The Everson Museum of Art is proud to presentDeborah Roberts: Consequences of being, onview May 16 through September 27, 2026. The exhibition features works by acclaimedAmerican artist Deborah Roberts and marks a significant presentation of her work in CentralNew York.Roberts, who received her MFA from Syracuse University, uses collage to approachidentity as something fragmented and continually reconstructed, reclaiming found materialsand images to examine how Black bodies are seen, positioned, and understood globally.
Consequences of beingbrings together large-format paintings, works on paper, and—for thefirst time in Deborah Roberts’ career—ceramic sculpture. The exhibition marks a significantexpansion of the Austin, Texas–based artist’s practice and a deepening investigation into thehistories and legacies of colonialism.
The project broadens Roberts’ historical lens to include Germany, the Netherlands, and SouthAfrica—nations deeply implicated in the exploitation of land and people. In these new works,she repurposes imagery and text from grocery store signage and packaging, referencing foodsonce discarded or given to enslaved peoples that are now reframed as delicacies. Throughthese transformations, Roberts considers how colonial histories continue to shape culturalidentity, economic access, and the politics of consumption. While her figures bear traces ofdehumanizing language and imagery, they are also imbued with presence, dignity, andspirituality, asserting survival and self-definition.
Roberts constructs her hybrid figures—often young Black children—through a distinctivecollage process that combines found, manipulated, drawn, and painted elements. Drawn fromthe social and economic environments these children must navigate, the imagery foregroundsthe precarity imposed by racial stereotyping and its impact on identity and agency. Hersignature expanses of white space isolate the figures, intensifying attention to how Black bodiesare centered, measured, and read in relation to structures of whiteness.
The exhibition also debuts a new ceramic bust,Zuri, named after the Swahili word for“beautiful” or “good,” affirming enduring cultural lineages and the inherent value, brilliance,and potential of Black children.
Bringing Roberts’ work to Syracuse creates an opportunity for meaningful local conversationsaround identity, representation, belonging, and the experiences of young people navigatinghow they are seen by the world. The exhibition aligns with the Everson’s ongoing commitmentto presenting work that sparks dialogue, reflection, and community connection throughcontemporary art.Born in Austin, Texas, Roberts has become one of the most celebrated contemporary artistsworking today. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is included in the collections ofmajor institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Los Angeles CountyMuseum of Art, The Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Brooklyn Museum.About the Everson Museum of ArtThe Everson Museum of Art is the first museum in the United States dedicated solely to thecollection of American art. Designed by internationally renowned architect I. M. Pei, theEverson is home to one of the nation’s largest collections of American ceramics and regularlypresents exhibitions, programs, and experiences that connectart with the community. Locatedin the heart of downtown Syracuse, the museum welcomes visitors of all ages to exploreAmerican art through exhibitions, events, education programs, and public engagementinitiatives.
About the Artist
Deborah Roberts was born in Austin, Texas, USA in 1962 where she continues to live and work. Roberts’use of collage reflects the challenges encountered by young Black children as they strive to build theiridentity, particularly as they respond to preconceived social constructs perpetuated by the Blackcommunity, the white gaze and visual culture at large. Combining a range of different facial features,skin tones, hairstyles and clothes, Roberts explains that “with collage, I can create a more expansive andinclusive view of the Black cultural experience.”
