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Reflection: Activist, Speaker, and Comedienne Richard Claxton “Dick” Gregory Transitions at 84 Years Old
“I’m not a comic. I am a humorist.” Richard Claxton ‘”Dick” Gregory was born on October 12, 1932 in St. Louis, Missouri. He would rise from poverty and become one of the most prolific outspoken voices of his generation. Mr. Gregory was an international speaker, writer, comedienne, activist, social critic and entrepreneur. We celebrate…
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Read: Letter from the President of the Association of African American Museums about Charlottesville, VA
From the President of AAAM: On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Association of African American Museums, we emphatically condemn the hate-driven speech and violence that recently shook Charlottesville, VA. Participants in the scheduled ‘Unite the Right’ rally employed a dizzying, and often contradictory, array of white nationalist ideologies, revisionist historical interpretations, and…
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Archive: W. E. B. Du Bois’ Hand-Drawn Infographics of African-American Life (1900)
From the Public Domain Review: William Edward Burghardt “W. E. B.” Du Bois — sociologist, historian, activist, Pan-Africanist, and prolific author — had also, it turns out, a mighty fine eye for graphic design. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts in 1868, Du Bois studied at Fisk University, Humboldt University in Berlin, and Harvard (where he…
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Exhibition: Revelations: Art from the African American South
From de Young museum: The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco are proud to present Revelations: Art from the African American South, an original exhibition celebrating the historic acquisition of 62 works of art by 22 contemporary African American artists. Works include paintings, sculptures, drawings, and quilts by acclaimed artists such as Thornton Dial (1928-2016), Ralph Griffin (1925-1992),…
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art21 Presents: Summer Shorts | Collecting Theaster Gates
From art21: “I spend a lot of time looking for the personality of people within their collections. And then maybe even trying to tease out, in a collection, why those things are important.” – Theaster Gates From his Chicago studio, Theaster Gates reflects on the various collections he has acquired and created artworks with, including the Jet magazine…
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Public Domain Art: Self-Portrait,
From the Met: Artwork: Self-portrait | Artist: Samuel Brown Samuel Brown received a Masters degree in Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, and quickly established himself as an expert watercolorist. He had the distinction of being the first African American hired by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), the government’s initial work-relief program…
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Public Domain Art: Five Points, 1827
From the Met Artwork: Five Points | Artist: Unknown Five Points was a slum on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Declared in 1858 in the New York Herald a “nest of drunkenness, roguery, debauchery, vice, and pestilence,” the neighborhood was home to a combustible mix of New York’s poorest citizens: recently arrived (predominantly Irish) immigrants,…
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View: Wyeth Foundation for American Art Symposium: Artists Panel: The African American Art World in Twentieth-Century Washington, DC
From the National Gallery of Art: In this program, presented on March 17, 2017, eight distinguished artists discuss their careers and relationships as members of the Washington, DC, art world. Panelists are Lilian Thomas Burwell, Floyd Coleman, David C. Driskell, Sam Gilliam, Keith A. Morrison, Martin Puryear, Sylvia Snowden, and Lou Stovall. Ruth Fine, former…
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Film: Artist Faith Ringgold stars in Cecile Emeke’s new short film ‘When The Ancestors Came’
From gal-dem.com “You do have a lot of power when you’re an artist. You can actually do what you want. You don’t need anyone’s permission to do it in any way. Now, will you? That’s the problem.” This question is posed by artist Faith Ringgold in Cecile Emeke’s new short film When The Ancestors Came. Ringgold’s…
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Exhibition: Blue Black Curated by Glenn Ligon
From Pulitzer Arts Foundation: Influential American artist Glenn Ligon offers a lyrical meditation on the colors blue and black. Inspired by his experience of the Pulitzer’s monumental Ellsworth Kelly wall sculpture, Blue Black, Ligon enlists the colors to pose timely and nuanced questions, touching upon notions of language, identity, and perception. The exhibition brings together a…
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