NEW YORK, Mayl 1, 2025 — This spring, READY to BEAUTY, The Industry’s First Think Tank for Multicultural Entrepreneurs and Brands partners with the Whitney Museum of American Art, to celebrate their new exhibition “Amy Sherald: American Sublime.” This landmark exhibition reimagines Black presence in portraiture, offering a powerful lens through which to explore the cultural significance of Black beauty. It marks Sherald’s debut solo exhibition at a New York museum and her most comprehensive presentation to date, featuring rarely seen early works, new pieces created specifically for the exhibition, and her iconic portraits of First Lady Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor—two of the most recognizable and significant paintings by an American artist in recent years.
nd as the exhibition’s strategic beauty partner, READY to BEAUTY presents American, Black & Beautiful, an evocative “art meets beauty” activation exploring how Black beauty has reshaped America in its own image, driving cultural impact, creative expression, and aesthetic influence. “The Whitney Museum of American Art is thrilled to collaborate with READY to BEAUTY to stage American, Black & Beautiful, an activation that brings the worlds of art and beauty into dialogue. This partnership recognizes the lasting impact of representation and the transformative influence of Black beauty on the American imagination,” says Brianna Lowndes, Chief Marketing Officer at the Whitney Museum of American Art. For READY to BEAUTY partnering with the Whitney Museum to honor Amy Sherald’s portraiture is a powerful example of cultural memory, where Black beauty is rendered with dignity, depth, and permanence.
This multi-tiered activation features a thought-provoking panel discussion inspired by themes within the “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” exhibition that examines what it means to be both Black and American—and the expectation, both imposed and self-determined, to show up beautifully in this country. “For Black Americans, beauty has never been about just aesthetics. It is an act of assertion, resilience, and history in motion—a powerful tool of definition and cultural transformation,” says Corey Huggins, Founder & CEO of READY to BEAUTY.
On April 25, 2025, this dynamic panel discussion brought together trailblazers from beauty, media, and culture. Moderated by Victor Vaughns, Jr, Beauty & Fashion Lead at EBONY, the panel features industry voices including Desiree Verdejo, Founder of Hyper Skin Care; Robyn Atwater, Founder of CURLDAZE Hair Care; Danessa Myricks, Founder & CEO of Danessa Myricks Beauty; Teri Johnson, Founder of Harlem Brands (Candle & Perfume Company); and A’Lelia Bundles, Great-Great Granddaughter & Biographer of Madam C.J. Walker, Founder of the Madam Walker Family Archives; and with a special presentation to Janell Stephens, Founder, CEO & Master Mixtress of Camille Rose Naturals, the last major independently owned natural hair care brand that revolutionized the beauty industry. Together, these trailblazing entrepreneurs & culture commentators engaged in a candid, no-holds-barred conversation about Black beauty—how it exists with and without the white gaze—along with the urgency of cultural preservation and what it truly means to be American, Black & Beautiful.
As part of this partnership, READY to BEAUTY is also curating an exclusive VIB (Very Important Beauty!) “behind-the-portrait” guided tour with Rujeko Hockley, the Whitney Museum’s Arnhold Associate Curator and “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” presentation organizer. Designed to engage and honor leading Black beauty professionals, this intimate experience set against the backdrop of Amy Sherald’s groundbreaking exhibition, will serve as the foundational gathering for a forthcoming “legacy” initiative dedicated to preserving and celebrating Black beauty’s cultural and historical impact. Attendees—Black Founders, Executives, Artists, and Other Key Black Contributors to the beauty space—will form a representative body shaping the initiative’s future. “At a time when Black history faces increasing erasure, this “legacy” initiative will stand as a powerful counterforce, ensuring that the rich history of Black beauty is not just acknowledged, but is actually cemented in the cultural and historical record,” says Huggins.
“Amy Sherald: American Sublime” will be on view at the Whitney Museum from April 9th through August 10, 2025. And READY to BEAUTY will support the exhibition’s run with a full 360-degree marketing campaign—including a podcast series, curated email storytelling, art driven social media engagements, and strategic brand activations—all designed to celebrate Black beauty while ensuring its cultural significance is seen, honored and never erased.