Freedom Dreams
Until August 9, 2026
A meditation on the memories, dreams, and histories of America, featuring moving-image artists Arthur Jafa, David Hartt, Garrett Bradley, Ja’Tovia Gary, and Tourmaline.
Arthur Jafa. Love is the Message, The Message is Death, 2016. Detail of video still. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone
Adults $30; seniors $28 (tickets good for 2 days); students $5; members free
About the Exhibition
As Philadelphia and the nation prepare to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, Freedom Dreams brings together powerful works by artists in film, video, and installation that invite viewers to immerse themselves in the memories, dreams, and histories of Black Americans.
The exhibition features works by Arthur Jafa, David Hartt, Garrett Bradley, Ja’Tovia Gary, and Tourmaline, all exploring history, archives, and cultural memory. Freedom Dreams highlights the fluid boundary between past, present, and future and encourages viewers to reflect on how Americans of color have shaped identities and created spaces of resistance, joy, and resilience in the face of systemic oppression. The exhibition is co-curated by Maori Karmael Holmes, Chief Executive and Artistic Officer of BlackStar Projects, and James Claiborne, Fleischner Family Deputy Director for Community Engagement at the Barnes.
Artworks on View
The moving-image works on view in the Roberts Gallery deconstruct inherited notions of liberation while radically imagining new possibilities.
Love is the Message, The Message is Death by Arthur Jafa (2016)
Single-channel digital video, color, sound; 7:25 min. © Arthur Jafa. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone
On Exactitude in Science (Watts) by David Hartt (2021)
4K digital video, continuous loop, color, sound; 15:47 min. © David Hartt. Courtesy of Galerie Thomas Schulte
America by Garrett Bradley (2019)
Multichannel video installation, 35mm film transferred to HD video (black and white, 5.1 sound); 23:55 min. New Orleans Museum of Art. Museum purchase, Carmen Donaldson Fund
Quiet as It’s Kept by Ja’Tovia Gary (2023)
Single channel; 26:14 min. © Ja’Tovia Gary
Pollinator by Tourmaline (2022)
Video, sound; 5:08 min. © Tourmaline. Courtesy of the artist and Chapter NY, New York
About the Artists
Arthur Jafa (b. 1960, Tupelo, Mississippi) is an artist and filmmaker. Jafa grew up between Tupelo and the Mississippi Delta and witnessed the tensions associated with both desegregation and continued segregation. With a career spanning over three decades, Jafa uses multidisciplinary work to reference, discuss, and question the meaning and potentialities of Black experiences.
David Hartt (b. 1967, Montreal, Quebec) lives and works in Philadelphia, where he is an associate professor in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Pennsylvania. Hartt’s interdisciplinary work unpacks the social, cultural, and economic complexities of his various subjects. He employs extensive research to examine the multitude of ways historic ideas and ideals persist or transform over time. His work has included an array of media—including video, sculpture, sound, photographs, and found materials—to investigate time, place, and sociocultural moments and attitudes.
Garrett Bradley is an artist and filmmaker. Her multimedia work blends elements of filmmaking—documentary, video art, cinema—to delve into themes of oppression and conflict as they relate to place and location. Bradley’s meditative approach to history is inspired by the personal and physical experiences of her protagonists. In 2025, she was named a MacArthur Fellow.
Ja’Tovia Gary (b. 1984, Dallas) is a filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist utilizing documentary, avant-garde video art, sculpture, and installation. Her work focuses on a Black feminist subjectivity and draws from public media and private archives to disrupt notions of objectivity and neutrality in nonfiction storytelling. Gary aims to unmask power and its influence on how individuals perceive and create reality.
Tourmaline (b. 1983, Roxbury, Massachusetts) is an artist, filmmaker, writer, and activist whose work calls to attention the experiences of Black, queer, and trans communities and underscores their ability to impact the world. Tourmaline uses visual and narrative means to reassess and rewrite cultural histories in an attempt to imagine and formulate a more joyful future. Through Tourmaline’s practice, the past, present, and future intermingle in surreal ways.
Related Programs
Member Previews
Thursday–Saturday, April 9–11, 10am – 5pm
Free
Members are invited to view Freedom Dreams before the exhibition’s public opening.
Curators in Conversation
Sunday, April 12, 1pm
Join co-curators James Claiborne and Maori Karmael Holmes for an engaging talk about the works and artists in Freedom Dreams and the exhibition’s key themes, including liberation, archives, and artistic and cultural lineage.
Young Professionals Night
Friday, April 24, 7 – 11pm
Feel the pulse of Philadelphia’s creative energy as emerging artists, tastemakers, and young professionals gather for an evening of art, music, and connection. Explore Freedom Dreams and the collection, spark new conversations with fellow art lovers, or lose yourself on the dance floor—#BarnesYP is your gateway to the city’s most dynamic cultural scene.
First Friday
May 1, June 5, July 3, August 7; 6 – 9pm
Enjoy an evening of art, live music, cocktails, and light fare at our monthly First Friday mixer, featuring performances by dynamic artists including vocalist Farah Siraj and singer-songwriter Elle Morris.
PECO Free First Sunday Family Day
May 3, June 7, July 5, August 2; 10am – 5pm
On the first Sunday of every month, the Barnes partners with PECO to offer a free day of family fun. Enjoy art activities, storytime, and featured performances along with free access to the galleries and Freedom Dreams.
Barnes Cinema: Time by Garrett Bradley
Saturday, May 9, 1 – 4pm
Our three-part film series, curated by Maori Karmael Holmes, features additional works by the Freedom Dreams artists and includes talks on the exhibition’s themes. It begins with Time, Garrett Bradley’s Academy Award–nominated documentary about Sibil Fox Richardson’s decades-long fight to free her husband, serving a 60-year sentence for robbery.
Exhibition Seminar: Freedom Dreams
Saturday, May 30, 11am – 1pm
Led by co-curators James Claiborne and Maori Karmael Holmes, this interactive seminar offers a guided exploration of Freedom Dreams through shared readings, film excerpts, and discussion. Includes admission to the exhibition beginning at 10am.
Talk: Robin and Elleza Kelley on Freedom Dreams and the Archive
Sunday, May 31, 1 – 2:30pm
Freedom Dreams author Robin D. G. Kelley and literary scholar Elleza Kelley explore themes across the exhibition and the book.
Barnes Cinema: Arthur Jafa Retrospective
Saturday, June 13, 1 – 4pm
Our Freedom Dreams film series continues with a selection of works by artist Arthur Jafa, including short film, documentary, and music video.
Barnes Cinema: Ja’Tovia Gary Retrospective
Saturday, July 11, 1 – 4pm
Our Freedom Dreams film series concludes with a selection of works directed by Ja’Tovia Gary, spanning portraiture, meditation, and experimental documentary.
Sponsors
Freedom Dreams at the Barnes is sponsored by:
Generous support is provided by Margaret C. Hallenbeck, Margaret Harris and Phil Straus, Mark Haskins and Rebecca Craik, Arthur M. Kaplan and R. Duane Perry, Jennifer Rice and Michael Forman, an anonymous donor, and other individuals.
Ongoing funding for exhibitions comes from the Christine and Michael Angelakis Exhibition Fund, Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Exhibition Fund, Lois and Julian Brodsky Exhibition Fund, Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr. Exhibition Fund, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Christine and George Henisee Exhibition Fund, Aileen and Brian Roberts Exhibition Fund, and Tom and Margaret Lehr Whitford Exhibition Fund.
In addition, funding for all exhibitions comes from contributors to the Barnes Foundation Exhibition Fund:
Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, Joan Carter and John Aglialoro, Julia and David Fleischner, Victoria McNeil Le Vine, Leigh and John Middleton, Jeanette and Joe Neubauer, and Aileen and Brian Roberts
John Alchin and Hal Marryatt, Lois and Julian Brodsky, N. Judith Broudy, Julie Jensen Bryan, Emily and Michael Cavanagh, Marianne N. Dean, Eugene and Michelle Dubay, Penelope P. Harris, Jones & Wajahat Family, Lisa D. Kabnick and John H. McFadden, Victor F. Keen and Jeanne Ruddy, Marguerite Lenfest, Maribeth and Steven Lerner, Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation, Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan, Cathy and Henry Nassau, The Park Family, Wendy and Mark Rayfield, Anne and Bruce Robinson, Adele K. Schaeffer, Katie and Tony Schaeffer, Donna and Jerry Slipakoff, Dr. and Mrs. Eugene E. Stark, Joan F. Thalheimer, Bruce and Robbi Toll, van Beuren Charitable Foundation, Kirsten White, and Randi Zemsky and Bob Lane.