E-FLASH: Black Art Exhibitions in 2010

After releasing the 4th and final quarterly E-Update of the Guide to Black Art Exhibitions in 2010, readers brought to my attention a few exhibitions that were not covered, and as in the past, those exhibitions are now presented in this current E-FLASH. Black Art Project welcomes any information or leads that you might have relating to Black art exhibitions, particularly regional exhibitions that are not traditionally marketed on a national scale. The Project will verify the accuracy of any information submitted. Also, keep in mind that a select number of exhibitions and links to information regarding those exhibitions are always available in the sidebar of the blog under Selected Art Exhibitions....

If you did not receive the 4th quarterly E-Update of the Guide to Black Art Exhibitions in 2010 and are interested in a copy, simply leave a comment or send a request to blackartproject@gmail.com.

 

EXHIBITIONS

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Romare Bearden, The Family, 1975,
Photoetching and aquatint, Courtesy of the
Thompson-Wilson Collection

Collecting Is a Legacy: The Thompson-Wilson Collection is currently on view through September 24, 2010 at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. Dorothy Wilson’s long passion for learning and educating was the inspiration for curating Collecting is a Legacy. "Ms. Wilson, a retired Howard University professor, began collecting African American art in the 1980s. Realizing that there were a small percentage of individuals across the U.S that collected African American artwork, she decided to develop an educational outreach focusing on collecting art."

Collecting is a Legacy, which was co-curated by Dorothy Wilson’s son, Lamar Wilson, showcases the family’s collection of 48 works that include paintings, sculptures, and drawings from African American artists. Included are works by Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett, Joseph Holston, Paul Goodnight, John Riddle, Louis Delsarte, and etc. For additional information about this exhibit, call 423/ 266-8658.

Address: 200 East Martin Luther King Boulevard, Chattanooga 37403

 

Chicago, Illinois  

Angelbert Metoyer, Story of a Goat, Mixed media

G.R. N'Namdi Gallery Chicago introduces the work of Texas bred, London-based Angelbert Metoyer to Chicago, Illinois. This exhibition, Angelbert Metoyer: Icon Execution, is part of Metoyer's War-Beau project - "a conceptual mother-load comprising thirteen exhibitions that seek to ask fundamental questions about what it means to be alive and considers the relationship between war and beauty." Angelbert Metoyer: Icon Execution  "presents four drawings of equestrian monuments that create a profound statement about the spectre of racism at the heart of American Society. The largest piece in the show, Clouds, is made from earth's natural wastes and depicts the four horses of the Apocalypse, demonstrating that waste and decay can form beauty. Icon Execution will also present works from Metoyer's M-Window Series. ...Two short films will be presented depicting global footage of Metoyer's travels providing insight to his international experiences." The exhibition is on view September 10 - October 22, 2010.

Read more about the series and Metoyer at the G.R. N'Namdi Gallery Web site: http://www.grnnamdi.com/default.asp. Address: 110 North Peoria, Chicago 60607; 312/ 563-9240.

                                                            

 Newark, Delaware

Margo Humphrey, The History
of Her Life Written Across Her
Face, 1991.Lithograph 30"x29.5"
Margo Humphrey 2009

The University of Delaware's University Museums present Her Story: Margo Humphrey Lithographs and Works on Paper in Mechanical Hall Gallery from September 8 - December 5, 2010. Her Story "highlights five decades of work by artist and printmaker Margo Humphrey. Bold and saturated color, animated figures, and syncopated rhythmic arrangements are hallmarks of Humphrey's oeuvre. Joyful, expressive and at times humorous, Humphrey's works offer artful commentary on American culture, including food ways, folkways, spirituality, love and loss. Though Humphrey labels her distinctive style ‘sophisticated naive,’ the narrative complexity and technical skill of her works attest to her artistic acuity."

One of the exhibit's accompanying programs is a conversation between artist Margo Humphrey and Troy Richards, University of Delaware, Department of Art. This program is scheduled for Thursday, September 16, 2010, at 5:00 pm in Mechanical Hall Gallery. Please RSVP at universitymuseums@udel.edu or 302/ 831-8037.

For other activities or details relating to Her Story, visit: http://www.udel.edu/museums/. Contact: universitymuseums@udel.edu; 302/ 831-8088. 

Purchase, New York

Faith Ringgold, American People Series #18:
The Flag Is Bleeding, 1967, Oil on canvas,
72" x 96", Collection of the artist,
© Faith Ringgold,
Courtesy ACA Galleries,
New York

The Neuberger Museum of Art (Purchase College State University of New York) has organized the first comprehensive survey of the important paintings created by Faith Ringgold during the 1960s. The exhibition, American People, Black Light: Faith Ringgold's Paintings of the 1960s will be on view from September 11, 2010 through December 19, 2010. In addition to the landmark series, American People (1963-1967) and Black Light (1967-1971), are related murals and political posters. "These once influential paintings...with only a few notable exceptions, disappeared from view, and were omitted from critical, art historical discourse for more than forty years. Taken together, these works represent an unprecedented artistic exploration of the intersections of race, gender and class, made in direct response to the social upheavals of the 1960s."

American People, Black Light: Faith Ringgold's Paintings of the 1960s is curated by former Neuberger Museum Director Thom Collins and Neuberger Museum Curator and Purchase College Assistant Professor Tracy Fitzpatrick, with students from the Spring 2010 Purchase College Art History Department’s Exhibition Seminar. A catalogue accompanies the exhibition.

For accompanying programs, call 914/ 251-6100 or view the events calendar by month: http://www.neuberger.org/events.php. Address: 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase 10577. 

Sumter, South Carolina

Sumter County Gallery of Art presents two solo exhibitions: Tyrone Geter: Purgatory Ain't Nothin' But The Blues  and  Leo Twiggs: Explorations and Improvisations from September 2 through October 29, 2010. 

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 5:30 - 7:30 pm

Tyrone Geter, The Shadows of Our Former
Selves 2

Tyrone Geter: Purgatory Ain't Nothin' But The Blues is a series of numerous large-scale assemblages, drawings, paintings and mixed media pieces that are rarely displayed as a whole due to space constraints. Geter observes that the body of work in the exhibition about Purgatory: "encompasses the need and desire of the human spirit to strive for perfection amidst a fast paced world of entanglement, discourse, globalization and contradictions of today’s society."  

Geter further elaborates, "the use of paints, charcoal, wood, twigs, clay, metal, plastic, cloth and torn paper enabled me to also combine two dimensional with three dimensional, realism with abstractions to harmoniously engage the viewer in a visual dialogue. Hopefully, anyone who has had a personal dialogue with the blues, felt its overbearing weight and the cold, harsh embrace of its touch will be able to follow the parallel path to Purgatory. It is my hope that after the Purgatory walk in the gallery, the viewers will leave with the belief that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and that inner peace begins with self, even in the midst of chaos."

Leo Twiggs, Targeted Man #2

Leo Twiggs: Explorations and Improvisations consist of new works from two of the artist's most recent series, as well as a large-scale 3-D installation. The new series, Targeted Man, comprises much of the Sumter exhibit, exploring the times in which we live. "Terrorism has changed how we view each other and blurred the line between the hunter and the hunted." 

 “Twiggs creates art using the ancient process of Batik. His paintings are the result of several years of experimentation and development of a unique and innovative technique using a traditional medium. Though the process is old, Twiggs’ subject matter is contemporary and challenging, ranging from historical-political themes, including his infamous Confederate flags, to the spiritual. ”

For further information call 803/ 775-0543 or visit: www.sumtergallery.org.

Address: 200 Hassel Street, Sumter 29150 (adjacent to Patriot Hall).

 

Washington, DC

Lois Mailou Jones, Street Vendors,
Port au Prince, Haiti,
Acrylic, 1978

The National Museum of Women in the Arts will present the exhibition, Lois Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color from October 9, 2010 through January 9, 2011. The retrospective exhibition, A Life in Vibrant Color, features more than 70 paintings, textiles, and sketches from the pioneering African American artist's 75-year career. This exhibition was developed by the Mint Museum of Art and the Lois Mailou Jones Pierre-Noel Trust; and... "marks the first time the estate has released many of its major holdings for public presentation."  A catalogue accompanies Lois Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color.

For further information, call 202/ 783-500 or visit this link: www.nmwa.org/exhibition/. Address: 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005. 

West Palm Beach

Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth will be on exhibit at the Norton Museum of Art from October 9, 2010 through January 9, 2011. Cave’s sculptures are called Soundsuits derived from the audible sound made by these colorful suits when they are worn. Meet Me at the Center of the Earth  will feature over thirty examples of these mixed media sculptures along with videos and photographs of the sculptures in action. 

Nick Cave, Soundsuit, 2009, Human hair,
metal armature 99” h x 31” w x 27” d.
Courtesy of the artist
and Jack Shainman Gallery

Nick Cave’s Soundsuits are "multi-layered, mixed media, wearable sculptures designed to captivate visitors of all ages and bring together visual and performing arts for a unique museum experience. As reminiscent of African, Mardi Gras and religious ceremonial costumes as they are of haute couture, the Soundsuits explore ceremony, ritual, myth and identity through a subtle layering of references expressed through highly skilled techniques, varied traditions and an array of ordinary, scavenged yet seductive materials." Nick Cave finds the ordinary and discarded materials from our surroundings and re-contextualizes them into extraordinary and meaningful works of art. Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth is accompanied by a catalogue of the same name, published by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco. For additional information, please call 561/ 832-5196 or visit http://www.norton.org/. Address: 1451 South Olive Avenue, West Palm Beach 33401.

Also, see and hear Nick Cave at the Black Art Project blog post:  http://blackartproject.blogspot.com/2010/04/nick-cave-lecture-at-fowler-museum.html   

Titus Kaphar: History in the Making / Artist Talk

The Seattle Art Museum’s (SAM) Gwendolyn Knight and Jacob Lawrence Fellowship is awarded bi-annually to an early career black (not necessarily African-American) artist who has been producing mature work for less than 10 years. The selected artist is honored with a one-person exhibition in SAM’s Gwendolyn Knight and Jacob Lawrence Gallery and receives a $10,000 award to further his or her artistic practice.

Titus Kaphar is the first recipient of the Gwendolyn Knight and Jacob Lawrence Fellowship and was featured in the first solo exhibition, History in the Making, on April 3 through September 6, 2009. "Contemporary artist Titus Kaphar makes oil-on-canvas copies of European and American portrait paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries and reconfigures them in strategic ways to create a dialogue about race, art and representation. His work is at once beautiful and halting as he dances between fictional narrative and history."

To learn more about the bi-annual fellowship, see: Seattle Art Museum. 




Titus Kaphar: History in the Making from drama without the drama on Vimeo.

Supporting African American Art and Artists: Museum Special Interest Groups

There are a number of ways in which the general public can support and serve as advocates for African American art and artists. This series of posts on Supporting African American Art and Artists through institutional support will be divided into four distinct parts; the first focusing on the "traditional" museums; the second focusing on the African American Museums and Cultural Centers; the third on galleries and museums in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); and the fourth on African American artists groups. As other categories, distinct groups, and combinations of groups are  uncovered, BAP will bring them to the attention of its readers.

One of the easiest and most recognized methods of directly supporting museums is through their Friends Groups. In some museums, there are affiliate categories within Friends Groups that have a direct interest in supporting African American art and artists, and a few of those groups will be highlighted in this blog post. These groups nurture their members' appreciation of the visual arts by providing access within the museum to art and artists. Also, the association with other members can develop art advocacy and collectors through educational and social programming. These affiliate groups offer an opportunity for members to have additional social and educational opportunities that are geared to a special interest, such as African American art and artists. The following are simply a few examples of African American support groups within the museum setting.  As you hear of others, please share.

Upcoming Programs/Activities: Mark Your Calendar

Birmingham, Alabama

There will be a lecture by Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole on Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 12:00 noon in Steiner Auditorium of the Birmingham Museum of Art. Dr. Cole, Director, Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, and former President of Spelman College will lecture on “The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art Welcomes You Home!” This lecture will be followed by a private lunch with Sankofa Society members and Birmingham Museum of Art Director Gail Andrews. Sankofa Society are Friends of African-American and African Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art. For more information and contact: http://www.artsbma.org/membership/support-groups/the-sankofa-society

  

College Park, Maryland 

Performing Race in African American Visual Culture Symposium is organized by The David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora, and the Yale University Art Gallery. The dates for this conference are September 15 -16, 2010. "Based on the understanding that race is an ideology performed on a daily basis, this conference will investigate how and why performances of race, mainly African Americans, are manifested or subverted in American visual culture." Call 301/314-2615 or email: driskellcenter@umd.edu  to register.

Read more about the conference:  http://www.driskellcenter.umd.edu/conferences/YaleSymposium/index.php

 

 
Harlem (New York)

ArtCrawl Harlem™ is a guided trolley tour of local galleries. Participants will visit seven Harlem art galleries and receive a 20- 30 minute “tour within a tour” at each site. Each ArtCrawl Harlem™ tour culminates in a reception with food, wine, and music. The dates for the ArtCrawl Harlem™ are August 7 and 8, 2010 (Saturday and Sunday). The Saturday trolley tour in from 12 - 4 pm, reception following the tour and lasting until 6:00 pm. The Sunday trolley tour in from 1- 5 pm, reception following the tour and lasting until 7:00 pm.  

For further information, including cost and to book in advance see:
http://www.artcrawlharlem.com/ or call 1/ 800 838-3006. 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

New Narratives and Reinterpretation is the theme of an informal panel discussion that will explore the trend among African American artists to use historic text and images in their narratives, which examines new perspectives and utilizes new creative formats. The discussion will be led by professor Keith Morrison, Tyler School of Fine Art, and will include Tanya Murphy Dodd (Philadelphia), Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum (Baltimore), Letitia Huckaby (Ft. Worth) and Nsenga Knight (Brooklyn). Save the date August 7, 2010 (Saturday) at 7:00 pm in the The Glass Lobby Gallery at Brandywine Workshop Print Shop and Archive at 728 South Broad Street (between Bainbridge and Fitzwater Streets), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For more details visit: http://www.brandywineworkshop.com/. If interested in attending, R.S.V.P. by email to prints@brandywineworkshop.com or call 215/546-3675.

Panel discussion: Click. Print. Collect: Creating and Collecting Contemporary Photography in the Digital Age at Sande Webster Gallery on August 12, 2010, 6:30 - 8:30 pm in the main gallery (2006 Walnut Street). For further details and contact information see: http://www.sandewebstergallery.com/.

Washington, DC

International Visions Gallery will have an Open House and INVENTORY SALE  on Saturday, August 7 from 12-7 pm and Sunday, August 8 from 1-4 pm. The Gallery will be offering rare reductions (20-60%) on work by their top artists. 

The inventory includes originals, prints, photography, sculpture and textiles. The sale will continue through August. The International Visions Gallery is located at 2629 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008. For further details see: http://www.inter-visions.com/ or call 202/ 234-5112.

A Selective Recap of the National Black Arts Festival 2010

The National Black Arts Festival (NBAF) 2010 in Atlanta was particularly special for me this year considering that a small group of long-standing friends decided to meet and use the Festival as the backdrop for that reunion. A few days were devoted to activities centered around the NBAF, and selected highlights follow. Our journey began at the SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) in the Woodruff Arts Center to view Chakaia Booker's solo exhibition, Sustain. 
                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                               

Chakaia Booker, Sustain, ACA Gallery of SCAD, installation view.
Photography by Dane Sponberg, SCAD visual media department.

Because I was particularly pleased with the 2009 exhibition at SCAD that featured Whitfield Lovell, my expectations for the 2010 were high. I was not disappointed at all; Sustain was all that one could have expected, and it was an added treat to have had an opportunity to actually meet Chakaia Booker in her colorful red and extremely large headdress which was a sculptural piece itself. The exhibition included a series of photogravures that captured the artist searching for found materials (tires) in the industrial landscape. It was my understanding from senior curator, Melissa Messina that this new series of photogravures were recently created by Booker at SCAD Atlanta, and they are featured in Sustain with the artist's signature abstract sculptures made from tires.  

The ladder sculpture, in the photograph above, was one of my favorites  in the exhibit. It was dramatic yet simple in its presentation, but complex as it's visual image seemed to change when viewed from different angles. In Booker's hands, it is obvious that the tires are as malleable as clay with their intricate, patterned designs, consisting of folds, and cascading layers of rubber arranged in uniform patterns. In my estimation, Booker's work falls into that category of "green art," and I have always been a fan of her work, respecting both the medium and her artistry. It is genius to take such a functional piece as tires and transform them into a sculptural piece of beauty. The following two images are other examples of Booker's work as it appeared in the exhibition, Sustain.

Chakaia Booker, Sustain, ACA Gallery of SCAD, installation view.
Photography by Dane Sponberg, SCAD visual media department.

Chakaia Booker, Sustain, ACA Gallery of SCAD, installation view.
Photography by Dane Sponberg, SCAD visual media department.

As of yet, an exhibition catalogue has not been published, but one is forthcoming. When it is released, I will forward details to all readers. For more details on Booker and the exhibition, see: http://www.scad.edu/exhibitions/view/chakaia-booker.cfm

Immediately after leaving the Booker exhibition, and lucky for us that we were already in the Woodruff Arts Center, we were able to secure last minute tickets for Brazil Fest Concert: The Best of Brazil (Atlanta Symphony Hall) with musician/composer, Ivan Lins and a host of Brazilian musical talent, and a modern ballet group. This already excellent concert was enhanced for me by the inclusion of two African American special guests, Cassandra Wilson and Rachelle Ferrell. Wilson and Ferrell were each so exquisite in her own right, and since I am a personal fan of both of artists, it was a delight to see them in a live performance. This was my first time seeing Cassandra Wilson on stage. However, I have seen Rachelle Ferrell in concert before, and yet again, her artistry took me to another state of being and consciousness...her voice is simply an instrument. This was an evening that one would have to experience, to truly appreciate... magnificent. 

On Friday, we visited the Sandler Hudson Gallery, featuring Sheila Pree Bright's exhibit, Girls, Grillz and Guns, in which Bright explores the concepts of beauty and power. Arriving about an hour before the artist talk began, the four of us that toured this exhibition were able to have a private talk with the artist. It was this conversation that put the images into some artistic perspective for us. It was particularly informative and enlightening to hear from Bright why and how the series came about. From that dialog, I learned that Sheila Pree Bright, through her photography was investigating a fashionable statement of a few years back among young African American males for gold-capped front teeth. These grills, as they were called, were considered adornment and expressed that the wearer was cool, but the fad aroused fear in older adults, particularly white people because the grills were associated with gansta rap. As Bright explained, she defused fear with the images by adopting a scientific approach of shooting the portraits in black and white, posed each of her subjects in the same way with their eyes closed and mouths open. The exhibit will be on view through August 14, 2010. For more information see: http://www.sandlerhudson.com/  
(photograph: Sheila Pree Bright, Terrence from the Gold Rush II Series)


Nestled  in a backdrop that featured fine and decorative art galleries and antique shops, the Hagedorn Foundation Gallery provided an excellent setting for its featured exhibition, REPRESENT: Imaging African American Culture in Contemporary Art. This is a group photography exhibition dealing with the "roots of black culture and thus personal identity." The artist talk that featured Donald E. Camp was very well attended and was an especially strong presentation that offered explanations of his processes and techniques of creating his larger-than-life portraits, capturing the beauty and integrity of the average man, and revealing the subject's character. Camp places the camera within inches of the subject's face, moving into the subject's spatial comfort zone to capture the image while talking with the subject. Camp makes only one unique print of each subject. REPRESENT will be on view through September 3, 2010; for more information and images, see:  http://www.hfgallery.org/exhibitions.html and  http://www.hfgallery.org/exhibitions/2010_06-REPRESENT/2010-06-p1-1.html


Another gallery visit took us to Mason Murer Fine Art. This 24,000 foot gallery space has a central main gallery and a series of medium and smaller galleries or pods within the larger space. The overall space is open, free, and inviting with a positive industrial feel. When we arrived, the gallery was being prepared for a large fundraising function for later that evening, but staff allowed us freedom to walk through the various exhibits on display and were available to answer questions as needed. 

The final small pod that we entered featured a selection of works by African American Masters, and as I entered I was immediately struck by  the number of works, approximately 23 in total and the names of the artists represented: Duncanson, Bannister, Tanner, W.H. Johnson, Lois Mailou Jones, and Charles Ethan Porter. We learned from Mark Mason Karelson, the director of the gallery, that the historical works were owned by a New York collector who started collecting in the 1960s; and these pieces were from the owner's warehouse of works. Seeing this number of works together in a small space was breathtaking, and it was obvious that the collector took care in assembling this collection of landscapes and still lifes. The visual representation of African Americans were not visible in the images, strictly landscapes and still lifes. As I viewed them, my hopes were that some institution could buy them in mass, whereby, the images would become available for a larger audience to appreciate, particularly our young art historians, critics, and artists. Since this is such an excellent collection of historical works that I wanted to share with a wider audience,  Mason Murer Fine Art was generous enough to sent me the following images to post.

   Robert Scott Duncanson, Untitled, 1850, Oil on canvas, 16"x25"

      William H. Johnson, Church in Oslo, 1935, Oil on board, 27"x24"

                 Henry O. Tanner, Gates of Tangier, 1908, Gouache on paper, 16"x13.5"

For details and to learn more of this historical collection, contact Mason Murer Fine Art: http://www.masonmurer.com/. 

Call for Artists / Annual Black Artists of DC (BADC) Exhibit at District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC)

FOCUS GROUP: Four Walls, Four Women, One Show is the theme for the 2010 annual exhibit sponsored by BADC and DCAC. This call for artists is open to female artists working in all media; its deadline for submission is Monday, August 30, 2010. The exhibition will run November 19, 2010 through January 9, 2011.

As stated in their announcement, "The Black Artists of DC is seeking to spark a visual discussion between artworks created by Black women, and a verbal dialogue between those that view and purchase them. The topic of discussion is material. What are you using? What materials do you feel yourself drawn to? And how does Black femininity affect or reflect itself in the materials you choose, if at all? How does femininity affect the delivery and/or reception of your message? What emotional relationship do you form with the objects and substances used to build your works?

In this exhibition, the voices of women artists will be spoken primarily in material form. Purposefully, only four artists will be selected to participate, in order to strengthen an intimate focus on each individual voice. From both visual and verbal discussion, we hope to determine how effectively our material languages are deciphered, valued, appreciated, or acquired by a universal audience and market."

For an application, submission guidelines, processes, payment, sales, and etc., contact Zoma Wallace at zoma.wallace@gmail.com.
Visit DCAC at: http://www.dcartscenter.org/.

Freedom of Expression: Politics and Aesthetics in African American Art

Freedom of Expression: Politics and Aesthetics in African American Art was one of the featured exhibitions in the third quarterly electronic Update to the Guide to Black Art Exhibitions in 2010. Freedom of Expression, which was on view March 4 - June 13, 2010, was organized and curated by Julie Levin Caro, Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in American Art at Colby College (Waterville, Maine) to support her African American art survey course as well as several other Colby courses.  

As mentioned in the Guide,"this exhibition considered a range of responses by African American artists to social, political, and aesthetic concerns. The artworks address racism and the legacy of slavery, document and celebrate African American culture and experience, and explore abstract and conceptual modes of representation."  Works were featured by the following artists: Edward M. Bannister, Romare Bearden, Allan R. Crite, David Driskell, Sam Gilliam, William H. Johnson, Lois Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Glenn Ligon, Alison Saar, Henry O. Tanner, James VanDerZee, Charles White, Fred Wilson, and others.”


Although the exhibition has ended, the process of its development is worth discussion and replication on a broader scale. Key in its development was the practical application of theory that was brought out of the classroom and into the gallery with student participation. The exhibition was featured in two of the Colby Museum of Art galleries, De Ferrari Gallery and Gourley Gallery. In addition, it was created as a student curated web exhibition. Class member Sally Klose built the Freedom of Expression Web site with Shaquan Huntt and staff members of the Colby Academic Information Technology Services Department. Ten students in Professor Caro’s African American art survey "researched and wrote the descriptive texts for the artwork displayed on the ARTISTS pages, and they participated in several exhibition-related events, including the presentation of their research in two public gallery talks."
 
In addition to having direct contact and a firsthand study of the art work, "the exhibition offered Professor Caro’s students the opportunity to reflect upon issues of the canonization of African American art, the formation of a black aesthetic, and the politics of museum display."

In Caro's words, additional highlights included:

• "...having the collectors Toni and Fred Green visit the campus for the opening, where they spoke with students and faculty informally as they toured the galleries and viewed their works in the context of the exhibition. 

• ...luncheon that Prof. Caro planned on the subject of African American art collecting for students in her African American art survey course as well as students and faculty participating in courses on race and visual culture, African American culture and African Diaspora experience. Approximately 25 students attended. Toni and Fred Green, who lent pieces by Glenn Ligon, Jacob Lawrence, and Mr. Imagination spoke about their collection of contemporary African American art, how it came to be, why they collected, and how they collected from galleries and visiting with artists at their studios. They also spoke in practical terms about buying on layaway and the fact that one doesn’t have to be wealthy to collect art and the value of having ‘real’ works of art not just reproduction in one's home, even if it’s a small drawing or a print and the value of getting to know artists especially when they are starting out.  

• Colby College music professor, Eric Thomas, spoke about the two pieces he lent to the exhibition (a landscape painting by Edward Mitchell Bannister and a 19th century doll quilt by an anonymous artist from the South). Thomas' mother, Johnnie Lockhart Thomas, collected these works and many other art and historical works, a passion that grew out of her interest in African American history and her own family history of black cowboys and entrepreneurs, who lived in Montana since the 19th century."      

Freedom of Expression: Politics and Aesthetics in African American Art provided a full exhibition experience, including a Web site that provided a virtual museum exhibit experience, a Film Series, student gallery talks, gallery talk with Professor Julie Levin Caro, and gallery visits from local elementary and middle school students. My hopes are that this exhibition will serve as a prototype for curating annual professor-student exhibits for the coming years. I can only imagine that the collaboration, leadership, and team work contributed to the overall success of the exhibition. Congratulations to Professor Caro and her students.      

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