media materials, her work explores the complexity and beauty of Black culture in Western society. In 2022, Chatmon was featured in the Venice Biennale exhibition The Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined, curated by Myrtis Bedolla of Galerie Myrtis. In 2018, she received first place in both the Prix de la Photographie and International Photography Awards, the latter also crowning her “Photographer of the Year.” Her work is in the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art and Microsoft. She lives with her husband and children in Maryland.


Tawny Chatmon, Unstitching the Past, Becoming the Future, from the series “The Restoration,” 2023–25; Glass beads and embroidery on archival pigment print, 52 x 44 in.; Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Myrtis; © Tawny Chatmon; Image courtesy of the artist and Galerie Myrtis.

National Museum of Women in the Arts

The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) is the first museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women through the arts. With its collections, exhibitions, programs and online content, the museum inspires dynamic exchanges about art and ideas. NMWA advocates for better representation of women and nonbinary artists and serves as a vital center for thought leadership, community engagement and social change. NMWA addresses the gender imbalance in the presentation of art by bringing to light important women artists of the past while promoting great women artists working today. The collection highlights a wide range of works in a variety of mediums by artists including Rosa Bonheur, Louise Bourgeois, Lalla Essaydi, Lavinia Fontana, Frida Kahlo, Hung Liu, Zanele Muholi, Faith Ringgold, Niki de Saint Phalle and Amy Sherald.

NMWA is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. It is open Tues.–Sun., 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and closed on Mondays and select holidays. Admission is $16 for adults, $13 for D.C. residents and visitors 70 and over, and free for visitors 21 and under. Admission is free the first Sunday and second Wednesday of each month. For information, call 202-783-5000, visit nmwa.org, Broad Strokes blog, Facebook or Instagram.