Who Painted President Obama’s White House Portrait? Did He Make a Traditional Choice or Select a Critically Recognized Artist
INCREDIBLY INSPIRING, the Obama Portraits have garnered so much attention they are currently on a national tour, traveling to museums throughout the United States. The portraits of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama painted by acclaimed artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively, were unveiled by the Smithsonian on Feb. 12, 2018....
National Cathedral Commissions Kerry James Marshall to Design New Stained-Glass Windows, Replacing Confederate Images
WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL has turned to a great American artist and one of the nation’s top poets for a high-profile project intended to put the renowned, institution on the right side of history. Several years ago, the National Cathedral embarked on a process of replacing two stained-glass windows featuring images of the Confederate flag...
National Trust Grant Will Help Preserve 1943 Charles White Mural at Hampton University, Part of $3 Million Investment to Save Black History at 40 Sites Across United States
ONLY ONE MURAL by Charles White (1918-1979) was painted directly on a wall, rather than canvas. “The Contribution of the Negro to Democracy in America” was created at Hampton Institute (now University) in 1943. Crispus Attucks, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner, Denmark Vesey, and Booker T. Washington are all represented in...
Washington Plans Citywide Celebration of Pioneering Artist Alma Thomas, First Lady Michelle Obama Opening Major Symposium
WASHINGTON, D.C., is gearing up for a citywide celebration of artist Alma Thomas (1891-1978) this fall. Honoring her contributions to the city’s cultural heritage, the events coincide with the traveling exhibition “Alma Thomas: Everything is Beautiful,” opening Oct. 30 at The Phillips Collection. Institutions throughout Washington are participating in the celebration, including the National...
Sedrick Huckaby’s New Solo Exhibition at Blanton Museum Features a Portrait of His Student, Former President George W. Bush
THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT the National Portrait Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. If you do well you might find yourself in the company of a U.S. President or First Lady. In 2016, Amy Sherald won the competition, becoming the first woman and first Black artist to receive the first place prize. Subsequently, First Lady...
Blue Is the Color We See Before We Die: Delita Martin is Latest Artist to Contribute to Ava DuVernay’s Police Accountability Project
THE COLOR BLUE ordinarily symbolizes spirituality in the work of Delita Martin. She creates figurative mixed-media works combining relief printing, painting, drawing, hand-stitching, and collage. Inspired by oral traditions and old family photographs, her representations of Black women seek to correct problematic narratives and instead emphasize their individuality and vital family and community roles....
Museums Recognize Juneteenth: Newly Established National Holiday is ‘Celebration of Resilience, Freedom Deferred But Found’
FOR BLACK AMERICANS, transformational change has always been on the horizon, just out of reach. After President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, it took effect Jan. 1, 1863. It would be another two-and-a-half years, however, before Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, enslaved African Americans learned the Civil War was over (it ended...
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...
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...
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...
Ceiling Breaker, History Maker: Glass Portrait of Vice President Kamala Harris Unveiled at Lincoln Memorial
A PORTRAIT OF VICE PRESIDENT Kamala Harris was unveiled today on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The artwork is installed near the Lincoln Memorial, in the shadow of the Washington Monument, and will be on view through Feb. 6. Rendered in shattered glass by Swiss artist Simon Berger, the likeness is a nod...
National Puzzle Day: Piece Together Major Works by African American Artists, Including Mickalene Thomas, Charles White, Alma Thomas, and Archibald Motley
STAYING CLOSE TO HOME over the past year, due to COVID-19, has breathed new life into a traditional past time. An entertaining way to pass the hours and relieve stress, jigsaw puzzles are more popular than ever. Several focus on signigicant works by important 20th century African American artists such as Charles White, Alma...
Landscape With Rainbow: Robert Duncanson Painting Was Part of Official Biden-Harris Inauguration Celebration at U.S. Capitol
“Landscape With Rainbow” (1859) by Robert Duncanson SPEAKING TO BRIGHTER HORIZONS, a painting by Robert Duncanson played a special role in the Presidential Inauguration activities yesterday. “Landscape With Rainbow” (1859) was displayed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, on loan for one day from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM). Duncanson is the first Black...
Commissioned During the Carter Era, Jacob Lawrence’s Presidential Inauguration Image Centers the American People
“The Swearing In” (1977) by Jacob Lawrence DEPICTING THE WINTER CHILL of Inauguration Day, Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) relied on a trio of visual cues—bare-branched trees; a two-toned blue sky; and a series of figures huddled in coats, hats, and scarves. Rich with narrative, an efficient composition, methodic use of color, and rigorous attention to...
In His Final Public Speech in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. Said, ‘We’ve Got Some Difficult Days Ahead’
AT THE CONCLUSION OF HIS FAMOUS “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, Martin Luther King Jr., said “We’ve got some difficult days ahead.” He made the speech on April 3, 1968, to a crowd of striking sanitation workers at Bishop Charles Mason Temple in Memphis, Tenn. He had flown into town from Atlanta under...
Rev. William J. Barber II on Ascension of Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris: ‘You Are the Light of the World’
Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris on Nov. 7, 2020 PERFORMANCE ART takes many forms. On Sunday, it was realized in the impassioned sermon preached by Rev. William J. Barber II from the pulpit of his Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, N.C. Invoking history, astronomy, and the lyrics of Mary J. Blige, he said Vice President-Elect...
America the Beautiful: Vision of Artist Lorraine O’Grady and Voice of Ray Charles Inspire New Biden-Harris Video
A NEW VIDEO produced by the Biden-Harris campaign, captures Americans from all walks of life at home and work, in bustling cities and expansive rural landscapes, from sea to shining sea. With the Ray Charles rendition of “America the Beautiful” serving as the soundtrack, the video depicts Americans holding up ornate gold picture frames,...
Election 2020: Artists and Museums are Actively Engaged, Presenting Exhibitions and Public Awareness Campaigns, and Encouraging Voter Participation
Vote.org’s Plan Your Vote campaign features voting advocacy artworks by artists including, from left, Julie Mehretu and Calida Rawles ELECTION DAY IS NOV. 3 in the United States and in the lead up artists and art institutions have been active and engaged. The political season has inspired countless artist projects, information campaigns, public art...
Andrea Pippins Illustrated a New Kwanzaa Stamp, Offering a Contemporary Take on Traditional African American Holiday
WITH THE HOLIDAY SEASON fast approaching, the U.S. Postal Service issued a new Kwanzaa stamp featuring artwork by Andrea Pippins. The Forever stamp was dedicated on Oct. 13. Pippins offers a contemporary take on the traditional African American holiday established in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana studies. Working with a largely...
Renaissance Man: An Exceptional Painter, Musician, and Filmmaker, Blitz Bazawule Counts Beyoncé, Ava DuVernay, and Oprah Winfrey Among His Collaborators
A MOMENT IN TIME, a new series of paintings by Blitz Bazawule, is inspired by found photographs he located in markets around the world. The artist first discovered them in Rabat, Morocco, where vendors were selling albums full of old, black-and-white photographs belonging to families they didn’t know. In the paintings, which are on...
