The Black Imagination Abroad series opens with an inaugural event featuring Chicago-Based artist and creative director Austyn Wyche.
CHICAGO (May 28, 2026) – The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center (The DuSable Museum) announced the launch of The Black Imagination Abroad: Conversations with Artists Across the Diaspora, a new artist salon series presented as part of the ongoing public programming for The DuSable Museum’s exhibition Paris in Black: Internationalism and the Black Renaissance.
The Black Imagination Abroad invites contemporary artists for conversations around Black internationalism, artistic practice, image-making, movement, and cultural exchange across the African diaspora. Inspired by the exhibition’s exploration of Paris as a site of creative freedom and intellectual exchange, the series aims to connect the historical narratives examined in Paris in Black with the voices and experiences of artists working today.
Hosted by Danny Dunson, Director of Curatorial Affairs and Arts Education at The DuSable Museum, the recurring series offers a platform for artists, curators, scholars, creatives, and the public to gather in dialogue around contemporary art and global Black cultural histories. Each salon features artist presentations, moderated conversations, audience engagement, and post-program receptions designed to encourage the continued exchange of conversation, creative visibility, and connection.
“The Black Imagination Abroad creates a space where artists, ideas, and community can meet in meaningful dialogue. Beyond the conversations themselves, these salons are designed to foster cultural exchange, professional networking, creative visibility, and
deeper community connection,” said Danny Dunson. “Having spent many years mentoring and collaborating with contemporary artists internationally, I am especially excited to build stronger relationships with artists across Chicago and to think of these gatherings as the beginning of longer-term mentorship, support, and creative investment.”
The inaugural salon will take place on Friday, June 5, 2026, and will feature Chicago-based artist and creative director Austyn Wyche. Wyche’s recent photographic work created in Paris offers a compelling contemporary perspective on Black presence abroad, linking global cultural narratives to a Chicago-rooted practice.
A graduate of Kenwood Academy High School, Morehouse College, and Columbia University, Wyche is the founder of the design studio Everything Clears. His interdisciplinary work spans photography, graphic design, visual direction, merchandising, and cultural storytelling, with collaborators including Google, Nike, Apple, Adidas, Disney, Adobe, and The Recording Academy. In 2022, he was recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30: Art + Style honoree.
“I’m excited to launch The Black Imagination Abroad with The DuSable Museum because as an artist from the South Side it’s always been a dream of mine to have my work featured by such a historical pillar in our community,” said Austyn Wyche. “Black artists in this city often feel neglected by our cultural institutions, so it’s an honor to be a part of a platform highlighting local talent. The ethos of my photography is bringing visibility to marginalized Black communities across the world to create discourse around our similarities, unique qualities, and how we can unite as a diaspora on a global scale.”
The evening will include a presentation of Wyche’s Paris-based work, a moderated conversation with Danny Dunson, an audience Q&A session, and a post-program reception featuring curated music, small bites, and an opportunity for community engagement and networking.
The Black Imagination Abroad is an ongoing series, with additional salon dates, featured artists, and public programs to be announced throughout the year. For more information and to RSVP, visit www.dusablemuseum.org and follow @dusablemuseum. If you are an artist interested in participating as a guest speaker in an upcoming salon series, contact Danny Dunson at info@dusablemuseum.org.
The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate, is the nation’s oldest independent Black history museum dedicated to the collection, preservation and study of the history and culture of Africans Americans and people of African descent. For more, visit www.dusablemuseum.org
