Artmaking and Storytelling Sun, July 14, 2024, 11 am–4 pm

Artmaking and Storytelling

Sun, July 14, 2024
11 am–4 pm

Families Free Second Sundays
A vibrant painting depicts a bustling nighttime street scene of an African American community in an urban setting. A glowing street lamp casts a blue hue over the scene, in which a diverse group of musicians play brass instruments and tambourines, people dance, and others converse. A tall man with exaggerated features stands on a pedestal that reads "Jesus Saves," playing a trumpet. To the right, a woman in a green dress and red stilettos walks a small white dog past an elderly man with a cane. In the background, buildings with lighted windows reveal more onlookers, including a market storefront with meat hanging in the window, a house with a front porch where a woman and a child observe the scene, and an apartment building with residents peering out.
A vibrant painting depicts a bustling nighttime street scene of an African American community in an urban setting. A glowing street lamp casts a blue hue over the scene, in which a diverse group of musicians play brass instruments and tambourines, people dance, and others converse. A tall man with exaggerated features stands on a pedestal that reads "Jesus Saves," playing a trumpet. To the right, a woman in a green dress and red stilettos walks a small white dog past an elderly man with a cane. In the background, buildings with lighted windows reveal more onlookers, including a market storefront with meat hanging in the window, a house with a front porch where a woman and a child observe the scene, and an apartment building with residents peering out.

Archibald John Motley, Jr., Gettin’ Religion, 1948. Oil on linen, 32 × 39 7/16 in. (81.3 × 100.2 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase Josephine N. Hopper Bequest, by exchange 2016.15. © Valerie Gerrard Browne

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The Susan and John Hess Family Theater is equipped with an induction loop and infrared assistive listening system. Accessible seating is available.

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Floor 3, Theater

For all ages

Visitors of all ages are invited to a day of visual storytelling inspired by Archibald John Motley, Jr.’s iconic painting Gettin’ Religion, featured in the Whitney’s collection.

Archibald John Motley, Jr. was a pioneering painter known for his bold and unique modernist style. He gained prominence in the 1920s during the early days of the Harlem Renaissance—a cultural movement celebrating African American art, music, and literature. Although this movement began in New York, it spread to other cities, including Chicago, where Motley spent most of his life. Gettin’ Religion is a bustling nighttime street scene of an African American community, illuminated by starlight and a glowing street lamp.

Come spend the day with us and create your own visual story. As the artist once said, “I think that every picture should tell a story. And I think that if a picture doesn’t tell a story, then it’s not a picture.”

Tip: Make your way to the theater at 11:30 am to catch a concert inspired by this painting organized by Jazz at Lincoln Center!

On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

Learn more about this project

Learn more at whitney.org/artport

On the Hour projects can contain motion and sound. To respect your accessibility settings autoplay is disabled.