Culture Type: The Year in Black Art 2018
IN MANY WAYS, 2018 was a watershed year for black artists. Overdue recognition of art by African American artists and black artists from throughout the world, continued to grow among collectors, curators, critics, scholars, and gallery owners. There were many indicators of the ever-expanding institutional and market interest. European attention on African American artists rose....
Election 2018: Artists and Museums are Shining a Light on Democracy, Freedom, and the Importance of Voting
Trevor Paglen for For Freedoms NATIONWIDE THE ENERGY AND URGENCY surrounding the midterm elections is translating into record voter turnout. More than 31.5 million early and absentee votes have been been cast thus far. Days remain before Election Day and advanced balloting in 22 states and the District of Columbia has already exceeded total...
Kehinde Wiley, the Portrait Artist Who is ‘Transforming the Way African Americans are Seen,’ Makes Time 100 List
Kehinde Wiley is among the artists who made the 2018 Time 100 list. | Video by Time Magazine TIME MAGAZINE RELEASED its Time 100 list for 2018 and it features three visual artists—Judy Chicago, JR, and Kehinde Wiley, who appears in the wake of painting his news making portrait of President Barack Obama, which...
The Month in African American Art: Here’s What Happened in February 2018
Kara Walker and her crew install “The Katastwóf Karavan” at Algiers Point in New Orleans. | Photo © Ari Marcopoulos by via Prospect New Orleans BLACK HISTORY MONTH was rife with notable moments in art history, chief among them, the unveiling of the Obama portraits at the National Portrait Gallery on Feb 12. Washington...
Presidential Appointments: Obamas Select Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald to Paint Their Official Portraits for Smithsonian
TWO AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTISTS are painting official portraits of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. The artists were selected by the Obamas. New York-based Kehinde Wiley is painting the president and Baltimore artist Amy Sherald will depict the first lady. The Portrait Gallery commissioned...
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...
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...
President Obama Dedicates New Smithsonian African American Museum, Quotes Langston Hughes Declaring ‘I, Too, Am America’
Embed from Getty Images For while the tale of how we suffer and how we are delighted and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard – President Obama, quoting James Baldwin RINGING A HISTORIC CHURCH BELL, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama officially marked the opening...
