Established in February 2020 by Curator Asmaa Walton, the Black Art Library was created as an education tool. Walton’s academic background in art education and personal interest in Black art drives the focus of the library and desire to help others discover more about Black art, as it has historically been lacking in art education.

The collection includes exhibition catalogues, children’s books, artist memoirs, artist biographies, art history texts, and other art-related ephemera that focuses on Black artists and Black art history. The collection is meant to be accessible for people at all levels of education to reduce the intimidation that many feel when entering art institutions and other art spaces, and there are items that would be of interest to art historians and individuals new to the arts alike. The Black Art Library was inspired by spaces such as The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and projects such as the Free Black Women’s Library, but exclusive to material focused on Black visual arts and the history that informs it. Blue Star Contemporary is pleased to be the first arts organization outside of Michigan to host the Black Art Library.