Edges of Ailey
Sept 25, 2024–Feb 9, 2025
Edges of Ailey is the first large-scale museum exhibition to celebrate the life, dances, influences, and enduring legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey (b. 1931, Rogers, Texas; d. 1989, New York, New York). This dynamic showcase—described as an “extravaganza” by curator Adrienne Edwards—brings together visual art, live performance, music, a range of archival materials, and a multi-screen video installation drawn from recordings of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) repertory to explore the full range of Ailey’s personal and creative life.
Presented at the Museum in two parts, Edges of Ailey consists of an immersive exhibition in the Museum’s 18,000 square-foot fifth-floor galleries—featuring works by more than eighty artists and revelatory archival material—and an ambitious suite of performances in the Museum’s third-floor theater, including AILEY in residence for one week each month during the exhibition.
Sweeping holdings of rarely seen archives, including performance footage, recorded interviews, notebooks, letters, poems, short stories, choreographic notes, drawings, and performance programs and posters gathered from Ailey’s archives and others forge a vital throughline in the gallery. Selections from the Alvin Ailey Archival Papers—courtesy of the Allan Gray Family Foundation and held at the Black Archives of Mid America in Kansas City, Missouri—and the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation Archives Collection held at the Library of Congress are of singular importance, specially digitized and exhibited for this show’s occasion. A dynamic montage of Ailey’s life and dances will play on loop across an 18-channel video installation created by filmmakers Josh Begley and Kya Lou, with curator Adrienne Edwards.
Ailey’s presence, felt through the video surround and his encased personal effects, envelops a scenic installation of artworks by over eighty artists. These works are arranged by themes that shaped Ailey’s life and dances. Sections span an expanded Black southern imaginary that enfolds histories of the American South with those of the Caribbean, Brazil, and West Africa; the enduring practices of Black spirituality; the profound conditions and effects of Black migration; the resilience for and necessity of an intersectional Black liberation; the prominence of Black women in Ailey’s life; and the robust histories and experiments of Black music; along with the myriad representations of Blackness in dance and meditations on dance after Ailey.
Artists exhibited among Ailey include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Romare Bearden, Faith Ringgold, Alma Thomas, Jacob Lawrence, Rashid Johnson, Kevin Beasley, Kara Walker, and many others. A recent acquisition of Eldren Bailey and new works by Karon Davis, Jennifer Packer, Mickalene Thomas, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye will be presented for the first time in honor of this landmark exhibition.
Edges of Ailey also offers a rare opportunity for visitors to watch intimate live performances by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the Museum’s third-floor theater. As part of the exhibition's robust live performance program, AILEY is in residence at the Whitney for one week each month, for a total of five weeks and over ninety performances. This gives visitors the opportunity to experience the full scope of Ailey's world and legacy, including performances of classic and contemporary works by the two repertory companies—Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II—as well as showcases by students from The Ailey School, workshops and education programs from Ailey Arts In Education, and classes from Ailey Extension. During the weeks AILEY is not in residence at the Museum, a series of dance commissions by leading choreographers and their collaborators, including Ronald K. Brown, Trajal Harrell, Bill T. Jones, Ralph Lemon, with interdisciplinary artist Kevin Beasley, Sarah Michelson, Okwui Okpokwasili and Peter Born, Will Rawls, Matthew Rushing, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar will be showcased.
Visitors can also see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater during the company's annual engagement at New York City Center from December 4 to January 5.
Edges of Ailey is organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art in collaboration with the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation. Special acknowledgment to the Allan Gray Family Foundation and the Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City for access to archival materials. The exhibition is curated by Adrienne Edwards, Engell Speyer Family Senior Curator and Associate Director of Curatorial Programs, with Joshua Lubin-Levy, Curatorial Research Associate, and CJ Salapare, Curatorial Assistant, with thanks to Katie Fong, Curatorial Assistant, for research support.
Review accessibility information before visiting Edges of Ailey.
The lead sponsor for Edges of Ailey is the Jerome L. Greene Foundation.
This exhibition is also sponsored by
Leadership support is provided by the Ford Foundation.
Generous support is provided by Judy Hart Angelo and the Arnhold Family | Arnhold Foundation.
Major support is provided by the Barbara Haskell American Fellows Legacy Fund; the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation; The KHR McNeely Family Fund | Kevin, Rosemary, and Hannah Rose McNeely; Anne-Cecilie Engell Speyer and Rob Speyer; the Whitney’s National Committee; and Clara Wu Tsai.
Significant support is provided by The Holly Peterson Foundation, The Keith Haring Foundation Exhibition Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Denise Littlefield Sobel.
Additional support is provided by A4 Arts Charitable Trust, the Adam D. Weinberg Artists First Fund, Candace and Rick Beinecke, Jeanne Donovan Fisher, Kevin Gan and Benjamin Blad, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, Nancy Magoon, Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn and Nicolas Rohatyn, and an anonymous donor.
Curatorial research and travel for this exhibition were funded by an endowment established by Rosina Lee Yue and Bert A. Lies, Jr., MD.
Support is also provided by the Marshall Weinberg Fund for Performance, endowed in honor of his parents Anna and Harold Weinberg who taught him the meaning of giving.
Generous support for the catalogue is provided by the Mellon Foundation.
FCB New York is the exclusive marketing agency sponsor. New York magazine is the exclusive media sponsor.
Performances
View allEdges of Ailey includes a suite of performances in the Museum’s third-floor theater. Alongside the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II, the performance program will feature an array of artists inspired by and responding to the legacy of Alvin Ailey.
Performance tickets are now on sale. Tickets are limited and must be booked in advance. Performance ticket holders will receive same-day access to the Edges of Ailey exhibition during regular Museum hours. Visitors can also see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater during the company's annual engagement at New York City Center from December 4 to January 5.
Artists
- Terry Adkins
- Alvin Ailey
- Emma Amos
- Benny Andrews
- Ellsworth Ausby
- Eldren Bailey
- Richmond Barthé
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Romare Bearden
- Kevin Beasley
- John Biggers
- Beverly Buchanan
- Elizabeth Catlett
- Karon Davis
- Roy DeCarava
- Beauford Delaney
- Thornton Dial
- Aaron Douglas
- Sam Doyle
- David Driskell
- Robert Duncanson
- Melvin Edwards
- Rotimi Fani-Kayode
- Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
- Charles Gaines
- Ellen Gallagher
- Theaster Gates
- Sam Gilliam
- David Hammons
- Lyle Ashton Harris
- Maren Hassinger
- Palmer Hayden
- Barkley L. Hendricks
- Geoffrey Holder
- Lonnie Holley
- Clementine Hunter
- Hector Hyppolite
- Wadsworth Jarrell
- Rashid Johnson
- William H. Johnson
- Loïs Mailoi Jones
- Jacob Lawrence
- Ralph Lemon
- Norman Lewis
- Samella Lewis
- Glenn Ligon
- James Little
- Antonio Lopez and Juan Ramos
- Mary Lovelace O'Neal
- AI Loving
- Kerry James Marshall
- Archibald John Motley, Jr.
- Thomas Nast
- Senga Nengudi
- John Outterbridge
- Joe Overstreet
- Jennifer Packer
- Gordon Parks
- Fon peoples
- Horace Pippin
- Noah Purifoy
- Martin Puryear
- Faith Ringgold
- Betye Saar
- Lorna Simpson
- Alma Thomas
- Blaise Tobia
- Bill Traylor
- Makers unknown
- Rubem Valentim
- James Van Der Zee
- Carl Van Vechten
- Kara Walker
- Paul Waters
- Carrie Mae Weems
- Charles White
- Kandis Williams
- Hale Aspacio Woodruff
- Lynette Yiadom-Boakye
- Purvis Young
Events
View all-
AILEY Revelations Dance Celebration with the Whitney
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
5:30–6:30 pm -
Contemporaries Toast to Summer
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
8–8:30 pm -
Building Worlds through Dance: The Legacy of Alvin Ailey
Repeats
Next: Tuesday, August 27, 2024
12 pm -
Weekend Member Mornings
Repeats
Next: Sunday, September 8, 2024
9:30–10:30 am
Essay
After Ailey: A Conversation
Exhibition curator Adrienne Edwards asks Alvin Ailey scholars, dancers, and admirers to share their first Ailey experiences.
Audio guides
Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). Photograph by Audrey Wang
Hear directly from artists and curators on selected works from the exhibition.
View guideInstallation photography
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Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). From left to right: Romare Bearden, “The Father Comes Home” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, “Wife and Child in Cabin” from the Bayou Feverseries, 1979; Romare Bearden, “The Herb Woman” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, “The Mother Hears the Train” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Robert Duncanson, View of Cincinnati, Ohio from Covington, Kentucky, c. 1851; Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Race Woman Series #7, c. 1990s; Jean-Michel Basquiat, Hollywood Africans, 1983; Emma Amos, Judith Jamison as Josephine Baker, 1985; Kerry James Marshall, Souvenir IV, 1998; Ellsworth Ausby, Untitled, 1970; Lorna Simpson, Momentum, 2011; Kandis Williams, Black Box, 4 points: Horton, Ailey, McKayle contractions and expansions of drama from vernacular –– arms outstretched and entangle, 2021; Jacob Lawrence, Figure Study, c. 1970; Terry Adkins, Other Bloods (from The Principalities), 2012; James Little, Stars and Stripes, 2021; Rashid Johnson, Untitled Anxious Men, 2016; Glenn Ligon, Stranger in the Village #12, 1998. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). In vitrine, from left to right: Elizabeth Catlett, I am the Negro Woman, 1947, printed 1989; Elizabeth Catlett, In Harriet Tubman I helped hundreds to freedom, 1946, printed 1989; Elizabeth Catlett, In Sojourner Truth I fought for the rights of women as well as Negroes, 1947, printed 1989; Elizabeth Catlett, In Phillis Wheatley I proved intellectual equality in the midst of slavery, 1946, printed 1989; From left to right: Kara Walker, African/American, 1998; Karon Davis, Dear Mama, 2024; Geoffrey Holder, Portrait of Carmen de Lavallade, 1976; Beauford Delaney, Marian Anderson, 1965; Loïs Mailou Jones, Jennie, 1943; Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Mother and Child (Secret Sorrow), c. 1914. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). From left to right: Ellsworth Ausby, Untitled, 1970; Kerry James Marshall, Souvenir IV, 1998; Beauford Delaney, Charlie Parker Yardbird, 1958; Norman Lewis, Phantasy II, 1946; Sam Gilliam, Swing 64, 1964; Loïs Mailou Jones, Jennie, 1943; Betye Saar, I’ve Got Rhythm, 1972; Charles Gaines, Sound Box: Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, 2021; Jean-Michel Basquiat, Hollywood Africans, 1983; Romare Bearden, “The Father Comes Home” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, “Wife and Child in Cabin” from the Bayou Feverseries, 1979; Romare Bearden, ”The Swamp Witch” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, “The Blue Demons” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, “The Wart Hog” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, “The Lizard” from the Bayou Feverseries, 1979; Romare Bearden, “The Hatchet Man” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). From left to right: Alma Thomas, Mars Dust, 1972; Charles White, Preacher, 1952; Lonnie Holley, Sharing the Struggle, 2018; Benny Andrews, The Way to the Promised Land, 1994; Sam Doyle, Frank Capers, 2023; Sam Doyle, LeBe, 1970s; Wadsworth Jarrell, Together We Will Win, 1973; Faith Ringgold, United States of Attica, 1971; Wadsworth Jarrell, Revolutionary (Angela Davis), 1972; James Van Der Zee, Marcus Garvey Rally, 1924; Jeff Donaldson, Soweto/So We Too, 1979; Horace Pippin, School Studies, 1944; Horace Pippin, Cabin in the Cotton, c. 1931–37; Horace Pippin, Knowledge of God, 1944; William H. Johnson, At Home in the Evening, c. 1940; John Biggers, Sharecropper, 1945; Robert Duncanson, View of Cincinnati, Ohio from Covington, Kentucky, c. 1851; Joe Overstreet, Purple Flight, 1971; Emma Amos, Judith Jamison as Josephine Baker, 1985; Kerry James Marshall, Souvenir IV, 1998; Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, A Knave Made Manifest, 2024; Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Fly Trap, 2024; Missa Marmalstein and other makers unknown, Block 1871 of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, 1987. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). From left to right: Sam Doyle, Frank Capers, 2023; Sam Doyle, LeBe, 1970s; Wadsworth Jarrell, Together We Will Win, 1973; Faith Ringgold, United States of Attica, 1971; Wadsworth Jarrell, Revolutionary (Angela Davis), 1972; James Van Der Zee, Marcus Garvey Rally, 1924; Jeff Donaldson, Soweto/So We Too, 1979. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). From left to right: Purvis Young, Ocean, 1975; Fon peoples, Male Drum, 19th–20th century; Fon peoples, Female Drum, 19th–20th century; Hale Aspacio Woodruff, African Headdress, c. 1931–46, printed 1996; Loïs Mailou Jones, Africa, 1935; Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Adebiyi, ca. 1989; Noah Purifoy, Untitled, 1970; Hector Hyppolite, The Congo Queen, 1946; Loïs Mailou Jones, Marche-Haiti, 1982; Beverly Buchanan, Orangeburg County Family House, 1993; Beverly Buchanan, Old Colored School, 2010; Beverly Buchanan, Family Tree House, 2009; Beverly Buchanan, White Shacks, 1987; Beverly Buchanan, Tom’s House, 1995; Beverly Buchanan, Lillington, NC Harnett Co., 2007; Sam Doyle, Frip, St. Helena’s Best, 1970s; Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled, 1992; Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled, 1992; Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled, 1992. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). From left to right: Romare Bearden, “The Buzzard and the Snake (The Conjur Woman)” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, “Earth and the Magic Drummer” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, “The Swamp Witch, Blue-Green Lights and Conjur Woman” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, “The Conjur Woman” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, “Star (Star from the Heavens)” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, The Magic Root (Spotted Deer and the Father)” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, “Past-Present-Future and Beautiful Dreams” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, “Wisdom” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden “The Emperor of the Golden Trumpet” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, “All Come Back” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Romare Bearden, “All Come Back” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Nelson Breen, Excerpts from Bearden Plays Bearden, 1980; DeCarava, Coltrane and Elvin, 1960; Roy DeCarava, Elvin Jones, 1961; Lyle Ashton Harris, Billie #21, 2002; Hale Aspacio Woodruff, Blind Musician, 1935/1998; Norman Lewis, Jazz, 1943–44; Gordon Parks, Music–That Lordly Power, 1993. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). From left to right: Maren Hassinger, River, 1972/2012; Melvin Edwards, Utonga (Lynch Fragment), 1988; Aaron Douglas, Bravado, 1926; Melvin Edwards, Chitungwiza from the Lynch Fragment series, 1989; Aaron Douglas, Flight, 1926; Melvin Edwards, Katura from the Lynch Fragment series, 1986; Aaron Douglas, Surrender, 1970; Melvin Edwards, Cup of? From the Lynch Fragment series, 1988. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). From left to right: Romare Bearden, “Star (Star from the Heavens)” from the Bayou Fever series, 1979; Archibald John Motley Jr., Gettin’ Religion, 1948; Roy DeCarava, Coltrane and Elvin, 1960; Roy DeCarava, Elvin Jones, 1961; Lyle Ashton Harris, Billie #21, 2002; Hale Aspacio Woodruff, Blind Musician, 1935/1998; Norman Lewis, Jazz, 1943–44; Gordon Parks, Music–That Lordly Power, 1993; Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Race Woman Series #7, c. 1990s; Terry Adkins, Other Bloods (from The Principalities), 2012; Bill Traylor, Untitled (Man in a Blue House), date unknown; Ralph Lemon, Bongos and Djembe, 1999; Ralph Lemon, Untitled (On Black music), 2001-07; Ralph Lemon, Untitled (Miles Davis), 2006; Mickalene Thomas, Katherine Dunham: Revelation, 2024. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). From left to right: Horace Pippin, School Studies, 1944; Horace Pippin, Cabin in the Cotton, c. 1931–37; Horace Pippin, Knowledge of God, 1944; William H. Johnson, At Home in the Evening, c. 1940; John Biggers, Sharecropper, 1945; In vitrine: Elizabeth Catlett, I have always worked hard in America, 1946, printed 1989; Elizabeth Catlett, I have always worked hard in America, 1946, printed 1989; Thornton Dial, Shadows of the Field, 2008; David Hammons, Delta Spirit, 1985; Beverly Buchanan, White Shacks, 1987; Beverly Buchanan, Old Colored School, 2010; Beverly Buchanan, Orangeburg County Family House, 1993; Beverly Buchanan, Family Tree House, 2009; Sam Doyle, Frank Capers, 2023; Sam Doyle, LeBe, 1970s; Wadsworth Jarrell, Together We Will Win, 1973. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). From left to right: Purvis Young, Ocean, 1975; Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Mold for Crusaders for Freedom, 1962; Sam Gilliam, Untitled (Black), 1978; David Hammons, Untitled, 1992; Al Loving, Untitled, c. 1975; Hale Aspacio Woodruff, By Parties Unknown, 1935, printed 1996; Hale Aspacio Woodruff, Giddap, 1935, printed 1996; Purvis Young, I Love Your America, late 1970s; Martin Puryear, The Rest, 2009-10; Samella Lewis, Migrants, 1968; Purvis Young, Black People Migrating West, late 1970s; William H. Johnson, Moon Over Harlem, 1943-44; Lonnie Holley, Sharing the Struggle, 2018; Theaster Gates, Minority Majority, 2012; Sam Doyle, Frank Capers, 2023; Sam Doyle, LeBe, 1970s; Wadsworth Jarrell, Together We Will Win, 1973; Faith Ringgold, United States of Attica, 1971; Wadsworth Jarrell, Revolutionary (Angela Davis), 1972; James Van Der Zee, Marcus Garvey Rally, 1924; Jeff Donaldson, Soweto/So We Too, 1979; Maren Hassinger, River, 1972/2012; Maren Hassinger, River, 1972/2012; Melvin Edwards, Utonga (Lynch Fragment), 1988; Aaron Douglas, Bravado, 1926; Melvin Edwards, Chitungwiza from the Lynch Fragment series, 1989; Aaron Douglas, Flight, 1926; Melvin Edwards, Katura from the Lynch Fragment series, 1986; Aaron Douglas, Surrender, 1970; Melvin Edwards, Cup of? From the Lynch Fragment series, 1988. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). From left to right: Ellen Gallagher, Ecstatic Draught of Fishes, 2022; Sam Doyle, Frip, St. Helena’s Best, 1970s; Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled, 1992; Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled, 1992; Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled, 1992; Paul Waters, Beautiful Life, 1969; Rubem Valentim, Untitled, 1956-62. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). From left to right: Clementine Hunter, Cane River Baptism, c. 1950–56; Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Te Adoremus Domine, 1921; Jacob Lawrence, Tombstones, 1942; In vitrine: Hale Aspacio Woodruff, Old Church, c. 1931–46, printed 1996; Hale Aspacio Woodruff, Sunday Promenade, 1939, printed 1996; William Greaves, Excerpts from First World Festival of Negro Arts, 1966; Palmer Hayden, Spirituals (Dreams), c. 1935; Purvis Young, Our Father, 1997; James Van Der Zee, Choir Boy, 1937; Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Every Moment Counts (Ecstatic Antibodies), 1989. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024-February 9, 2025). From left to right: Norman Lewis, Phantasy II, 1946; Sam Gilliam, Swing 64, 1964; Bill Traylor, Untitled (Man in a Blue House), date unknown; Ralph Lemon, Bongos and Djembe, 1999; Ralph Lemon, Untitled (On Black music), 2001-07; Thornton Dial, Soul Train, 2004; Sam Doyle, Frank Capers, 2023; Sam Doyle, LeBe, 1970s; Wadsworth Jarrell, Together We Will Win, 1973; Faith Ringgold, United States of Attica, 1971; Wadsworth Jarrell, Revolutionary (Angela Davis), 1972; James Van Der Zee, Marcus Garvey Rally, 1924; Jeff Donaldson, Soweto/So We Too, 1979; Maren Hassinger, River, 1972/2012; Maren Hassinger, River, 1972/2012; Melvin Edwards, Utonga (Lynch Fragment), 1988; Aaron Douglas, Bravado, 1926; Melvin Edwards, Chitungwiza from the Lynch Fragment series, 1989; Aaron Douglas, Flight, 1926; Melvin Edwards, Katura from the Lynch Fragment series, 1986; Aaron Douglas, Surrender, 1970; Melvin Edwards, Cup of? From the Lynch Fragment series, 1988; In vitrine, from left to right: Elizabeth Catlett, I am the Negro Woman, 1947, printed 1989; Elizabeth Catlett, In Harriet Tubman I helped hundreds to freedom, 1946, printed 1989; Elizabeth Catlett, In Sojourner Truth I fought for the rights of women as well as Negroes, 1947, printed 1989; Elizabeth Catlett, In Phillis Wheatley I proved intellectual equality in the midst of slavery, 1946, printed 1989; From left to right: Kara Walker, African/American, 1998; Karon Davis, Dear Mama, 2024; Geoffrey Holder, Portrait of Carmen de Lavallade, 1976; Beauford Delaney, Marian Anderson, 1965; Loïs Mailou Jones, Jennie, 1943. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Alvin Ailey and Me
Alvin Ailey and Me is a project that asks members of the public to share personal stories of how the enduring legacy and influence of iconic dancer, choreographer, and artist Alvin Ailey's life and work has impacted them. These stories celebrate and showcase the lasting, far-reaching impact that this influential artist continues to have: a key theme in Edges of Ailey.
Alvin Ailey and Me FCB
Exhibition Catalogue
Edges of Ailey Catalogue
Alvin Ailey is one of the most celebrated choreographers of the twentieth century. The creator of iconic works such as Blues Suite, Revelations, and Cry, he is widely recognized for the dance company he founded in 1958 when he was just twenty-seven years old. Ailey imagined and cultivated a platform for modern dance through his innovative repertoire, interdisciplinary sensibility, and support of dancers and choreographers. This expansive volume situates Ailey within a broader social, creative, and cultural context, looking at the artists who influenced and collaborated with him, the spaces and scenes he frequented, the dynamic themes within his dances, and how his vision and work changed contemporary dance.
Essays by artists, scholars, and critics cover topics ranging from the Black church, the South, and the Great Migration to nightclubs, musical influences, and queerness. With more than four hundred images including photographs of works Ailey choreographed, archival materials such as notebooks, sketches, letters, and never-before-published behind-the-scenes photos, and conversations about the legacy of the company with Sylvia Waters, Judith Jamison, and Masazumi Chaya as well as several contemporary dancers and scholars, this study offers an unprecedented full picture of one of the twentieth century’s leading artists and the way his work continues to inspire today’s generation of dancers.
In the News
“I love the look of it, the sound of it, the ideas it floats.” —The New York Times
“One of the most ambitious shows the museum has ever presented…” —The New York Times
“Alvin Ailey has never left the hearts of dancers, and it is that legacy which guides Edges of Ailey.” —Vanity Fair
“As much as ‘Edges of Ailey’ is a celebration of the late, great choreographer, it is also an ode to the world of Black art and to Edwards’s dazzling curatorial vision.” —The Cut
“Edges of Ailey is not just an exhibition; it is a celebration of a living legacy.” —ESSENCE
“...affirms the artist’s place as one of the most culturally and historically significant artistic figures in the United States and the world.” —Forbes
“...it should not be missed” —The Wall Street Journal
“...an expansive new survey….” —Harper's Bazaar
“...not only an homage to Ailey, but a picture of his life and how dance fit into all the other creative pursuits he chased” —W Magazine
“...an essential injection of sheer joy and contemporary cultural history” —Forbes
“It was not at all what I expected, and I am so glad for that.” —Observer
“The first of its kind…” —HYPEBEAST
“... showcase Ailey’s ‘extraordinary curiosity’” —Dance Magazine
“...a masterfully curated celebration of one of America’s greatest artists” —New York Said
“Dancer Alvin Ailey Comes Into Full Focus in Stunning, Genre-Blurring Whitney Show” —Artnet News
“This must-see exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art pays excellent tribute to Ailey’s dances” —Ebony
“Ailey receives a show worthy of his greatness…” —The Guardian
"...a visual stream that flows through Ailey’s history and reflects his restlessness, his desire to stay in motion, to keep going beyond 'Revelations.'" —The New Yorker
“...stunning, groundbreaking, exhibition dedicated to the brilliant, mold-shattering choreographic genius Alvin Ailey…” —New York Amsterdam News
This exhibition contains flashing and strobing effects that should be avoided by people who have photosensitive epilepsy or who may be susceptible to seizures.