Gateways: African American Art from the Key Collection
September 13, 2025 - December 28, 2025
- Anne Noland Edwards Gallery
free
About the exhibition
Gateways: African American Art from the Key Collection presents 90 works of art in varied media from the collection of Eric Key, a curator, investor, and arts administrator from Smithfield, Virginia. Gateways features pieces by Henry O. Tanner, Elizabeth Catlett, and Jacob Lawrence, among many other leading African American artists.
Key began collecting African American art in the early nineties, long before the arts industry and society at large began to grant these artists the belated recognition they enjoy today. Over the years, he has amassed an impressive collection of African American art, with the dual purpose of exploring his own identity as a Black man in America while providing financial support to individual artists. His intent has always been to help preserve America’s Black experience in the arts, and to benefit the many communities of which he has been a part—opening gateways for artists, African Americans, and conversations about race, identity, and America.
Gateways: African American Art from the Key Collection is organized and toured by International Arts & Artists.
Sponsors
The Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center
gratefully acknowledges our exhibition sponsors:
Ramona and Robert Deal | William and Janice Grace | Mary Katherine Evans Hogg
Elizabeth Holt ‘79 | Larry King Law | Patricia ‘02 and Dan Mooza | Mary Neale
Newport News Arts Commission | Gina Fitzhugh Wilson
Related events
September 25, 2025
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Conversation on Collecting: An Evening with Eric Key
Presented in conjunction with Gateways: African American Art from the Key Collection, this program will feature Eric Key in conversation, sharing his insights on his path through the world of art as a curator, collector, and administrator. A native of Smithfield, VA, and a recipient of multiple degrees from Hampton University, Key's collecting is driven by a desire to preserve America’s Black experience in the arts, and to benefit the many communities of which he has been a part.
Gateways: African American Art from the Key Collection is organized and toured by International Arts & Artists.
This event is free and open to the public.
