AGO Exhibition Explores the Power and Legacy of Black Style Across the African Diaspora

Sunday Best Exhibition Examines Fashion, Identity, Resistance, and Self-Expression from the 1880s to Today

TORONTO, ON — The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is set to explore the history, influence, and cultural significance of Black fashion with a major new exhibition opening this fall.

Sunday Best: The Power & The Glory of Black Style, on view from October 7, 2026, to February 28, 2027, will examine how fashion has shaped identity, community, resistance, and self-expression throughout the African diaspora for more than a century.

Organized by the AGO in partnership with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the exhibition will feature garments, photography, artwork, accessories, and multimedia installations spanning the 1880s to the present day, drawing connections between Black communities in Canada, the Caribbean, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

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The Meaning of “Sunday Best”

The exhibition takes its name from the longstanding tradition of reserving one’s finest clothing for church services and special occasions.

Curators note that the concept emerged during slavery when enslaved Africans were often provided only limited quantities of coarse fabric for everyday wear. Over time, dressing in one’s “Sunday best” evolved into an act of dignity, self-determination, creativity, and resistance.

The exhibition traces how Black communities transformed fashion into a powerful tool for asserting identity and challenging exclusion.

“Beneath the beauty of these garments and the power of these artworks lies a deeper history of resistance and self-determination,” said Julie Crooks, Curator of Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora at the AGO.

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Black Fashion Across Generations

The exhibition is organized into five thematic sections:

• Origins
• Church
• Migration
• Liberation
• Call & Response

Together, these themes explore how clothing and style have reflected the experiences of Black communities navigating migration, social change, activism, spirituality, and cultural expression.

More than 50 garments, 70 photographs, 10 paintings, and numerous accessories and historical artifacts will be displayed throughout the exhibition.

The presentation examines fashion’s role not only as personal expression but also as a reflection of broader social and political realities affecting Black communities across generations.

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Caribbean Connections

The exhibition places significant emphasis on the African diaspora, including the Caribbean’s influence on global Black style and identity.

Through garments, photography, and contemporary artworks, visitors will encounter stories shaped by migration between the Caribbean, North America, Europe, and Africa.

Curators say the exhibition demonstrates how fashion became a shared language connecting Black communities across borders while allowing distinct cultural identities to flourish.

For Toronto’s Caribbean community, the exhibition offers an opportunity to see aspects of diaspora history and cultural expression reflected within one of Canada’s leading cultural institutions.

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Highlights from the Exhibition

Among the featured works are:

• A historic photograph of abolitionist Frederick Douglass
• Amy Sherald’s portrait Listen, You a Wonder. You a City of a Woman. You got a Geography of Your Own
• Mickalene Thomas’ mixed-media portrait Qusuquzah, Une Très Belle Négresse #3
• Cocktail dresses from Canadian fashion house Greta Constantine
• A silk ballgown by acclaimed American designer Christopher John Rogers

The exhibition also celebrates influential figures whose personal style shaped cultural conversations, including photographer James Van Der Zee, performer Jackie Shane, fashion journalist André Leon Talley, model Linda V. Carter, and Harlem fashion icon Lana Turner.

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Bringing Black Cultural Spaces to Life

The exhibition design was created by JA Projects, led by architect and designer Jayden Ali.

Inspired by spaces where Black communities have traditionally gathered, the design draws influence from church halls, social clubs, dance floors, and community gathering places.

The immersive environment aims to reflect the communal experiences that have helped shape Black style throughout history.

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A Major Contribution to Fashion History

Co-curator Dr. Jason Cyrus described the exhibition as one of the first major museum exhibitions in North America to comprehensively examine the concept of Sunday best.

“This exhibition documents its myriad manifestations, moving between the historic and contemporary, the personal and communal, the everyday and the couture,” he said.

A companion publication, Sunday Best: The Power & The Glory of Black Style, will be released alongside the exhibition and will feature essays from leading scholars, curators, historians, and fashion experts.

The exhibition opens to the public on October 13, 2026, and is included with general admission to the AGO.

For visitors interested in Black history, Caribbean culture, fashion, and the broader African diaspora experience, Sunday Best promises to be one of Toronto’s most significant cultural exhibitions of the year.

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