Rhea L. Combs

In celebration of its release, we introduce the Scurlock Studio, photographers of the Washington Black Renaissance. Learn about the profound impact Addison Scurlock and his sons had on the city and discover how they made beauty the center of their art.

"Inspiring, educational, empowering, historical, celebratory"

The works were commissioned as part of the institution's biennial Portrait of a Nation Award, which recognizes individuals who have made transformative contributions to the U.S. 

Ava DuVernay, Serena and Venus Williams, Marian Wright Edelman, Clive Davis, and more were honored during the star-studded event.

Recognizing independent filmmakers during this particular time period, Combs added, helps illustrate that “there was still a vibrant ecosystem of artists who were making a way out of no way.

Recognizing independent filmmakers during this particular time period, Combs added, helps illustrate that “there was still a vibrant ecosystem of artists who were making a way out of no way.

Our spring arts preview featured 20 women cultural leaders in Washington, D.C.

Multi-City Tour Featuring Artworks by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald Extended Through October

Multi-City Tour Featuring Artworks by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald Extended Through October

Why the National Portrait Gallery’s new director of curatorial affairs takes a holistic look at her position in the art world.

THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY (NPG) in Washington, D.C., announced a new appointment today. Rhea L. Combs is joining the Smithsonian museum as director of curatorial affairs.

Rhea Combs credits seeing Detroit's famed Diego Rivera murals as a child with sparking her interest in museums and the arts.

Three prominent archives of rare materials that document the history of Black film land in Los Angeles.

The surprise news on Friday of actor Chadwick Boseman’s death at age 43 left his fans and industry peers struggling to take stock of a meteoric career cut short, and the impact of an actor whose work shined a light on Black history and culture.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures claimed the Oscars stage Sunday to tout its own forthcoming premiere: The long-delayed, much-anticipated Los Angeles museum devoted to filmmaking will open Dec. 14.

Modern dance impresario Alvin Ailey once asked photographer Jack Mitchell to shoot publicity images of his dancers for their next performance without even knowing the title of their new work. Seeing “choreography” in the images Mitchell produced Ailey leapt into an ongoing professional relationship with Mitchell.

The photo is part of a historic collection of photographs of abolitionists and political leaders.

"As a curator at the museum, tickets to which consistently sell out, Combs searches for quotidian items that might stretch museumgoers’ common understanding of history."

Sotheby’s has given its annual Sotheby’s Prize to “Regeneration: Black Cinema 1900-1970,” a survey exhibition to be held at the soon-to-open Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles in 2020. 

Sharing these types of stories is an integral part of the festival, according to Rhea Combs, the event’s lead organizer and curator of film and photography at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

New exhibition at the National Museum of African American History places Winfrey and her storied career at the centre of the American story

Curators Rhea L. Combs and Kathleen Kendrick worked with Winfrey and her staff on arranging loans for the exhibition and on fact-checking and background information.

Combs, who along with Kendrick worked on the exhibit for 18 months, spoke with Washingtonian about her experience with the project and meeting Oprah. The National Museum of African American History and Culture’s newest exhibit, Watching Oprah: The Oprah Winfrey Show and American Culture.

“The culture has morphed and changed as things do over time, but these pictures speak to the grass roots nature of it,” said Rhea L. Combs, the museum’s curator of film and photography. 

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is devoting a yearlong special exhibition to the media mogul’s cultural legacy.

She and her thousands of hours of TV are now the subjects of a big, fascinating exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture that captures what the show was, did and has meant. 

‘Oprah Winfrey became an important way for us to look at the ways in which society dealt with ideas around promise and potential.’

An exhibition at a Smithsonian Museum draws the connections between hip-hop and previous generations of African-American musicians and activists.

At present I think when you think about the museum and you think about the mission of the museum, it is one that wants to provide a sweep of African-American history and culture,” explains Rhea Combs, a curator of photography.

Photography was speaking to and empowering African-American communities, but it was also creating a moment whereby the larger mainstream society had to recognize and confront that this group of citizens existed.

At present I think when you think about the museum and you think about the mission of the museum, it is one that wants to provide a sweep of African-American history and culture,” explains Rhea Combs, a curator of photography.