When Khalil Kinsey saw his family’s private collection of African American art and history on public display at SoFi Stadium on the first day of Black History Month, he knew it had the potential to open hearts and minds by illuminating and ultimately inspiring change.
The award-winning gallery is billed as the historical representation of black contribution and achievement in America, with the earliest piece in the collection dating to 1595.
“A lot of our story is still ongoing,” Kinsey said. “It’s important for us to understand that this is true in everyone’s life.
“What we say in regards to African American history is something that should be more enlightened. It is something that should burst into human and American consciousness because it is so important, so powerful, and so beautiful.
An exclusive tour with curator Khalil Kinsey showing Kinsey’s world-renowned collection of African-American art and history on display during and after #SuperBowl at @SoFiStadium. @KinseyArt #Black History Month pic.twitter.com/xaLBII2K4m
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) February 2, 2022
Kinsey acknowledges that a lot of progress has been made, but thinks there’s still more to do. He believes that understanding diverse viewpoints will equip society to move forward in the future.
Meanwhile, with more than 70 artworks and historical documents on display, Kinsey, who is from Los Angeles, said it was difficult to choose his favorites because he believes each piece is important and meaningful.
Whether it’s a bust portrait of a 19th-century slave boy or the first edition of poet Phillis Wheatley’s 1773 book, the curated experience is a journey through black history.
Kinsey’s African American Art and History Collection shines a light on the little-known fact that despite being enslaved in the Americas as a West African child in the 1760, Wheatley became the African American author of a published book of poetry.
“12 to 14 million Africans stolen from Africa permeated the entire Western Hemisphere but only 400,000 came to what became the United States/North America. When you think of everything from Patagonia (in America South) to North America, there is a huge black presence,” Kinsey continued.
The collection, which also highlights the Civil War, Emancipation, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights era, and the modern African-American experience, opens to general admission with hour-long self-guided tours on February 23 and will be on display through April.
However, the collection will be available for a preview of Super Bowl 56 for suite-level ticket holders on February 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
“It’s really going to open up a lot of perspectives and a lot of perspectives on African Americans in this country,” said Jason Witt, director of community engagement at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park. “When we talk about the community partnerships we want to build, they have to be authentic.”
Jason Witt speaks about the importance of Black History Month at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Witt helped create the community partnership that brought the Kinsey African American Art and History Collection to the site of Super Bowl 56. @SoFiStadium #Black History Month pic.twitter.com/QR5LYMorJz
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) February 2, 2022
Meanwhile, Kinsey said her family’s love affair with art began more than 50 years ago with her parents Bernard and Shirley Kinsey and their appreciation of culture and history.
“Some things come from auctions, some come to us through donations, but most of the time they come from us looking for them in private collections,” Kinsey explained.
The collection also includes a first-edition signed book by WEB Du Bois titled “The Souls of Black Folk”, which was published in 1903. Kinsey said the manuscript remains relevant over 100 years after it was written, as it highlights highlight race and ethnicity.
“We have a humble goal when it comes to people walking through this exhibit or one of our exhibits and leaving saying, ‘I didn’t know that,'” Kinsey revealed.
“We always talk about a process called learn, use, teach. You learn something, you use it in your own life and then you teach others and that’s the simple goal that we want from here for people to come away a little bit broader, a little more enriched and that can inspire them to do more research and maybe even collect some of this for themselves.
A signed first edition of WEB Du Bois’s “The Souls of Black Folk” which was published in 1903 is on display for #Black History Month at @SoFiStadium. #SuperBowl @KinseyArt pic.twitter.com/7f9DWikMRw
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) February 2, 2022
A preview of Kinsey’s collection of African American art and history that will be on display during and after #SuperBowl at @SoFiStadium. @KinseyArt pic.twitter.com/sXOtb1O3i1
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) February 2, 2022
