Self-described “Ghetto Potter” Roberto Lugo’s ceramic works speak volumes about hip-hop, history and politics. Within his pottery work, the artist and spoken word poet contrasts and blends multicultural motifs to drive hard-hitting messages of social activism and racial justice. Despite his own childhood lack of access to art education, Lugo is now an educator himself -- paving new roads for diverse young artists of the future.

Roberto Lugo is a potter, poet, educator, and activist from Philadelphia, PA.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

In this Spotlight Talk, presented as part of the MFA's 2020 Juneteenth community celebration, Michelle Millar Fisher, Ronald C. and Anita L. Wornick Curator of Contemporary Decorative Arts, leads a conversation with artist Roberto Lugo.

Lugo blends traditional ceramics techniques and his own graffiti-informed aesthetic to memorialize important past and contemporary figures in clay, a medium that he sees as a long-lasting bearer of history. Here, he discusses his career and the multilayered work "Law and Order: The Reincarnation of Frederick Douglass," which is part of the MFA's collection.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

While nothing can replace an in-person experience with original works of art, we hope you enjoy this virtual peek at the sights and sounds of "Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation," sponsored by Bank of America. Explore elements of the exhibition from home and immerse yourself in the post-graffiti moment—a transformational and insurgent movement ignited by the iconic artist and his peers: https://bit.ly/3bRTpBd

Basquiat's Crown