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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

Malcolm X at 100: Transformational Leader and Outspoken Orator Inspired Artworks by Jack Whitten and Barbara Chase-Riboud

Malcolm X at 100: Transformational Leader and Outspoken Orator Inspired Artworks by Jack Whitten and Barbara Chase-Riboud

Malcolm X reading an article about the Nation of Islam written and photographed by Gordon Parks that was published in the May 31, 1963, edition of Life magazine. The man behind Malcolm holds a newspaper reporting on the shooting of seven unarmed Black men by Los Angeles police. | Photo:...
Alma Thomas Way: Washington D.C., Street Where Famous African American Artist Lived is Now Named in Her Honor

Alma Thomas Way: Washington D.C., Street Where Famous African American Artist Lived is Now Named in Her Honor

Charles Thomas Lewis, grand nephew of Alma Thomas, with Susan Talley, who established the Friends of Alma Thomas group more than a decade ago. They are holding the commemorative street sign DC Councilmember Christina Henderson presented to Lewis. “I think this is a wonderful recognition for her,” he said. “I...
Recently Published
Sondra Perry Wins 2017 Gwendolyn Knight and Jacob Lawrence Prize

Sondra Perry Wins 2017 Gwendolyn Knight and Jacob Lawrence Prize

  FOR THE FIRST TIME in its short history, the Gwendolyn Knight and Jacob Lawrence Prize has been awarded to a video artist. The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) announced Sondra Perry is the winner of the 2017 prize. Based in New Jersey, Perry’s unique practice explores abstraction and representation through video, computer-based media, and performance....
Harvard Art Museums Name Makeda Best Curator of Photography

Harvard Art Museums Name Makeda Best Curator of Photography

THE HARVARD ART MUSEUMS are welcoming back an alum. Makeda Best, who earned her M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University in the Department of History of Art and Architecture, has been tapped to serve as the new curator of photography at Harvard Art Museums. Previously, she was an assistant professor in visual studies at the...
A Look Back: For 8 Years, President Obama Touted Merits of Art for Change

A Look Back: For 8 Years, President Obama Touted Merits of Art for Change

  President Obama sits for first-ever 3D Presidential portrait, which was produced by the Smithsonian Institution, June 9, 2014. | Official White House Photo by Pete Souza   This post has been updated with links to the Obama White House archive site.   FROM THE MOMENT President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama entered the...
For the Obamas, Art Has Helped Make the White House Feel Like Home

For the Obamas, Art Has Helped Make the White House Feel Like Home

President Obama narrates a look inside his art-filled White House residence. | Obama White House Video   IN OCTOBER, PRESIDENT OBAMA hosted “Love & Happiness: A Musical Experience,” the last of many, many musical performances staged at the White House during his two terms. “Over the past eight years, Michelle and I have set aside...
Art Strike Calls for Cultural Institutions to Close on Inauguration Day to Combat Normalization of President-Elect

Art Strike Calls for Cultural Institutions to Close on Inauguration Day to Combat Normalization of President-Elect

Embed from Getty Images   This post has been updated.   ARTISTS, CURATORS, AND CRITICS are planning an Art Strike on Inauguration Day. The J20 Art Strike calls for a day of “noncompliance,” no work, no school, no business. The organizers are entreating museums, galleries, theaters, concert halls, studios, nonprofits, and art schools to close...
In Advance of Presidential Inauguration, Artists & Activists are Raising Their Voices in Protest

In Advance of Presidential Inauguration, Artists & Activists are Raising Their Voices in Protest

Embed from Getty Images   This post has been updated.   THIS WEEK SHOULD BE INTERESTING. It opens today with a federal holiday dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr., a minister and nonviolent civil rights activist. His brave, radical and visionary campaigns changed U.S. laws—dismantling segregation and banning voter discrimination—and helped to advance human rights...
Illustrator Kadir Nelson Envisions Martin Luther King Jr., for Cover of New Yorker

Illustrator Kadir Nelson Envisions Martin Luther King Jr., for Cover of New Yorker

    THIS WEEK’S THE NEW YORKER boasts a cover image of Martin Luther King Jr., by Los Angeles artist Kadir Nelson. In the illustration, the civil rights legend’s brow is furrowed. He looks pensive, as though he is not sure what to make of the state of the nation he left behind. “What would...
Museums Mark MLK Day: Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., Through the Lens of Art & Culture

Museums Mark MLK Day: Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., Through the Lens of Art & Culture

  LAST YEAR, ABOUT THIS TIME, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History (NMAAHC) announced it had acquired a rare bust of Martin Luther King Jr., by Charles Alston. The bronze sculpture, one of five, was gifted to the museum by Chicago-based collectors Eric and Cheryl McKissack. (One of the editions is on display...
With Words and Deeds, President Obama Pays Tribute to the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

With Words and Deeds, President Obama Pays Tribute to the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza   AS THE ADMINISTRATION of President Barack Obama comes to a close and the inauguration of the next commander-in-chief looms, this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day takes on added significance. The occasion is particularly symbolic for the first black President of the United States. When President Obama...
Culture Talk: British Painter Hurvin Anderson on Personal and Political Histories

Culture Talk: British Painter Hurvin Anderson on Personal and Political Histories

HURVIN ANDERSON, “Rootstock,” 2016 (acrylic and oil on canvas). | Courtesy Michael Werner Gallery   MORE THAN A DECADE AGO, Hurvin Anderson was staying at a hotel in Montego Bay when he spotted some kids climbing a mango tree through the window. The image brought back vivid memories. The youngest of eight children, all of...
January Exhibitions: Resolve to See More Art This Year

January Exhibitions: Resolve to See More Art This Year

  IF JANUARY IS ANY INDICATION, 2017 will present plenty of opportunities to see new work, new ideas, and learn more about the practices of a range of artists of African descent. This selection of exhibitions opening this month, features some of the most productive artists in the art world, others whose well-established practices are...
New Year, New Art: What to Look Forward to in 2017

New Year, New Art: What to Look Forward to in 2017

IN THE COMING YEAR, 20 biennials and triennials are happening around the world. Documenta 14 is opening in Athens, Greece, and Kassel, Germany; the Whitney Biennial and Performa 17 are occurring in New York; and New Orleans is hosting Prospect.4. Meanwhile, artists are diversifying their practices and reaping the benefits of critical recognition. Mark Bradford...
Nasher Museum Announces Acquisition of 'Hot Rhythm,' a Major Painting by Archibald Motley

Nasher Museum Announces Acquisition of ‘Hot Rhythm,’ a Major Painting by Archibald Motley

Mara Motley, M.D., and Valerie Gerrard Browne donated “Hot Rhythm” by Archibald Motley to the Nasher Museum of Art.   WHEN ‘ARCHIBALD MOTLEY: JAZZ AGE MODERNIST’ opened at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University three years ago, one of the most compelling aspects of the exhibition was the presentation of a series of...
Culture Type: The Year in Black Art 2016

Culture Type: The Year in Black Art 2016

FROM THE MOMENT Kerry James Marshall’s 35-year survey exhibition opened at MCA Chicago this spring, the artist has been praised with honors, his work has been lauded in the media, and his message has resonated. His years-long mantra, that in order to push the Western canon of art history in a more diverse and representational...
Next: 18 Curators & Cultural Leaders to Watch Who Joined New Institutions in 2016

Next: 18 Curators & Cultural Leaders to Watch Who Joined New Institutions in 2016

MANY CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS have finally come around to realizing that it is imperative that their boards, staff and programming reflect the communities they serve. Putting such measures into practice is another matter. A recent Mellon Foundation survey conducted with the Association of Art Museum Directors and the American Alliance of Museums found most museum staffs...
Cover Stars: The 24 Best Art Magazine Covers of 2016

Cover Stars: The 24 Best Art Magazine Covers of 2016

  NOTHING BEATS LEAFING through the pages of a visually inspiring print publication, except perhaps that initial moment of spotting a compelling magazine cover on the newsstand or newly delivered to your mailbox. Over the past year, art magazines have selected winning cover images paying tribute to painter Kerry James Marshall, marking the historic opening...
Representation: 10 African American Artists to Watch Who Joined New Galleries in 2016

Representation: 10 African American Artists to Watch Who Joined New Galleries in 2016

AT EVERY STAGE IN AN ARTIST’S CAREER, joining a new gallery can offer new opportunities and possibilities. Over the past year, emerging artists, mid-career artists, and well-established artists who have been practicing for half a century, joined the rosters of major galleries. For an artist, the right partnership can sharpen business outcomes and help bolster...
Culture Type Picks: The 12 Best Black Art Books of 2016

Culture Type Picks: The 12 Best Black Art Books of 2016

THIS YEAR’S SELECTION of the Best Black Art Books includes 12 volumes that in various ways are reframing art history—from scholarly works shedding light on major cultural moments and volumes of groundbreaking photography, to exhibition catalogs surveying broadly the work of important artists such as Kerry James Marshall and Alma Thomas. Highly recommended among Culture...
Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh Acquires New Kerry James Marshall Painting Depicting Single Female Figure

Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh Acquires New Kerry James Marshall Painting Depicting Single Female Figure

KERRY JAMES MARSHALL, “Untitled (Gallery),” 2016 (acrylic on PVC panel). | Carnegie Museum of Art, The Henry L. Hillman Fund, © Kerry James Marshall   A FEW MONTHS AGO, the New York Times visited Kerry James Marshall in anticipation of “Mastry,” his 35-year survey opening at The Met Breuer on Oct. 25. The profile the...
Culture Talk: Ian Berry on New Alma Thomas Exhibition Catalog, an Encyclopedic View of the Singular Artist

Culture Talk: Ian Berry on New Alma Thomas Exhibition Catalog, an Encyclopedic View of the Singular Artist

ALMA THOMAS, “End of Autumn,” 1968 (acrylic and graphite on canvas). | Collection of Richard Grossman and Adam Sheffer; Courtesy Studio Museum in Harlem   EXPLAINING HER CHOICE to focus on brightly hued abstract work, Alma Thomas (1891-1978) said in 1970: “Through color, I have sought to concentrate on beauty and happiness, rather than on...