Art Galleries at Black Studies at The University of Texas at Austin (AGBS) is an academic resource of The University of Texas at Austin and the sole on-campus repository of materials relating to Africa and the African Diaspora. It stewards Black Studies’ permanent collection of over 1,300 art objects and artifacts in collaboration with Black Diaspora Archives (BDA).

The mission of AGBS in concert with BDA is to make the University’s collections reflect the rich contributions and experiences of people of African descent.

As set forth in its Mission Statement, the gallery's purpose is to "acquire, preserve, interpret, exhibit, and otherwise provide access to works of art" and to enhance the University's academic programs and the cultural life of the community at large. 

Modern and contemporary African and African Diaspora works on paper, including prints, photographs, drawings, and artists' books and portfolios, paintings and sculpture represent the strengths of the permanent collection and enhance ongoing programs of study at UT-Austin.

AGBS views its collection, in part, as an educational resource. As such, original art objects and artifacts serve a variety of pedagogical objectives, which include the following:

• to inspire creative and analytical work across the academic disciplines;

• to teach, through first-hand study, strategies, and techniques of artistic creation and production;

• to teach about historical and contemporary cultures;

• to teach museology through the direct practice of museum display and interpretation;

• to make art objects available to scholars, museums, and educational institutions for purposes of exhibition, research, or education;

• to reflect the research interest of faculty.

The Gordon White Building (GWB) serves as an academic and artistic hub of Black Studies. As such, AGBS’s collection is integral to Black Studies. Rotating exhibitions of AGBS’s collection in (GWB) offers the Gallery the opportunity to reconceptualize the collection on an ongoing basis.

• Interpreting

• Self-identifying with art

• Reflective of faculty and students

• Mirroring the students and faculty within the Gordon White Building

• ..with the climate of what’s happening beyond the walls of AGBS/GWB

• Engaged in larger societal conversations and research interests of students and faculty

The diversity of these objectives and the inevitability of change within the institution's curricular initiatives require AGBS’s Founding Executive Director to exercise discretion in balancing the gallery's various objectives. Therefore, the director will periodically re-examine collection development goals in conjunction with appropriate administrative and advisory bodies. 

In general, the Acquisitions Policy and Deaccessions Policy give the director the authority:

• to determine acquisitions and deaccessions by a variety of criteria, which may include, but are not restricted to, quality judgments, usefulness for teaching purposes, and market value;

• to accept or decline purchases or gifts based on practical considerations and broader goals of collection development;

• to build upon existing strengths of the collection;

• to reflect the University's curricular initiatives;

• to acquire works indicative of new directions in the arts.