Engaging children with artists who look like them, have similar experiences, and come from similar backgrounds is a great source of inspiration and empowerment. By reflecting their own identities, experiences and motivations (mirrors) and also providing insight into the identities, experiences and motivations of others (windows) can move students toward more nuanced perceptions of the world around them (sliding glass doors).* Discover new BIPOC artists to add to your curriculum.
*Source: By Rudine Sims Bishop, The Ohio State University. "Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors"
Sculpture / Installation
Artists have many layered identities and art educators need to present them as such.
Representing diverse artists in your curriculum is only part of an Anti-Bias, Anti-Racist curriculum. It needs to be more than a symbolic effort and art educators need to take into account intersectionality when introducing these artists to students. How do aspects of an artists’ social and political identities (ex. gender, sex, race, class, sexuality, religion, ability, physical appearance, etc.) intersect within their work?
In addition, we recognize that race is socially constructed and it is impossible to put humans in clearly defined categories by race. Racial identity is deeply personal, and artists within any given subgroup define themselves differently. Race, ethnicity, and nationality are all factors artist's individually consider as their personal identity. However, as mentioned previously that is not all that there is to their identity. We know that artists have many layered identities and art educators need to do the research to present them as such.
For the purpose of accessibility, we have attempted to organize artists into 8 subgroups: Asian, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Middle Eastern/North African, Multiracial/Multiethnic, Pacific Islander/SE Asian, and South Asian. Our goal is to use present artists based on how each artist defines themselves in relation to their work. These groupings are not perfect, as humans are not meant to be divided into boxes. We hope this resource can help art educators identify who is missing from their curriculum in order to create a curriculum more representative of the incredible diversity among students and artists today.
A
Abdulnasser Gharem
Saudi Arabian (Middle Eastern)
Adal Maldonado
Puerto Rican (LatinX)
Adia Millett
American (Black)
Ahmet Ögüt
Turkish (Middle Eastern)
Ahmed Mater
Saudi Arabian (Middle Eastern)
Ai Weiwei
Chinese (East Asian)
Alan Pelaez Lopez AfroIndigenous Mexican (Black, Latinx, Indigenous)
Alessandra Exposito
Cuban/American (Latinx)
Alex Da Corte
American Venezuelan (LatinX)
Alexandria Smith
British (Black)
Alison Saar
American (Black)
Alyssia Gibson
American (Black)
Ana Serrano
Mexican American (Latinx)
Andrea Pérez Bessin
Puerto Rican (LatinX)
Andrea Chung
Jamaican/Chinese and Trinidadian (Black, Asian)
Anish Kapoor
Indian (South Asian)
Anita Fields
Osage and Muscogee (Indigenous)
Ashanté Kindle
American (Black)
Arlo Namingha
Tewa and Hopi (Indigenous)
Asim Waqif
Indian (South Asian)
Augusta Savage
American (Black)
Aung Ko
Burmese (Southeast Asian)
Azade Köker
Turkish (Middle Eastern)
Anila Quayyum Agha
Pakistani (Southeast Asian)
B
Barbara Horiuchi
Japanese American (East Asian)
Barry Johnson
American (Black)
Beatriz Cortez
Salvadorian (LatinX)
Bharti Kher
British Indian (South Asian)
Brian Jungen
Dane-Zaa & Swiss (Indigenous)
Balan Nambiar
Indian (South Asian)
Bill Reid Haida Canadian (Indigenous)
Bonnie Devine
Serpent River Ojibwa (Indigenous)
Bruce Alfred
Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw Tribe (Indigenous)
C
Cai Guo-Qiang
Chinese (East Asian)
Cai Xiaosong
Chinese (East Asian)
Carmen Argote
Mexican American (LatinX)
Cauleen Smith
American (Black)
Chakaia Booker
American (Black)
Chatchawan Amsomkid
Thai (Asian)
Cheryll Leo-Gwin
Chinese American (East Asian)
Charlene Teters
Spokane (Indigenous)
D
Damián Ortega
Mexican (LatinX)
Danh Võ
Danish Vietnamese (Asian)
David Hammons
American (Black)
Dempsey Bob
Tahltan and Tlingit (Pacific Islander)
Dexter Sy
Filipino
Diane Douglas-Willard
Haida (Indigenous)
Do Ho Suh
Korean (East Asian)
Doris Salcedo
Colombian (LatinX)
Dolorosa Sinaga
Indonesian (Southeast Asian)
E
Ebony G. Patterson
Jamaican (Black)
Edward Poitras
Métis (Indigenous)
Ekow Nimako
Ghanaian-Canadian (Black)
Elizabeth Catlett
American & Mexican (LatinX)
Elmer Misa Borlongan Filipino (Southeast Asian)
Emanuel Martinez
Mexican American (LatinX)
Emily Jacir
Palestinian (Middle Eastern)
Ernesto Neto
Brazilian (LatinX)
Emmanuel (aka Manolo) Aguilera
Mexican
F
Faith Bebbington British (Black)
Fayçal Baghriche
Algerian (North African)
Fred Wilson
American (Black)
Firdousi Priyabhashini
Bangladeshi (South Asian)
G
Gabriel Dawe
Mexican (LatinX)
Genco Gulan
Turkish (Middle Eastern)
Gina Adams
Ojibwe, Lakota Irish,
& Lithuanian (Indigenous)
Gilbert "Magu" Luján
Chicano
Gu Wenda
Chinese (East Asian)
Guadalupe Maravilla Salvadorean (LatinX)
H
Haegue Yang
Korean (East Asian)
Hammiduzzaman Khan Bangladeshi (South Asian)
Hank Willis Thomas
American (Black)
Haruki
Japanese (Asian)
Hebru Brantley
American (Black)
Hiwa K
Iraqi (Middle Eastern)
Hoesy Corona
Mexican (LatinX)
Holly Wilson
Delaware Tribe of Western Oklahoma and Cherokee (Indigenous)
Htein Lin
Burmese (Southeast Asian)
Huma Mulji
Pakistani (South Asian)
Hu Weiyi
Chinese (East Asian)
I
Isamu Noguchi Japanese American (East Asian)
J
Jalondra Quvon
American
(Black)
Jean Shin
American-Korean (Asian)
Jeffrey A. Gibson Choctaw and Cherokee (Indigenous)
Jitish Kallat
Indian (South Asian)
Jingfang Hao & Lingjie Wang (duo) Chinese (East Asian)
Joe David
Nuu-Chah-Nult (Indigenous)
Joseph Wu
Canadian (East Asian)
Justin Favela
Guatemala-Mexican-American (LatinX)
Juliana Kang Robinson
Korean (East Asian)
Juana Valdes
Cuban (Latinx)
K
Kamrooz Aram
Iranian (Middle Eastern)
Kara Walker
American (Black)
Karlito Miller Espinosa
Costa Rican (LatinX)
Kay Kang
Korean American (East Asian)
Kimmy Cantrell
American (Black)
Koshimizu Susumu
Japanese (East Asian)
Kenny Alvin Baird
(Cree)/Métis (Indigenous)
Kite (aka Dr Suzanne Kite) Oglala Lakota
L
LaKela Brown
American (Black)
Larry Fuente
American (LatinX)
Lauren Halsey
American (Black)
Lee Bul
Korean (East Asian)
Leeroy New
Filipino (Southeast Asian)
Lewis deSoto
Cahuilla Native American Ancestry (Indigenous)
Li Chen
Taiwanese (East Asian)
Lim Minouk
Korean (Asian)
Liliana Porter
Argentinian (LatinX)
Lonnie Holley
American (Black)
Loretta Gould
Mi'kmaq (Indigenous)
Luis Jiménez
Mexican American (LatinX)
LaShawnda Crowe Storm
American
M
Mamani Mamani
Aymara/Bolivian (Indigenous Latinx)
Manal Al Dowayan
Saudi Arabian (Middle Eastern)
Marela Zacarías
Mexican (LatinX)
Marie Watt
Seneca (Indigenous)
Mark Bradford
American (Black)
Mark Chai
Hawaiian (Pacific Islander)
Martin Puryear
American (Black)
Mary Edmonia Lewis
American (Black)
Maya Lin
Chinese American (East Asian)
Mel Chin
Chinese American (East Asian)
Michel Rangie
Vanuatuan (Pacific Islander)
Mika Tajima
Japanese American (East Asian)
Mona Hatoum
Palestinian (Middle Eastern)
Mostafa Monowar Bangladeshi (South Asian)
Mounir Fatmi
Moroccan (North African)
Mulyana
Indonesian (Southeast Asian)
Mary Jackson
American
N
Nadine Robinson
Jamaican (Black)
Nam June Paik
Korean American (East Asian)
Natalie Ball
Klamath, Modoc, & African American (Indigenous, Black)
Neal Ambrose-Smith Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation (Indigenous)
Nge Lay
Burmese (Southeast Asian)
Nicholas Galanin Tlingit and Unangax̂ (Indigenous)
Nico Williams
Anishinabe First Nation (Indigenous)
Noah Purifoy
American (Black)
Noriyuki Haraguchi
Japanese (East Asian)
Novera Ahmed Bangladeshi (South Asian)
O
Oscar Villamiel
Filipino (Southeast Asian)
P
Patrick Cabral
Filipino (Southeast Asian)
Patricia Perez Eustaquio
Filipino (Southeast Asian)
Parastou Forouhar
Iranian (Middle Eastern)
Paratene Matchitt
New Zealander (Māori) (Pacific Islander)
Paula Liz
Puerto Rican (LatinX)
Paula Schaafhausen Samoan (Pacific Islander)
Parviz Tanavoli
Iranian (Middle Eastern)
Patrick Martinez
American (Latinx)
Pedro Reyes
Mexican (LatinX)
Pepón Osorio
Puerto Rican (LatinX)
Phan Quang
Vietnamese (East Asian)
Pierre Santos
British (Black)
Preston Singletary
Tlingit (Indigenous)
Priscilla Monge
Costa Rican (LatinX)
Po Po
Burmese (Southeast Asian)
Q
Quentin Veracity
Canadian (Black)
R
Rafael López del Campo
Puerto Rican (LatinX)
Rafa Esparza
Mexican American (LatinX)
Ralph Hotere
New Zealander (Māori) (Pacific Islander)
Raphael Montañez Ortiz
Yaqui-Puerto Rican (LatinX)
Rattana Salee
Thai (Southeast Asian)
Raúl de Nieves
Mexican (LatinX)
Ronny Quevedo Ecuadorean (LatinX)
Ruth Asawa
Japanese American (East Asian)
Reena Saini Kallat
Indian (South Asian)
Rashid Rana
Pakistani (South Asian)
Rebecca Belmore Anishinaabekwe (Indigenous)
Rebecca Gloria-jean Baird (Cree)/Métis (Indigenous)
Red Hong Yi
Chinese-Malaysian (Asian)
Renée Stout
American (Black)
Rina Banerjee
Indian-American (South Asian)
Richard Glazer-Danay
Kahnawake (Caughnawaga) Mohawk & Jewish (Indigenous)
Robert Davidson
Haida (Indigenous)
Roxanne Swentzell
Santa Clara Tewa (Indigenous)
Rose B. Simpson
Santa Clara Pueblo (Indigenous)
S
Safâa Erruas
Moroccan (North African)
Sarah Mohanna Al Abdali
Saudi Arabian (Middle Eastern)
Sarah Sze
Chinese American (East Asian)
Sareth Svay
Cambodian (Southeast Asian)
Sahej Rahal
Indian (South Asian)
Shamim Sikder
Bangladeshi (South Asian)
Sheela Gowda
Indian (South Asian)
Sheelasha Rajbhandari Nepalese (South Asian)
Sheida Soleimani
Iranian-American (Middle Eastern)
Simone Leigh
American (Black)
Sonny Assu
Ligwi'lda'xw of the Kwakwaka'wakw Nations (Indigenous)
Stephanie Mei Huang
Asian American (Asian)
Subodh Gupta
Indian (South Asian)
Syed Abdullah Khalid Bangladeshi (South Asian)
Saba Khan
T
Tan Zi Xi
Singaporean (South East Asian)
Tanya Aguiñiga
Mexican American (LatinX)
Tanya Lukin Linklater Alutiiq (Indigenous)
Teresa Burga
Peruvian (Latinx)
Teresita Fernández
Cuban (LatinX)
Teruko Nimura
Japanese American (East Asian)
Thukral & Tagra
Indian (South Asian)
Tiffany Chung
Vietnamese American (Asian American)
Tony Capellán
Dominican (LatinX)
Torkwase Dyson
American (Black)
Tyree Guyton
American (Black)
Terry Acebo Davis Filipino American
(Asian American)
U - V
Ursula Johnson
Mi’kmaq (Indigenous)
vanessa german American (Black)
Virgil Ortiz
Cochiti Pueblo (Indigenous)
Vishal Jugdeo
Indo-Guyanese descent (South Asian, LatinX)
Voluspa Jarpa Saldías
Chilean (LatinX)
Vikram Divecha
W
Wah Nu and
Tun Win Aung
Burmese Couple (Southeast Asian)
Wendy Maruyama
Japanese American (East Asian)
Willard Wigan
British (Black)
William Cordova
Peruvian (Latinx)
Willie Cole
American (Black)
X
Xenobia Bailey
African-American
Xu Bing
Chinese (East Asian)
Y
Yang Yuyu
Taiwanese (East Asian)
Yayoi Kusama
Japanese (East Asian)
Yinka Shonibare
British-Nigerian (Black)
Yoshitomo Nara
Japanese (East Asian)
Yoshitoshi Kanemaki
Japanese (East Asian)
Yoko Ono
Japanese (East Asian)
Yto Barrada
Franco-Moroccan (North African)
Yvette Mayorga
Mexican American (LatinX)
Yodogawa Technique
Japanese (Asian)
Z
Zahrah Al Ghamdi
Saudi Arabian (Middle Eastern)
Discover More
Asian: a native or inhabitant of Asia, or a person of Asian descent.
BIPOC: Black, Indigenous and People of Color.
Black: of or relating to any of various population groups having dark pigmentation of the skin or ancestry originating in Africa.
Ethnicity: a group of people who identify with one another with similarities such as history, culture, language, ancestry, etc.
Indigenous: ethnic groups who are the original or earliest known inhabitants of an area, in contrast to groups that have settled, occupied or colonized the area more recently.
LatinX: a person of Latin origin or descent.
Middle Eastern: a person of Middle Eastern origin or descent.
Multiethnic: of two or more ethnicities.
Multiracial: of two or more races.
Nationality: the status of belonging to a particular nation.
North African: Peoples with origins based in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Western Sahara belonging to a particular nation.
Pacific Islander, or Pasifika, are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. It is a geographic and ethnic/racial term to describe the inhabitants and diaspora of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania. It is not used to describe non-indigenous inhabitants of the Pacific islands.
Person of color: a person who is not white or of European parentage.
Race: a group of people who share cultural elements such as language, history, etc.
South Asian: a person of origin or descent from Southern Asia.
South East Asian: a person of origin or descent from the South Eastern part of Asia