Designing Power: The Black Panther Party

Stephen Shames, Panthers line up at a Free Huey rally in DeFremery Park, Oakland, 1968, gelatin silver print, 12 ¼ x 19 inches, Tang Museum collection, The Jack Shear Collection of Photography at the Tang Teaching Museum, 2017.45.12

Spring Celebration, Designing Power: The Black Panther Party, Tang Museum, February 14, 2026, photo by Shawn LaChapelle

Installation view, Designing Power: The Black Panther Party, Tang Museum, 2026, photo by Mindy McDaniel

Designing Power: The Black Panther Party examines how the Party forged an iconic revolutionary image through intentionally-crafted aesthetics. The Black Panther Party rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s as a legendary organization, instrumental in defining Black Power. By employing evocative symbols such as their striking logo, combined with potent language, the Party reflected their ideas in an accessible and eye-catching way that captured global attention and cultivated a large and devoted community. From their style of hair and dress, to the graphic design of their flyers and newspapers, to the way they portrayed themselves in artwork, all the materials the Party produced reflected their ideals of Black Power, self-sufficiency, and community support.

Although the iteration of the Party formed by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale dissolved more than forty years ago, their iconography has left an indelible mark on the design aesthetics of subsequent revolutionary movements. By highlighting Black Panther Party archival materials from the Tang’s collection—including newspapers, photographs, flyers, and more—this exhibition explores how the Party created an image so influential that it became synonymous with the ideas of Black liberation and autonomy, laying the aesthetic groundwork for movements still active today.

Designing Power: The Black Panther Party is organized by Connor Rustin ’27, the 2025-26 Carole Marchand Endowed Intern, and is supported by the Carter-Rodriguez Fund for Student-Curated Projects and Friends of the Tang. The exhibition is the capstone project of Rustin’s internship, a yearlong opportunity to introduce a student to post-graduate life by providing academic and practical experience in one or more areas of the Tang.