Harlem’s Studio Museum Is Telling Its Story In A Book For The First Time

HARLEM, NY — Nearly a year after opening its new home on West 125th Street, the Studio Museum in Harlem is preparing to tell its own story in a book for the first time.

"Studio Museum in Harlem: A History," due out Oct. 27, traces the institution from its founding in 1968 to the present day. Edited by scholar Romi Crawford, the book brings together oral histories from founding figures, essays by artists and scholars, and archival images that have never been published before, according to the museum.

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The publication focuses on the people and ideas behind the museum, as well as its relationship with Harlem. It follows "Meaning Matter Memory," a collection handbook released to mark the opening of the museum's new building last November.

"Our first year in our new building has served as an unprecedented time of reflection for me," Thelma Golden, the museum's director and chief curator, said in a statement. She said work on the book brought to light new details about the institution's past.

Founded by artists, community activists and philanthropists, the Studio Museum has spent nearly six decades championing artists of African descent. Its new building, the first designed specifically for the museum's programs, opened at 144 W. 125th St. on Nov. 15, 2025.

Crawford said the book is intended to leave room for more voices and discoveries about the museum's history.

"Like the Museum, it is intended to make room and create an opening for next steps and additional voices," she said.

The book is available for preorder online and at the museum's Studio Store.

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.