African American Art, Cultural, and Historic Venues: Selected Highlights

Over the past two years at least four new or renovated venues have been added to the list of African American art, cultural, or historic destinations. Visit and support these institutions, and share with me the names of others.  


The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts and Culture exists to present, preserve and promote African American art, culture and history for the education and enlightenment of all. The Gantt Center held its official grand opening on October 24, 2009. The Center occupies 46,500-square-feet and is located in the heart of Charlotte's central business district in the area once occupied by the historic Brooklyn neighborhood, the once-thriving center of the Black community which was razed in the 1960's. Visit the Web site: http://www.ganttcenter.org/index.php

551 South Tryon Street

Charlotte, North Carolina 28202

704/ 547-3700

The African American Library at the Gregory School officially opened its doors on Saturday, November 14, 2009. “Located in the building that housed the first public school for African Americans in Houston, this historic building was reconditioned to serve as a repository for use by historians, researchers, and the general public. Through the Gregory School the Houston Public Library will provide an incomparable collection of multi-type resources including reference books, rare books, archival materials, exhibits, artifacts, oral histories, and innovative programs to document the history of the African American experience in Houston and its surrounding areas.

Through this new research library, all residents of Houston, students and researchers, will be able to explore and learn about the contributions of African Americans to the development of the city of Houston in all areas of life, including the arts, education, business, and sports.” Visit the Web site: http://www.thegregoryschool.org/library.html 

1300 Victor Street

Freedmen’s Town, Fourth Ward

Houston, Texas 77019

832/ 393-1440

The August Wilson Center for African American Culture (AWC) is a world-class cultural center, housed in a 65,000-square-foot complex in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Center presents, interprets and preserves the art, culture, and history of African Americans in Pittsburgh and of people of African descent throughout the world. With exhibition galleries, a theater, an education center, a café and gift shop, and multipurpose spaces for community programs and events, the Center joins a select few African American cultural institutions presenting visual and performing arts, the humanities and educational programs in a state-of-the-art venue. The Center opened to the public in September 2009.
Learn more, follow this link: http://www.augustwilsoncenter.org/home.php

                                        

980 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222

412/ 258-2700

The Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) celebrated its opening day on March 8, 2008 at its home in the historic Colman School at 2300 Massachusetts St in Seattle, Washington. Through programs and exhibitions NAAM will focus on the history and traditions that people of African descent have established in the Pacific Northwest. The Museum’s 19,000 square foot floor plan includes four principal galleries. Explore the site: http://naamnw.org/

2300 South Massachusetts Street 
Seattle, Washington 98144
206/ 518-6000

© 2010 Black Art Project... all rights reserved. For permission to reproduce contact:blackartproject@comcast.net.

Selected African American Gallery Exhibitions and Auctions in New York City

The National Black Fine Art Show (NBFAS) will take a hiatus this year (2010). Due to instability in the market, the producers (Keeling Wainwright Associates, Inc.) have cancelled the 2010 show with plans to resume in 2011. This 13-year old show has been unique in the world of traditional art fairs in their commitment to exclusively present original art produced by artists of African and African American descent. Let us keep the momentum alive in 2010 by supporting the various museums and galleries around New York city that are featuring African American art exhibitions, as well as out of town galleries that will set up temporary locations for a few days during Black History Month.

Avisca Fine Art Gallery will be in New York City to continue its 11-year tradition of exhibiting in the New York in the month of February despite the cancellation of the annual National Black Fine Art Show this year. Over three days in February (Friday, February 19 - Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010) AVISCA will present Drawn Together, a group show of paintings, sculpture and works on paper, featuring Francks Deceus, Milton Bowens, Ann Tanksley, April Harrison, Charly Palmer, Zoya Taylor, Cedric Smith, Tamara Madden, Teri Richardson, Alexandria Smith, Tonya Engel,  Jean Chiang, and more. The venue for this 3-day exhibition is Rogue Space, 526 West 26th Street, Suite 9E, New York in the prestigious Chelsea Fine Art Building. The opening reception is Friday, February 19, 5-8 PM

Admission to the reception and the exhibition is free and open to the public.
For further information: contact@aviscafineart.com ; http://www.aviscafineart.com/

Tilford Art Group will have its first exhibition, Stand Up II: Individualism in a Collective State, and sale of 2010 in mid-town Manhattan on Saturday, February 12 through Sunday, February 14, 2010. The location: 456 West 37th Street, New York 10018 (Between 9th and 10th Avenue).


Swann Galleries

                                                                             

 Malvin Gray Johnson, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

                                                                                                                                                        

Swann Galleries’ auction of African-American Fine Art, Sale 2203 will be held on Tuesday, February 23, 2010, and will offer 162 lots of works ranging from rare early 20th Century paintings and sculptures through contemporary works. A catalogue is available for $35.00. View the online catalogue at the following link:
http://catalogue.swanngalleries.com/asp/search.asp?st=U&view1=View&sale_value=2203&rf_lot_range_from=1&rf_lot_range_to=End

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (Lot 11) by Malvin Gray Johnson, oil on canvas, 1928-29 is an early masterpiece of American painting, and one of the most celebrated African-American paintings of the first half of the 20th century. It is the artist's best known painting, and also the first painting by Johnson to come to auction (estimate: $200,000 to $250,000).

Printed and Manuscript African Americana auction, Sale 2204 will be held on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at Swann Galleries. This 15th annual auction of African Americana will offer a wide variety of materials focusing on African American history and culture, as well as business, sports, religion, and the arts.  Of particular interest to those with a passion for art documentation, see Lot 141: James Amos Porter's African-American Art History Reference archive (1920s - 1970s), consisting of "thousands of items, including hundreds of photographs, copious correspondence, exhibit catalogues, art books, flyers, bio- and bibliographical data filling over 15 large cartons." Its estimate: $30,000-40,000.  There is a print catalogue available for $35.00.
View the online catalogue at the following link: 
http://catalogue.swanngalleries.com/asp/search.asp?st=U&view1=View&sale_value=2204&rf_lot_range_from=1&rf_lot_range_to=End

© 2010 Black Art Project... all rights reserved. For permission to reproduce contact: blackartproject@comcast.net.