Getty

These photographs come from the Johnson Publishing Company Archive, one of the most comprehensive records of Black culture in the 20th century which is currently being digitized and archived by Getty and Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. getty.edu/projects/johns…

Known for her emotional depth and dramatic intensity, her song “Strange Fruit” is regarded as one of the first protest songs of the Civil Rights Movement. Holiday’s career broke racial boundaries and cemented her lasting legacy as one of jazz’s greatest vocalists.

Happy birthday to the illustrious Billie Holiday. Adorned in her iconic white gardenia flowers, Holiday’s hauntingly beautiful voice filled rooms at jazz clubs during the Harlem Renaissance.

"If you see White Sage growing on trails, please don't pick it. You can also boycott the sale of White Sage. The best way to build a relationship with the plant is to grow your own and maintain it.” Check out Getty's Earth Month events: getty.edu/whats-on/earth…

"As detrimental as it is to SoCal residents, this has impacted tribal peoples and plant relatives for much longer: starting at colonization, through Mexican and US occupation, up to present day. Protect our relatives: the health of the land is the health of our people."

"While not officially endangered, White Sage’s habitat continues to decline from poaching, habitat loss, development & climate change. There’s an increase in wildfires, as well as habitat loss from drought & changes to the natural biomes from pollution & human encroachment."

"We consider White Sage medicine: something that should never be commodified or sold. Many don’t know that sage being sold is often gathered by illegal poaching or harmful methods of acquisition. White Sage, which only grows along southwestern CA and Baja, is threatened."

"My art shows the relationship and responsibility Getty has with the greater natural landscape of LA, of Tovaangar: Tongva/Gabrielino traditional homelands. In “Protect our Relatives,” I ask the public to identify one of our most visible relatives: White Sage."

This #EarthMonth, we uplift Indigenous caretakers of the greater Los Angeles region w/ art by Tongva artist @Weshoyot Alvitre: "I wanted to create something that will educate the public but also reflect back to us, as the original caretakers of Los Angeles’s unceded lands."

💼 Drop your cures for the mid-shift slump in the replies. Bored or not, book a reservation to visit our galleries at getty.edu/visit

The perks of working near art, am I right?

How does he do it all?

What if capturing your unique perspective can make a movement? Starting in the mid-1950s, photographers like Louis Draper (pictured) and Anthony Barboza (who took this 1970s portrait) used their cameras to explore African American cultural and political heritage with a new urgency. These photographers would form part of what became known as the Black Arts Movement. By prominently calling for social justice, and spawning innovative approaches to making art, they centered Black joy, beauty, and strength. Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985, is on view through June 14, 2026 at the Getty Center. The exhibition was organized by the @ngadc. 📷 gty.art/4sBoAIf

Inspired by this shared history between the Guerrilla Girls and punk, Getty staff member Jeffrey Wood curated a playlist featuring rebellious icons like Joan Jett, Sonic Youth, and The Go-Gos. Take a listen: getty.edu/news/guerrilla…

Tired of the relentless sexism of the male-dominated art world, the Guerrilla Girls deployed bold poster and mail campaigns used to publicly call out individuals and institutions. They used irony as an aesthetic, hot pink colors, and ultrafeminine language to deliver scathing critiques.

When the Guerrilla Girls formed their activist art collective in the 1980s, the punk music scene was exploding with a similar DIY energy.

Explore Getty's collection of bestiaries for more examples of... creative... animal art. 🐊 gty.art/478RvLw

Crocodiles were rumored so hard to kill that the only thing that could was the mythical hydrus, said to crawl into a crocodile's mouth and kill it from the inside. Because of this, the crocodile was a symbol of hell for medieval Christians, and the hydrus symbolized Jesus Christ, who descended into hell to save imprisoned souls. [🧵 4/5] 📖 gty.art/hydrus

What animal do you think this is? Believe it or not, it's a crocodile! 🐊 Medieval bestiaries often include crocs, though the way that reptiles were illustrated varies widely. Long legs? Sure. Fur? Absolutely. Pointed ears? Sounds great... but why? [🧵 1/5] 📖 gty.art/croceat gty.art/crocsteed