Freedom Dreams
April 12 – August 9, 2026
Film, video, and installation by Ja’Tovia Gary, David Hartt, Arthur Jafa, and Tourmaline.
Arthur Jafa. Love Is the Message, The Message Is Death, 2016. Detail of film still. Courtesy of the artist, Gladstone, and Sprüth Magers. © Arthur Jafa
Adults $30; seniors $28 (tickets good for 2 days); students $5; members free
About the Exhibition
As Philadelphia and the nation prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, Freedom Dreams brings together powerful works by artists in film, video, and installation that offer viewers the opportunity to immerse themselves in the memories, dreams, and histories of Black Americans.
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, Freedom Dreams is anchored by Arthur Jafa’s Love Is the Message, The Message Is Death (2016). Featuring additional works by Ja’Tovia Gary, Tourmaline, and David Hartt, the exhibition explores history, archives, and cultural memory. Freedom Dreams highlights the fluid boundary between past, present, and future, encouraging 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.
Arthur Jafa. Love Is the Message, The Message Is Death, 2016. Film still. Courtesy of the artist, Gladstone, and Sprüth Magers. © Arthur Jafa
Sponsors
Freedom Dreams at the Barnes is sponsored by:
Meaningful support is provided by Margaret C. Hallenbeck, Jennifer Rice and Michael Forman, and an anonymous donor.
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, Aileen and Brian Roberts
John Alchin and Hal Marryatt, Lois and Julian Brodsky, N. Judith Broudy, 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.