Necessary Means: Adreinne Waheed on Gathering & Power Exhibition

Join the College of Fine Arts for an artist talk with Adreinne Waheed, followed by the opening reception for Necessary Means: On Gathering & Power.

About the Event

This fall, Howard University will present Necessary Means: Adreinne Waheed on Gathering & Power, an exhibition examining the dynamism, beauty, and political force of collective Black life across the African Diaspora through the photography of Adreinne Waheed. Presented through a collaboration between the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University Gallery of Art, and Art Bridges, the exhibition opens October 14 at the Howard University Museum in Founders Library.

Necessary Means brings together Waheed’s documentary street photography with selections from the Waheed Photo Archive, her extensive collection of found portraits documenting African American life from the Civil War to the present. The exhibition traces the relationship between Waheed’s formative experiences at Howard University and a photographic practice centered on protest, joy, community, and collective action.

Curated by Kathryn Coney-Ali, executive director of the Howard University Gallery of Art, and Dr. Melanee C. Harvey-Fryar, associate professor of art history in the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, the exhibition takes its title from traditions of anti-colonial and Black liberation thought that call upon communities to harness the tools necessary to confront systems of oppression. Within that framework, Waheed’s camera becomes a means of documenting not only resistance, but the relationships, cultural traditions, and everyday expressions through which Black communities create and sustain power.

Opening Day Program

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

5:00 PM | Artist Conversation
Founders Library Browsing Room
Howard University

Join featured artist Adreinne Waheed in conversation with acclaimed artist Bisa Butler, facilitated by Dr. Rhea Combs, for a discussion centered on Waheed’s work, creative practice, and the themes explored throughout Necessary Means.

6:15 PM | Exhibition Opening & Reception
Founders Library Foyer
Howard University

Following the conversation, guests are invited to continue the evening with an opening reception celebrating Necessary Means: Adreinne Waheed on Gathering & Power.

Please note: Both the Artist Conversation and Exhibition Opening & Reception will take place in Founders Library. The Artist Conversation begins at 5:00 PM in the Browsing Room, followed by the Exhibition Opening & Reception at 6:15 PM in the Founders Library Foyer.

Free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged.