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An essential resource focused on visual art from a Black perspective, Culture Type explores the intersection of art, history, and culture

Monthly archive May, 2021
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston Appoints Allison Glenn Senior Curator and Director of Public Art

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston Appoints Allison Glenn Senior Curator and Director of Public Art

THE CONTEMPORARY ARTS MUSEUM HOUSTON (CAMH) announced a major appointment a few days ago. Allison Glenn is joining the museum as senior curator and director of public art. Glenn will lead the non-collecting museum’s exhibition programming, public art projects, and artist’s initiatives, and provide senior leadership for the curatorial team. She comes to the Contemporary...
Latest News in Black Art: 5 Percent of Los Angeles Museum Board Members are Black; Sonia Boyce, Christina Quarles, and Cigna Samson Join New Galleries

Latest News in Black Art: 5 Percent of Los Angeles Museum Board Members are Black; Sonia Boyce, Christina Quarles, and Cigna Samson Join New Galleries

  Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   Artist Christina Quarles is now represented by Hauser & Wirth. Shown in her Los Angeles studio, 2021. | Courtesy the artist and Pilar Corrias, London. Photo by Ilona Szwarc   News The Los Angeles Times...
Nina Chanel Abney's First New Yorker Cover Raises a Glass to Post-Covid Return of New York Social Culture

Nina Chanel Abney’s First New Yorker Cover Raises a Glass to Post-Covid Return of New York Social Culture

  FOR HER FIRST COVER of The New Yorker, Nina Chanel Abney made an image that celebrates a return to socializing. The portrait references Eustace Tilley, the magazine’s famous dandy mascot. Abney’s version is a Black female dandy who appears on the May 31 issue of the magazine. Enjoying a cocktail outdoors among a few...
On View: 'Maren Hassinger: We Are All Vessels' at Susan Inglett Gallery in New York

On View: ‘Maren Hassinger: We Are All Vessels’ at Susan Inglett Gallery in New York

  On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions   THE EXPANSIVE PRACTICE of Maren Hassinger “connects humanity to nature through a range of media.” She transforms common materials, imbuing them with meaning and beauty. Choreographic rhythm is inherent in her presentations and is particularly forward in her latest. New York-based Hassinger has created a collection...
Latest News in Black Art: Howard Fine Arts College Named for Chadwick Boseman, Cranbrook Honors Artis Lane, New Reps for Camille Billops and Winfred Rembert & More

Latest News in Black Art: Howard Fine Arts College Named for Chadwick Boseman, Cranbrook Honors Artis Lane, New Reps for Camille Billops and Winfred Rembert & More

  Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   Dating back two decades to when he was a student at Howard University, Chadwick Boseman had advocated for maintaining the College of Fine Arts. | Courtesy Howard University   Academia Howard University named its College...
Reflecting on George Floyd with Words, Artistic Expression, and Durable Change Through Policy Reform

Reflecting on George Floyd with Words, Artistic Expression, and Durable Change Through Policy Reform

Photo: Shutterstock   ONE YEAR AFTER the murder of George Floyd, worldwide tributes and remembrances poured forth on May 25. Culture leaders, artists, and journalists weighed in on the state of the national landscape and Floyd’s legacy as police killings persist and Black Lives Matter protests and calls for justice continue in response. Floyd’s family...
Evening Rhapsody: Norman Lewis Painting Owned by Playwright Lynn Nottage Sells for Near-Record $1.7 Million at Sotheby's

Evening Rhapsody: Norman Lewis Painting Owned by Playwright Lynn Nottage Sells for Near-Record $1.7 Million at Sotheby’s

  TO THE EAR, the title “Evening Rhapsody” (1955) sounds like a jazz tune. To the eye, it is clear the work is in fact a painting by Norman Lewis (1909-1979), the Abstract Expressionist who was deeply influenced by jazz. Muted tones of golden yellow, grass green, and brick red mingle with one another in...
Latest News in Black Art: Nicola Vassell Opens New Gallery, Theaster Gates Wins Serpentine Commission, Curator Rujeko Hockley Promoted at Whitney Museum

Latest News in Black Art: Nicola Vassell Opens New Gallery, Theaster Gates Wins Serpentine Commission, Curator Rujeko Hockley Promoted at Whitney Museum

  Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   Nicola Vassell opened a new art gallery in Chelsea. The inaugural exhibition features works by photographer Ming Smith. | Video by Chelsea Odufu for ConceptNV   News Curator and art advisor Nicola Vassell opened a...
On View: 'Shattered Glass' at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in Los Angeles

On View: ‘Shattered Glass’ at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in Los Angeles

  On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions   “Shattered Glass” gives voice and visibility to new narratives, pushing back against traditional expectations and assumptions about representation and who deserves to be the subject of portraiture. A sprawling group show, the exhibition showcases work by 40 international artists of color expressing themselves in painting, sculpture,...
Commencement 2021: Fulton Leroy Washington is Addressing UCLA Art Students, Howardena Pindell, Lonnie Bunch, Amy Sherald, Sonya Clark, and Theaster Gates are Also Speaking at Graduations

Commencement 2021: Fulton Leroy Washington is Addressing UCLA Art Students, Howardena Pindell, Lonnie Bunch, Amy Sherald, Sonya Clark, and Theaster Gates are Also Speaking at Graduations

  WHATEVER WISDOM Fulton Leroy Washington (aka Mr. Wash) imparts on graduating art students at UCLA, he will likely emphasize the importance of time. Don’t waste it. Make the most of it. You can’t get it back. Washington is delivering the keynote address at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture graduating class of...
Photographer Tyler Mitchell is Teaching a MasterClass: 'It's Always Been Important to Me to Share and Make Accessible the Information I've Learned Along the Way'

Photographer Tyler Mitchell is Teaching a MasterClass: ‘It’s Always Been Important to Me to Share and Make Accessible the Information I’ve Learned Along the Way’

  SPIKE LEE TEACHES independent filmmaking. Anna Wintour provides insights about leadership. Frank Gehry offers fundamentals about architecture and design. A fine art and fashion photographer, Tyler Mitchell provides instruction on how to tell stories through portrait photography. Mitchell shot to fame in the creative world when he became the first Black photographer and youngest...
Paintings by 4 Black Female Artists Set Auction Records at Christie's Evening Sale: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Nina Chanel Abney, Mickalene Thomas, Jordan Casteel

Paintings by 4 Black Female Artists Set Auction Records at Christie’s Evening Sale: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Nina Chanel Abney, Mickalene Thomas, Jordan Casteel

  PAINTINGS BY 10 OF THE MOST HIGHLY REGARDED Black contemporary artists active today were featured in Christie’s inaugural 21st Century Evening Sale in New York. Six set new artist records, including four figurative works by women artists. Nina Chanel Abney‘s powerful 2015 painting of two Black cops arresting a white man sold for $990,000....
Latest News in Black Art: Donavon Smallwood Wins Aperture Portfolio Prize, Museums Plan Major Exhibition Exploring Great Migration, Estate of Elizabeth Talford Scott Goes to Goya Contemporary

Latest News in Black Art: Donavon Smallwood Wins Aperture Portfolio Prize, Museums Plan Major Exhibition Exploring Great Migration, Estate of Elizabeth Talford Scott Goes to Goya Contemporary

  Latest News in Black Art features regular news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   DONAVON SMALLWOOD, Untitled, 2020, from the series Languor. | © Devon Smallwood, Courtesy the artist   Awards & Honors New York photographer Donavon Smallwood won the 2021 Aperture Portfolio Prize. 1-54 Contemporary African Art...
E. Carmen Ramos Departs Smithsonian to Join National Gallery of Art as Chief Curatorial and Conservation Officer

E. Carmen Ramos Departs Smithsonian to Join National Gallery of Art as Chief Curatorial and Conservation Officer

THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART (NGA) is adding to its leadership team. E. Carmen Ramos has been named chief curatorial and conservation officer, overseeing all aspects of the museum’s curatorial and conservation departments. She will be the first woman and first person of color to serve in the role. The appointment was announced May 13....
On View: 'Patrick Alston: Let There Be Light' at Ross + Kramer Gallery in New York City

On View: ‘Patrick Alston: Let There Be Light’ at Ross + Kramer Gallery in New York City

  On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions   FOR HIS SOLO EXHIBITION DEBUT, Patrick Alston is presenting a series of abstract paintings made over the past year. “Let There Be Light” at Ross + Kramer Gallery in New York explores color theory, materiality, and mental health. Before he begins painting, Alston works with a...
Lucas Museum Acquires Robert Colescott's 'George Washington Carver Crossing the Delaware' Painting for Record-Smashing $15.3 Million From Sotheby's Auction

Lucas Museum Acquires Robert Colescott’s ‘George Washington Carver Crossing the Delaware’ Painting for Record-Smashing $15.3 Million From Sotheby’s Auction

  A PROFOUND AND PROVOCATIVE parody of American history painting by Robert Colescott (1925-2009) was acquired yesterday by the forthcoming Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. “George Washington Carver Crossing the Delaware: Page from an American History Textbook” (1975) sold for a record-breaking $15.3 million at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction in New...
Latest News in Black Art: Phylicia Rashad Named Dean of Fine Arts at Howard University, Chicago Artist Eugene Wade Has Died, Nanette Carter Joins Berry Campbell

Latest News in Black Art: Phylicia Rashad Named Dean of Fine Arts at Howard University, Chicago Artist Eugene Wade Has Died, Nanette Carter Joins Berry Campbell

  Latest News in Black Art features regular news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   Phylicia Rashad has been appointed dean of the newly established College of Fine Arts at Howard University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 1970.   Appointments On May 12, Howard...
Phillips Contemporary Evening Auction Opened With Works by Joy Labinjo, Lina Iris Viktor, and Toyin Ojih Odutola, Painting by Tunji Adeniyi-Jones Set New Record

Phillips Contemporary Evening Auction Opened With Works by Joy Labinjo, Lina Iris Viktor, and Toyin Ojih Odutola, Painting by Tunji Adeniyi-Jones Set New Record

  PHILLIPS MOST RECENT 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale was front loaded with works by Black artists—six of the first seven lots. Five of the artists were Black women. An untitled painting by rising artist Joy Labinjo, a charming narrative self-portrait with her mother, was Lot 1, opening the auction. A figurative painting...
Latest News in Black Art: Collective Black Obsidian Sound System (BOSS) Makes Turner Prize Shortlist, New Representation for Artists Lonnie Holley and Nekisha Durrett

Latest News in Black Art: Collective Black Obsidian Sound System (BOSS) Makes Turner Prize Shortlist, New Representation for Artists Lonnie Holley and Nekisha Durrett

  Latest News in Black Art features regular updates of news and developments in the world of art and related culture   Atlanta-based artist and musician Lonnie Holley is now represented by Blum & Poe. | Photo lonnieholley.com   Representation Artist and musician, Lonnie Holley has joined Blum & Poe gallery, which has locations in...
Maryland Park to be Renamed for Artist and Historian David C. Driskell Previously Restricted to 'Caucasian Inhabitants Only'

Maryland Park to be Renamed for Artist and Historian David C. Driskell Previously Restricted to ‘Caucasian Inhabitants Only’

Magruder Park sign is removed in anticipation of a new one honoring David C. Driskell. | Photo: City of Hyattsville   WILLIAM PINKNEY MAGRUDER PARK in Hyattsville, Md., will be renamed for artist and curator David C. Driskell (1931-2020). The renowned historian of African American art was a longtime resident of Hyattsville. The park was...