2017 Venice Biennale List Includes African American Artists Sam Gilliam, Senga Nengudi, and McArthur Binion
Chicago-based McArthur Binion is among the artists invited to participate in the 57th Venice Biennial. HOW TIME FLIES. It certainly doesn’t seem like two years has elapsed since Nigerian-born Okwui Enwezor’s historic turn as artistic director of the 2015 Venice Biennale and “All the World’s Futures” featured more than 35 black artists, including Glenn...
Monumental Sculptures by Simone Leigh, Charles Gaines May Perch Above High Line
SYMBOLIZING THE BLACK BODY, Simone Leigh‘s black ceramic busts embellished with textured glaze or countless tiny roses are a sight to see. Imagine a monumental version of one of her sculptures installed on the High Line, rising so high it is visible from the street below. It’s a possibility that might materialize next year....
1:54 African Art Fair is Returning to New York, 3rd Edition Features 9 New Galleries
Installation view, 1:54 New York 2016 © Katrina Sorrentino WHAT BEGAN AS A POP-UP is turning into an annual event. After its debut in 2015, and return in 2016, the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair is staging its third edition in New York. This year, the fair is May 5-7 at Pioneer Works in...
College Art Association Honoring Ruth Fine for Norman Lewis Catalog: ‘I Wanted it to Visually be Compelling and Comprehensible’
Curator Ruth Fine previews Norman Lewis exhibition at PAFA – Nov. 12, 2015 | Photo by Victoria L. Valentine THE COLLEGE ART ASSOCIATION (CAA) announced recipients of its 2017 Awards for Distinction and art historian Ruth Fine is among the honorees. Fine organized “Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis,” the first major museum retrospective...
Norton Museum is Showing Off Recent Additions to its Collection by African American Contemporary Artists
The new acquisitions exhibition features Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s 2016 painting “Super Blue Omo.” THE NORTON MUSEUM OF ART is celebrating Black History Month by mounting an exhibition of recent acquisitions by black contemporary artists. “Spotlight: Recent Acquisitions” features eight works—recently executed paintings by Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Mickalene Thomas, photographs and a sculpture by...
John Akomfrah Wins Artes Mundi, UK’s Top Prize for International Contemporary Art
AFTER MAKING A SHORT LIST of six artists from around the world vying for the UK’s top prize for international contemporary artists, John Akomfrah has won the Artes Mundi 7. Exploring the historic arc of migration, Akomfrah’s work is particularly pertinent given the migration issues and refugee crisis—and surrounding humanitarian concerns and political...
Great Conversations: Ellen Gallagher, Mickalene Thomas, Kellie Jones, Betye & Alison Saar are all Talking This Month
Feb. 16: Betye and Alison Saar are in Conversation at CAAM, Los Angeles | Screen Shot New York Times video THERE ARE SOME GREAT CONVERSATIONS happening between women this month. Artist Ellen Gallagher with curator Adrienne Edwards. Mickalene Thomas and scholar Beverly Guy-Sheftall. Models Pat Cleveland and Bethann Hardison. Scholar Kellie Jones with social...
Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Inaugural Fellowship to Photographer Devin Allen
April 25, 2015: Devin Allen’s image of a man running from a phalanx of Baltimore Police went viral and landed on the cover of Time magazine. | Photo by Devin Allen THE GORDON PARKS FOUNDATION is providing support to one of the most talented young black photographers to emerge in recent years. The foundation...
Google Begins Black History Month with Doodle Dedicated to African American Sculptor Edmonia Lewis
Sculptor Edmonia Lewis by Sophie Diao TODAY’S GOOGLE DOODLE celebrates artist Edmonia Lewis (1844?-1907). She is considered the first black woman to receive international recognition in the fine art world as a sculptor. The Feb. 1 tribute marks the beginning of Black History Month. The Google logo is executed in script with a painted...
For Monumental Commission at Hirshhorn Museum, Mark Bradford is Incorporating Figurative Imagery for First Time
An exterior view of the Hirshhorn Museum shows the cylindrical form of the building. | Courtesy Smithsonian Institution MORE THAN A YEAR AGO, in October 2015, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden announced Mark Bradford would be presenting his first-ever exhibition in Washington, D.C. The site-specific commission will utilize the entire expanse of the...
United States Artists Taps Baltimore-based Deana Haggag as President and CEO
Deana Haggag has been appointed president and CEO of United States Artists. UNITED STATES ARTISTS (USA) announced a new president and CEO. Deana Haggag, executive director of The Contemporary in Baltimore, has been tapped to lead the organization. USA provides support to American artists working across a range of disciplines through $50,000 fellowships. Haggag...
Crystal Bridges Museum Announces Acquisition of Harlem Portrait by Alice Neel
CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM of American Art is adding to its collection. The Bentonville, Ark., institution announced the acquisition of a 1964 painting by Alice Neel (1900-1984) that portrays actor and civil rights activist Hugh Hurd (1925-1995), who lived in Spanish Harlem. The museum told Culture Type the painting was acquired from David Zwirner Gallery...
College Art Association Paying Tribute to Kerry James Marshall and Faith Ringgold
Faith Ringgold and Kerry James Marshall are being honored by CAA. TWO AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTISTS are receiving the College Art Association’s top Awards of Distinction. CAA announced Kerry James Marshall is being honored with the 2017 CAA Artist Award for Distinguished Body of Work. The 2017 CAA Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement...
Studio Museum in Harlem Hires Connie H. Choi as Associate Curator
CONNIE H. CHOI is joining the Studio Museum in Harlem as associate curator, permanent collection. In her new position, she is responsible for the strategic vision for the museum’s collection, a repository of more than 2,200 objects created between the 19th and 21st centuries. Her first day at the Studio Museum is Feb. 6. “We...
At Blanton Museum in Austin, Local Patrons ‘Crowdsource’ Historic Purchase
SONYA CLARK, “Madam C. J. Walker,” 2008 (combs). | Collection of Blanton Museum of Art THE BLANTON MUSEUM OF ART is reinstalling its permanent collection. When the second-floor gallery spaces reopen on Feb. 12, works by African American artists will be among the standout attractions. The collection exhibition features new acquisitions and holdings that...
Curator Rujeko Hockley is Joining the Whitney Museum
THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART announced the appointment of Rujeko Hockley as assistant curator. For the past four years she has been at the Brooklyn Museum where she is assistant curator of contemporary art. Hockley starts at The Whitney on March 6. “I am thrilled to be transitioning from one incredible world-class institution to...
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
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
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
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...
