Mellon Foundation Issues Report on Art Museum Diversity, Findings Show Significant Progress for African American Curators
Los Angeles County Museum of Art HISTORICALLY, THE U.S. MUSEUM FIELD has lacked diversity, with African Americans significantly underrepresented. A 2015 Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation found 84 percent of art museum curators, educators, conservators, and leadership was white. People of color (blacks/African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and those...
Latest News in African American Art: Rashid Johnson’s ‘Native Son’ Acquired by HBO, David Hammons Exhibition Planned at Hauser & Wirth L.A. & More
Director Rashid Johnson at Sundance The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related culture: Prioritizing Museum Board Diversity The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is launching a three-year, $4 million initiative designed to diversify museum boards and leadership. A...
Latest News in African American Art: Aaron Fowler Wins Jacob Lawrence Prize, US Artists Fellows, Adrian Piper Exhibition Cancelled in Munich & More
Portrait of artist Aaron Fowler, and “Derion,” 2018 by Folwer. The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related culture: Jacob Lawrence Prize Announced The Seattle Art Museum announced assemblage artist Aaron Fowler is the recipient of the 2019 Gwendolyn...
Howardena Pindell is Now Represented by Victoria Miro Gallery
VICTORIA MIRO has announced its representation of Howardena Pindell. The UK-based gallery is working with the multidiscplinary artist in collaboration with Garth Greenan Gallery, her rep in New York. Pindell’s first exhibition with Victoria Miro is planned for June 2019 in London. Focusing primarily on abstraction and conceptualism, Pindell engages with personal, political and social...
Washington’s Government-Funded Museums are Closed in the Wake of Shutdown, Barring Visitors from Exhibitions of Dawoud Bey, Mark Bradford, Gordon Parks, and Others
Gordon Parks, Mrs. Ella Watson, Washington, D.C., July 1942 “DUE TO THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, all Smithsonian museums are closed.” The message is featured in a banner across the top of all of the institution’s websites. A similar message is posted on the doors of the museums, which closed to the public on Tuesday. The...
VMFA Announces 250 Acquisitions, Adding Hale Woodruff’s ‘The Banjo Player,’ a Nick Cave Soundsuit, and KKK Mannequins by Paul Rucker to its Collection. But Where are the Women Artists?
Installation view (partial) of “Storm in a Time of Shelter” (2018) by Paul Rucker. | Photo by Victoria L. Valentine ENCOUNTERING 52 MANNEQUINS outfitted in Ku Klux Klan-style hoods and robes is unsettling, to say the least, even when the racist get-ups are made from brightly colored and patterned fabrics, including kente cloth and...
Pittsburgh Artist Vanessa German Wins $200,000 Don Tyson Prize
Artist Vanessa L. German THE CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM of American Art announced the 2018 Don Tyson Prize has been awarded to visual and performance artist Vanessa L. German. The $200,000 biannual prize recognizes an individual artist or organization for exceptional achievement in American art. German was selected for “pushing boundaries and taking risks in...
Latest News in African American Art: Crenshaw Getting Outdoor Museum, Sotheby’s Supports Black Film Exhibition, Shirley Chisholm Monument & More
Rendering for Destination Crenshaw The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related culture: NEWS The initial renderings have been released for Destination Crenshaw, a public art experience envisioned as a celebration of black Los Angeles. Perkins + Will is designing the...
Julie Mehretu Will Be the Subject of a Major Traveling Retrospective in 2019
THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA) and Whitney Museum of American Art are co-organizing the first-ever comprehensive retrospective of Julie Mehretu. The traveling mid-career survey will feature more than 60 works, about 30 large-scale paintings and 32 works on paper (drawings and prints) dating from 1996 to the present. The exhibition is...
Brazilian Artist Dalton Paula is Now Represented by Alexander and Bonin in New York City
Portraits of slave resistance leaders Zeferina and João de Deus Nascimento by Dalton Paula. ALEXANDER AND BONIN has added Brazilian artist Dalton Paula to its roster. Working across painting, photography, and installation, his practice explores the exigencies of the Black Atlantic and knowledge production throughout the African diaspora. His work is often realized in...
2018 Anonymous Was A Woman Grants Awarded to 10 Artists, Deborah Roberts and Heather Hart Among Them
“My Body, Your Rules” (2018) by Deborah Roberts EVERY YEAR, 10 WOMEN ARTISTS receive Anonymous Was A Woman grants. The unrestricted awards of $25,000 go to women artists who are more than 40 years old. The 2018 recipients were just announced and Deborah Roberts, Heather Hart, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, and Michèle Stephenson, are among...
Latest News in African American Art: Tavares Strachan Launches Sculpture Into Space, Urgent Call to Repair Richmond Barthé Frieze & More
Artist Tavares Strachan’s work paying tribute to a pioneering African American astronaut was launched into into space on Dec. 3. (Liftoff begins at 19:40). The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related culture: NEWS After a couple of delayed...
Theaster Gates, the Chicago-based Cross-Disciplinary Artist and Urban Visionary, Has Joined Gagosian Gallery
“A Flag for the Least of Them” (2018) by Theaster Gates CHICAGO-BASED ARTIST Theaster Gates is now represented by Gagosian gallery. Over the past decade, Gates has gained global renown for his unique social practice focused on preservation, restoration, and archiving. Constantly traveling, he has captivated the international art world with his vision for...
Latest News in African American Art: Smithsonian Acquires Arthur Jafa’s ‘Love is the Message,’ Kapwani Kiwanga Wins Sobey Art Award & More
“Love is the Message, The Message is Death” (2016) by Arthur Jafa was acquired by the Smithsonian The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related culture: NEWS A new report requested by French President Emmanuel Macron outlines proposals for...
