Alice Coltrane was never just a footnote in her husband's biography. For decades, the narrative around her was basically "John's widow who played the harp." People looked at her through the lens of John Coltrane's shadow, as if she were a satellite orbiting his sun. But walk into the Hammer Museum during the Monument Eternal exhibition, and that tired old story just dissolves. Honestly, it’s about time.
The show, which ran from February to May 2025, wasn't just a collection of old jazz photos. It was an immersive, 10,000-square-foot takeover. It felt less like a museum exhibit and more like a temple. Or maybe a recording studio. Or a living room. It was all those things at once, actually. Curated by Erin Christovale, the exhibition was the first major institutional deep-dive into Alice’s life as a musician, a mother, and a spiritual leader.
The Three Pillars of Monument Eternal
The museum didn't just throw things on a wall. They broke the experience into three specific themes: Sonic Innovation, Spiritual Transcendence, and Architectural Intimacy.
Sonic Innovation
This section hit you with the raw power of her craft. You've got archival ephemera—think handwritten sheet music and unreleased audio—sitting alongside contemporary art. It highlighted how she moved from Detroit bebop to the avant-garde "spiritual jazz" that defined her solo career. There was even a bright orange banquette where you could sit, put on headphones, and just lose yourself in her music. It wasn’t background noise; it was the main event.
Spiritual Transcendence
After John died in 1967, Alice went through a period of intense grief. She called it a "spiritual initiation." She fasted, she didn't sleep, and she eventually emerged as Swamini Turiyasangitananda. This part of the Hammer show explored that shift toward Vedism. One of the coolest pieces here was by artist Nicole Miller—a laser installation that projected Alice’s Vedic astrology chart onto the walls. It was trippy, beautiful, and felt deeply personal.
Architectural Intimacy
Alice was a world-builder. She didn't just make music; she made spaces. This section focused on the Sai Anantam Ashram, the 48-acre spiritual community she founded in the Santa Monica Mountains in 1983. You could see original sketches of the ashram’s design and photos of her home in Dix Hills. It showed that her spirituality wasn't just a "vibe"—it was something she physically built for her community.
Not Just a History Lesson
The Hammer Museum didn't make this a lonely retrospective. They brought in 19 contemporary artists to talk back to Alice’s legacy. We’re talking big names like Rashid Johnson, Martine Syms, and Cauleen Smith.
One standout was Jamal Cyrus’s Horn Beam Effigy. It’s an inverted saxophone mounted on a steel rail. It's a heavy, physical reminder of the weight of the Coltrane name, but also how Alice flipped the script on that legacy. Then there’s Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison), who is actually Alice’s grandnephew. He did a DJ set for the opening night that apparently was legendary. It’s wild to think about that lineage—from 1960s spiritual jazz to modern experimental electronic music.
Why Alice Coltrane Matters Now
People are finally catching up to her. For a long time, jazz purists were kind of annoyed by her. They didn't like the harps or the "discordant" organ sounds. They thought it was too "out there."
📖 Related: Adam Sandler Saturday Night Live: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
But in 2026, her "out there" sounds exactly like what we need. Her music provides a sort of catharsis. It’s healing. As Erin Christovale pointed out, Alice found a "liberatory" way of making a world. She didn't wait for permission from the jazz establishment. She just built her own ashram and recorded her own bhajans on cassette tapes.
The Turiya Rising Series
The exhibit wasn't static. Every Sunday, the museum held the Turiya Rising performance series. Musicians like Mary Lattimore and Alice’s daughter, Michelle Coltrane, performed on a special stage designed by GeoVanna Gonzalez. The stage was a vibrant orange—the color Alice wore almost exclusively in her later years. These weren't just concerts; they were echoes of the Sunday services Alice used to lead at her ashram.
✨ Don't miss: Why Green Acres is Actually the Weirdest Masterpiece in TV History
Reality Check: The Limitations
Look, no exhibit is perfect. Some critics felt that the "Architectural Intimacy" section was a bit small compared to the others. A few pieces, like the unlit fluorescent tubes by Devin T. Mays, might have felt a bit "too" abstract for someone just looking to learn about jazz. And because it was so popular, the galleries could get crowded, which sort of fights against the "meditative" vibe the curator was going for.
But honestly? Those are minor gripes. The fact that a major museum dedicated this much space to a Black woman who was once dismissed as a "widow with a harp" is a massive win for art history.
Actionable Insights for Exploring Alice Coltrane
If you missed the exhibit or just want to dive deeper into the world of Turiya, here is how you can actually engage with her work today:
- Listen to the "Lost" Recordings: Look for Alice Coltrane - The Carnegie Hall Concert (recorded in 1971, released recently). It’s a masterclass in her live energy.
- Read her Memoir: Find a copy of Monument Eternal (1977). It is a short but intense read that explains her visions and spiritual journey in her own words.
- Visit the Coltrane Home: If you're in New York, visit the John & Alice Coltrane Home in Dix Hills. This is where A Monastic Trio was recorded. They are doing a lot of preservation work right now.
- Follow the Year of Alice: Keep an eye on the official Coltrane estate social channels. The Hammer exhibit was part of a larger "Year of Alice" initiative that includes new vinyl reissues and ballet performances.
- Explore Contemporary Heirs: Check out the music of Brandee Younger (who played Alice’s actual restored harp for the exhibit) or Shabaka Hutchings. You can hear her DNA in their sound.