Souls Grown Deep (SGD) advocates the artistic recognition and empowerment of Black artists from the American South, promoting visibility, scholarship, and education about their contributions to art history and fostering economic development and racial and social justice in the communities that gave rise to these artists. Founded in 2010, the organization derives its name from a 1921 poem by Langston Hughes (1902-67) titled The Negro Speaks of Rivers, the last line of which is "My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”
Souls Grown Deep stewards the foremost collection of works by Black artists from the Southern United States and advances recognition for artists through collection transfers, research, loans, exhibitions, education, public programs, and publications. More than 500 works from SGD’s collection have been acquired by over 40 museums in the U.S. and around the world, creating new opportunities for public access and scholarship. A leading voice for equitable practices in the art world, SGD works collaboratively with artists and communities to advance their stated needs and goals through support for the creative economy, intellectual property rights, fair compensation models, economic and political empowerment, and values-aligned investing.
Advocating Artists’ Rights
SGD is a leading voice and model for equitable practices in the art world, advocating artists' intellectual property rights; fair compensation and resale royalties; ethical and values-aligned investing; and discarding stigmatizing language like “outsider,” “visionary,” and “self-taught” to create a more diverse and honest art world. We work collaboratively with artists and communities to advance their stated needs and goals through support for the creative economy, cultural tourism, and political and economic empowerment. In close collaboration with artists and their estates, we also work to ensure equitable compensation for the sale, resale, and reproduction of their artworks as they gain increasing recognition by the art world and market.