Opening Reception: Children’s Art Carnival in Harlem

This is one of the first major exhibitions to examine the vibrant community art center in Upper Manhattan which opened in 1969 as an outreach program of the Museum of Modern Art. Its visionary director, arts educator, and artist Betty Blayton-Taylor turned the program into an independent non-profit in 1974 and acquired a brownstone building on Hamilton Terrace, where she developed a pedagogy that celebrated individual expression as a means of self-discovery for generations of Harlem youth and their instructors, many of whom were emerging artists, themselves.

For the 2026 edition of its Uptown Triennial series, Wallach Art Gallery presents an exhibition of 30 artworks by former and current students, instructors, and interns at this community art center that emphasize creative freedom, experimentation, and communal bonds through the work of its affiliated artists. The exhibition is curated by Souleo.

Please join us to celebrate how the Children’s Art Carnival has brought a community together through pedagogy and care, nurturing Harlem’s artistic voices for more than half a century.