Black Mystery Month

Through striking black-and-white portraits that require viewers to actively decode names and identities, the exhibition transforms audiences from passive observers into engaged collaborators. This interactive approach opens the door for meaningful dialogue about history, representation, and what it truly means to “know” our shared cultural past.

The exhibition features a suite of 30 large-scale black-and-white photographic prints derived from archival images of historically significant Black Americans and, in some instances, white civil rights allies.

Each work, titled Blackboard, presents a blurred photographic portrait overlaid with scrambled, backward-facing text spelling the subject’s name. Viewers can unscramble the text using a reflective surface—such as a mirror or smartphone camera—transforming them into active participants. Referencing the “Scramble Board” game from the groundbreaking 1970s musical variety television show Soul Train, this strategy requires viewers to “insert themselves” to reveal identity, disrupting traditional portraiture and prompting reflection on visibility, memory, and cultural knowledge.

A companion video titled Mystery Lessons further interrogates the tensions surrounding Black History Month and cultural recognition. Blending satire and critical inquiry, the video deepens the project’s conceptual reach.

Designed with community engagement at its core, Black Mystery Month offers rich opportunities for public and educational programs, including guided gallery conversations, intergenerational workshops, educator-led discussions, and student-centered learning activities. The exhibition’s accessible yet thought-provoking format encourages visitors of all ages and backgrounds to bring their own perspectives into the space, fostering collective inquiry rather than a singular interpretation.

About the Artist

Bill Gaskins (b. 1953) is a prominent American photographer, filmmaker, writer, and academic whose interdisciplinary practice critically examines visual culture, race, identity, and the sociohistorical dimensions of portraiture.

Gaskins has taught extensively at leading institutions including Cornell University, Parsons School of Design, and The New School, and he currently serves as professor and founding director of the MFA program in Photography + Media & Society at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art). His work spans photography, cinema, and non-fiction writing, with a particular focus on the representation of African American experiences and the cultural narratives embedded in visual imagery.

His works have been exhibited at major venues such as the Smithsonian Institution, Brooklyn Museum, Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Crocker Art Museum. In addition to his artist projects, his essays and critical writings have appeared in respected journals including Aperture and Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art.

He has been recognized for both his artistic and pedagogical contributions, receiving awards such as the Watts Prize for Faculty Excellence and the University Distinguished Teaching Award.