Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture
Appointments
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES of the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) elected James D. Thornton chair of the museum’s 36-member board. Thornton is the first Black person and first person of color to lead the board. “I am extremely honored to follow in the footsteps of so many accomplished board chairs who played pivotal roles in establishing the Baltimore Museum of Art as a cultural anchor over the past 108 years,” Thornton said in a statement. “Since developing our strategic plan in 2018, we have made significant progress in better reflecting and connecting with our community and becoming a leading cultural voice in the region and the country. My commitment is to continue to build on both our strong artistic program and our social equity and diversity work across the institution. This work to define the museum of the future will require an unwavering commitment from my Board colleagues and our dedicated staff and leadership. I am confident that with the continued support of our donors, patrons, and visitors, we will lead this institution to greater achievements.” Thornton founded Thorwood Real Estate Group LLC, where he serves as managing director. He retired from MBNA Bank as senior executive vice president and director of diversity. In 2004, Thornton joined BMA’s board. He is a member of the Director Search Committee, which is currently seeking a new director to succeed Christopher Bedford, who transformed the museum’s engagement with the community during his tenure by diversifying programming and expanding representation of women and artists of color in exhibitions and its collection. Bedford recently departed BMA to lead the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. | More
IMAGE: Above right, James Thornton. | Photo by Christopher Myers
Awards & Honors
Black Rock Senegal announced its 2022-23 artists-in-residence. The residency program was established in 2019 by artist Kehinde Wiley in Dakar. Working in a variety of mediums, 16 artists from Africa, Europe, Brazil, and the United States were selected for Year 3, including Pemi Aguda, Gouled Ahmed, Sophia Nahli Allison, Adrian L. Burrell, Panmela Castro, Chinwe Chigbu, Ayan Farah, Enam Gbewonyo, Stephen Leo Hayes Jr., Amina Kadous, Mae-ling Lokko, Nasheeka Nedsreal, Nengi Omuku, Léonard Pongo, Khalif Tahir Thompson, and Paul Verdell. | More
Two years ago, curator Dexter Wimberly announced plans for the Hayama Artist Residency in Japan. The opportunity was immediately stalled due to the pandemic. Representing two cohorts, four new residents will inaugurate the residency this summer—Nadia Liz Estela and Linn Meyers (2021) and Francisco Maso and Asim Waqif (2022). Applications are open for the 2023 program now. | More
BARKLEY L. HENDRICKS, “Lawdy Mama,” 1969 (oil and gold leaf on canvas). | © Barkley L. Hendricks. Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
Exhibitions
In the fall of 2023, the Frick Collection in New York City will present an exhibition of portraits by Barkley L. Hendricks (1945-2017). About a dozen paintings by the late artist will be displayed throughout the museum in conversation with its collection of masterworks from the Renaissance era to the 19th Century. Hendricks will be the first artist of color to have a solo exhibition at the Frick. The show will be on view at Frick Madison, the museum’s temporary space. Frick curator Aimee Ng is organizing the exhibition with curator Antwaun Sargent, a director at Gagosian gallery who pitched the project. | New York Times
Pioneering architect Paul R. Williams (1894-1980) is known primarily for his work in Los Angeles, where he was based. A new exhibition features photographs by Janna Ireland of projects Williams designed in nearby Nevada, from the 1930s to 70s. “Janna Ireland on the Architectural Legacy of Paul Revere Williams in Nevada” is currently on view at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno. In December, the show travels to Nevada State Museum Las Vegas. | More
PROJECTS | Launched by Getty Images, the Black History & Culture Collection features photographs selected in collaboration with noted scholars and historians, including Deborah Willis of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts; Jina DuVernay of Clark Atlanta University; Tukufu Zuberi of the University of Pennsylvania; and Mark Sealy MBE and Renée Mussai of Autograph ABP in London. | Video by Getty Images
Projects
Getty Images announced a new initiative this week. The Black History & Culture Collection was “created to provide free non-commercial access to historical and cultural images of the African/Black Diaspora in the U.S. and UK from the 19th century to present day.” Getty images has partnered with several organizations that have already mined the collection, including multimedia platform Black Archives, whose founder Renata Cherlise is particularly taken with 1940s and 50s dance images she discovered of the Savoy and Audubon ballrooms in Harlem. “Having access to this collection I think will do wonders to the future of storytelling,” Cherlise said. | More
Grants
The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco is among the institutions awarded more than $3.9 million from the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture program established by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). MoAD’s $237,000 grant will help expand its Emerging Artists program. | More
Magazines
Pin-Up is a New York City magazine about “architectural entertainment.” The Spring/Summer 2022 issue explores the architecture of art, with a focus Women of New York, a visionary group of Black curators, gallerists, and scholars. The cover features Naomi Beckwith, Legacy Russell, Salome Asega, Ebony L. Haynes, Kellie Jones, and Nicola Vassell. Inside the publication, Emmanuel Olunkwa, editor-in-chief of Pin-Up, conducts interviews with each cover subject. | More
More News
University of Maryland art professor Jordana Moore Saggese who authored two reports offering tentative opinions about the authenticity of paintings attributed to Jean-Michel Basquiat that were subsequently presented in a solo exhibition at the Orlando Museum of Art and seized by the FBI before the show closed, issued a statement seeking to “set the record straight.” | Baltimore Sun
The Equity in Pay + Pay Transparency Accountability Tracker, a crowdsourced project created by the National Emerging Museum Professionals Network identifies which job posting boards include salary information for available museum opportunities. | Hyperallergic
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