Kappa Alpha Psi’s L. Kasimu Harris Makes History as the First Black New Orleans Photographer to Have Work Acquired by the Museum of Modern Art

New Orleans artist, storyteller, and Kappa Alpha Psi brother L. Kasimu Harris has made history as the first Black, New Orleans–based photographer to have work acquired into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Harris’s work is featured in New Photography 2025: Lines of Belonging, on view from September 9, 2025 through January 17, 2026, marking the 40th anniversary of MoMA’s acclaimed photography series. In conjunction with the exhibition, MoMA has acquired five works from Harris’s Vanishing Black Bars & Lounges series, a multi-year photo-documentary project preserving the disappearing spaces that have long anchored Black social life. The acquisition places Harris among a vital generation of artists documenting Black culture, memory, and resistance.

Harris becomes only the third lens-based artist from New Orleans to be collected by MoMA and the first Black photographer from the city to do so. His inclusion comes during a milestone year, marking 24 years as a writer and 20 years as a photographer, a journey deeply shaped by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

A proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Harris was initiated in Spring 1998 through the Eta Gamma Chapter at Middle Tennessee State University. He has remained active within the fraternity, serving as writer for The Journal, Chapter Polemarch, and a member of the Province Board of Directors. From 2001 to 2003, he served as Grand Lieutenant Strategus under the administration of the fraternity’s 29th Grand Polemarch, Howard L. Tutman Jr.

“MoMA’s acquisition is not just an honor, it’s a responsibility to continue telling stories that matter,” Harris said. “This moment is the result of years of listening, documenting, and amplifying what persists and what is vanishing.”

Launched in 2018, Vanishing Black Bars & Lounges has been featured nationally and internationally, including at Prospect.6, as well as exhibitions in Denver, Detroit, and Pittsburgh. Harris’s current and upcoming projects include King & Blue, a site-specific installation at Sweet Lorraine’s Jazz Club, and Public Matter: L. Kasimu Harris, opening in Detroit in August 2025.

In conjunction with the MoMA acquisition, Harris marked the milestone with NOLA2MoMA, a multi-city cultural celebration that intentionally brought together artists, media figures, and members of multiple Divine Nine organizations. The series included six events in New York City and a kickoff celebration in New Orleans, underscoring Harris’s commitment to honoring community alongside individual achievement.

Highlights included an opening-night gathering in New York and an intimate dinner hosted by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. member and journalist Soledad O’Brien at her home. The dinner convened artists, cultural leaders, and Divine Nine members around food, fellowship, and legacy. Among those contributing were Dook Chase of the legendary Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, an Alpha Phi Alpha member and grandson of the late Leah Chase, whose life inspired Disney’s Princess Tiana. Chase, who also co-hosts Family Recipe Showdown on Food Network, was joined by his cousin Eve Haydel, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., who crafted cocktails for the evening. Additional culinary contributions were provided by James Beard Award–winning chef and restaurateur Nina Compton, with desserts prepared by Stephanie Smith, sister of Bevy Smith.

The NOLA2MoMA series was produced by Wilson Ave, a company owned in its entirety by Harris’s wife, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., further reflecting the cross–Divine Nine collaboration behind the celebration. Another key moment during the week was a panel discussion on New Orleans’ Global Influence at Soho House, featuring Emmy Award–winning producer Luther “Luke” Burke IV, Harris’s Kappa Alpha Psi chapter brother, with whom he recently collaborated on a documentary project.

With MoMA’s acquisition, Harris’s work enters one of the most influential archives in modern art history, ensuring that the stories of Black New Orleans and Black community spaces are preserved on a global stage.

If you are interested in seeing more of his work, it is currently in a public art commission in The Belt, by the Library Street Collective in Detroit, until Summer 2026.