Kerry James Marshall (American, born 1955). Untitled (Handsome Young Man), 2010. Hard ground etching with aquatint, 24.5 x 19 in. Courtesy of Paulson Fontaine Press, Berkeley, CA.
Installation of different colored basketballs with two prints on a blue wall in the background
David Huffman (American, born 1963). Installation view of Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press at Sarasota Art Museum, Sarasota, Florida, 2025. Photo: Ryan Gamma.
Gallery with sculptures in the foreground and a print of a ship in the background.
Lonnie Holley (American, born 1950). Installation view of Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press at Sarasota Art Museum, Sarasota, Florida, 2025. Photo: Ryan Gamma.
framed quilt like prints on a wall.
Radcliffe Bailey (American, 1968-2023). Installation view of Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press at Sarasota Art Museum, Sarasota, Florida, 2025. Photo: Ryan Gamma.
Quilt made of rectangular shapes in a gallery on a wall.
Mary Lee Bendolph (American, born 1935). Strips and Strings, 2005. Quilted fabric, 88 x 83 in. Installation view of Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press at Sarasota Art Museum, Sarasota, Florida, 2025. Photo: Ryan Gamma.
Gallery of quilts on white walls.
Mary Lee Bendolph (American, born 1935). Installation view of Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press at Sarasota Art Museum, Sarasota, Florida, 2025. Photo: Ryan Gamma.
Blue and black quilt made of rectangular strips.
Mary Lee Bendolph (American, born 1935). Strip Quilt, 2008. Quilted fabric, 85 x 81 in. Installation view of Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press at Sarasota Art Museum, Sarasota, Florida, 2025. Photo: Ryan Gamma.
White box gallery with sculptures and prints on walls
Installation view of Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press at Sarasota Art Museum, Sarasota, Florida, 2025. Photo: Ryan Gamma.

Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press​

May 4, 2025 – August 10, 2025

Featuring works by 17 artists, this nationally traveling exhibition celebrates African American artists who are reshaping the contemporary art world. At the heart of this show is the legacy of a fine art print studio, Paulson Fontaine Press, which has supported an unparalleled roster of internationally celebrated artists over the past two decades, including Martin Puryear, Kerry James Marshall, and the Gee’s Bend Quilters. With 46 fine art prints, a selection of Gee’s Bend Quilts, four mixed media sculptures, and a large-scale basketball pyramid installation, this exhibition showcases a diverse array of artworks by both high-profile and underrepresented visual artists. Drawing from themes of history, identity, and spirituality, the artists included in this exhibition share complex stories of the African American experience through the artworks only they could create.

Personal to Political is a nationally traveling exhibition organized by Bedford Gallery and curated by Carrie Lederer, former Bedford Gallery curator.

Bedford Gallery Logo
Paulson Fontaine Press Logo

This exhibition is made possible, in part, with generous support from:


Platinum Sponsors
Judy and Fred Fiala
Katherine and Frank Martucci


Gold Sponsors
Charlotte and John Suhler


Silver Sponsors
Marge and Leon Ellin

Artist Talk

Happenings

Large pink playscape on a green lawn with children playing in the foreground

Sarasota Art Museum Announces New Site-Specific Outdoor Playscape, “Natural Curiosity,” is Open for Play

Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design (SAM) is pleased
to announce the addition of a new playscape located on the Museum’s Great Lawn. Titled “Natural Curiosity,” this piece will serve as part art installation, part outdoor classroom, inspiring creativity, social connection and well-being for locals, tourists and school students alike.
Designed by Brooklyn, New York-based, award-winning multidisciplinary design studio The
Urban Conga, this inviting, site-specific installation will create a dynamic outdoor respite for Museum visitors, sparking connection with nature and social activity through open-ended play.