Berrisford Boothe

Berrisford Boothe is a visual artist, curator, collector, and Professor of Art at Lehigh University. His distinguished career spans over three decades, with sixteen solo exhibitions and more than seventy group exhibitions internationally. As founding Principal Curator of the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art (2012–2020), he oversaw the acquisition of more than 430 works, championing Black artistic expression and cultural stewardship.

For Boothe, collecting is profoundly spiritual. “Art has spiritual power,” he reflects, describing Black artwork as “a resonant spirit object, born of the truths that permeate Blackness.” His collection offers daily comfort and connection to the intellectual, creative, and ancestral legacies of the African diaspora.

“Black art is liturgy—work done on behalf of a people,” he asserts. For Boothe, collecting is a sacred act that adorns both home and heart, affirming belonging while celebrating the extraordinary inventiveness of Black artists.

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“Buy. Black. Art.”