Harlem has a joyful new reason to visit West 125th Street. On October 1, the Studio Museum in Harlem opened A sustained becoming: Studio Museum Artists in Residence 2026, the final exhibition of the inaugural year in its new, purpose-built home — and a celebration of fresh talent at work.
The show presents new work by Derriann Pharr, Simonette Quamina and Taylor Simmons, the 2026 cohort of the museum’s acclaimed Artist-in-Residence program. They hold a special place in the museum’s story: they are the first artists to work out of the custom-designed studios inside the new building, creating this work in the very heart of Harlem.
Working across a range of media, the three artists take distinct approaches to figuration that engage with cultural memory, bodily presence, storytelling and archival materials. Real and otherworldly images come together to reveal familiar and new narratives, creating momentary suspensions in time — a chance to imagine what has already happened and what is yet to come. The exhibition, organized by Assistant Curator Adria Gunter, is on view through January 3, 2027, alongside Tone, a companion show drawn from the permanent collection.
The Studio Museum is at 144 West 125th Street, between Malcolm X Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard. Come meet the next generation where it works.
Photo: Kris Graves / Studio Museum in Harlem
