Gallery Talk | The Black Matriarchs: UJIMA - Collective Work and Personal Responsibility! with Jimmie Elizabeth Nkonoki Ward and Lisa Nkonoki

Join us for a special Gallery Talk with Jimmie Elizabeth Nkonoki-Ward and Lisa Nkonoki during the final week of The Black Matriarchs Series.

About The Black Matriarchs Series: 

The New Britain Museum of American Art is tied, inextricably, to the history and people of New Britain, Connecticut. The Black Matriarchs Series celebrates the legacy of a remarkable community of Black women who worked and lived in New Britain for many years, and is organized in collaboration with Jimmie Elizabeth Nkonoki-Ward, the James and Agnes Timmons Legacy, Nkonoki-Ward Family, and the Nkonoki-Green Family Community Initiatives.

On public view for the first time in 35 years, this series of pen, ink, and charcoal portraits was commissioned in the late 1970s by historian and educator Jimmie Elizabeth (Timmons) Nkonoki-Ward, from her friend, artist Kenneth A. Larson (1947-1994)—both of whom were long-time New Britain residents. These compelling portraits depict women who were leaders, trailblazers, educators, and nurturers in the community.

The Black Matriarchs Series is a tribute to Black and African American women who are pillars in their families and in their community—women who infuse culture, faith, education, and the arts as a cornerstone of a vibrant community, full of possibility—and in which these Black Matriarchs were exemplary.

“The Black Matriarchs are women sometimes not publicly acknowledged, or celebrated, like our teachers, yet never to be forgotten as the cornerstone and pillars of every community in cities across this nation. These ladies are the Unsung Heroes and bridge builders, steeped in culture, education, tradition and legacy, the real heart and soul of our communities, and true keepers of all of our histories and women to proudly emulate!”

- J. Elizabeth Nkonoki-Ward

Click here to learn more about Jimmie Elizabeth Nkonoki-Ward