Shotgun, Third Ward #1, 1966
John Biggers
Tempera and oil
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Museum purchase made possible by Anacostia Museum, Smithsonian Institution
In Conversation: Modern African American Art
On view June 1, 2013 to September 2, 2013
Located in the: Peabody Essex Museum
Created at significant social and political moments in America, this premier collection of paintings, photographs and sculpture by 43 prominent African American artists presents conversations about art, identity and the rights of the individual. The artworks reflect an America that celebrates the multi-faceted nature of society.
In Conversation: Modern African American Art is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum with generous support from Alston & Bird; Amherst Holdings, LLC; Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation; Larry Irving and Leslie Wiley; the William R. Kenan, Jr. Endowment Fund; Clarence Otis and Jacqui Bradley; and PEPCO. The C.F. Foundation in Atlanta supports the museum's traveling exhibition program, Treasures to Go.
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Images
Can Fire in the Park
Beauford Delaney, Can Fire in the Park, 1946, oil, Smithsonian American Art Museum
Dancing at Jazz Alley. Chicago, Illinois, June 1974
Roland L. Freeman, Dancing at Jazz Alley. Chicago, Illinois, June 1974, from the series Southern
Roads/ City Pavements, 1974/ Printed 1982, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum,
Gift of George H. Dalsheimer. © 1974 Ronald L. Freeman
Light Blue Nursery
Alma Thomas, Light Blue Nursery, 1968, acrylic, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Artist
School’s Out
Allan Rohan Crite, School’s Out, 1936, oil, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from The
Museum of Modern Art
New Car (South Richmond, Virginia)
Robert McNeill, New Car (South Richmond, Virginia), from the project The Negro in Virginia, 1938,
gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum. © 1938 Robert McNeill
Shotgun, Third Ward #1, 1966
John Biggers
Tempera and oil
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Museum purchase made possible by Anacostia Museum, Smithsonian Institution
Related Events
Open House | 10 am-5 pm
Evening Reception | 6:30-9 pm
At 7:15 pm enjoy a conversation between Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, PEM's James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes Chief Curator, and Edmund Barry Gaither, Director and Curator of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists.
Light hors d'oeuvres and cash bar.
Members $18 | Guests $25
Reservations are not required for the Open House. Reservations and advance payment are required for the Evening Reception.
Included with museum admission
Celebrate the range and variety of artwork on view in In Conversation: Modern African American Art with a two-day festival of artwork, ideas and performance.
DROP-IN ART MAKING
Collaborative Collage | 11 am-2 pm | Atrium
Join artist and children's author Bryan Collier to create a colossal masterpiece using a unique blend of watercolor and collage.
PRESENTATION
All Jazzed Up | 1-2 pm | Morse Auditorium
Reservations by May 29
Eric Jackson, dean of Boston jazz radio and host of WGBH's Eric in the Evening, delves into the connections between African American visual artists of the 20th century and their counterparts in jazz.
DANCE PERFORMANCE
EDGEWORKS Dance Theater | 2:15-3 pm | Atrium
Select dancers from this all-male company challenge and affirm perceptions of male identity, revealing strength and vulnerability. Featuring the work of Artistic Director Helanius J. Wilkins and other internationally recognized choreographers.
PRESENTATION
In Conversation ... Onstage | 3:15-4:30 pm | Morse Auditorium
Reservations by May 29
Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, The James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes Chief Curator, Richard Powell, art history professor at Duke University and co-author of the In Conversation catalog, and In Conversation artist Keith Morrison discuss the contributions of modern African American artists toward a larger American identity.
Made possible by the Lowell Institute
Included with museum admission
Celebrate the range and variety of artwork on view in In Conversation: Modern African American Art with a two-day festival of artwork, ideas and performance.
See June 1 listings
MAKING ART
Drawing in the Galleries | 10-11:30 am | meet at information desk
Reservations by May 29
With guidance from life-drawing instructor David Ferreira, draw from a live model to explore the theme of the human body, stance and position in the work of the photographers and painters on view in In Conversation. Bring a wooden drawing board; other materials provided.
Collaborative Collage | 11 am-2 pm, Atrium
GALLERY TALK
Conversations in In Conversation | 11 am-noon | meet at information desk
For adults
Art history professor Richard Powell leads a tour of this exhibition.
PRESENTATION
Black Lens: African American Life and Photography
1-2 pm | Morse Auditorium
Reservations by May 29
Photographer Marilyn Nance, celebrated for her visually arresting and intimate photographs of spiritual culture of the African diaspora, discusses her work. Curator of Photography Phillip Prodger joins Nance to discuss her work on view in In Conversation.
DANCE PERFORMANCE
EDGEWORKS Dance Theater | 2:15-3 pm, Atrium
ARTIST TALK
Power and Possibility: Visual Storytelling Through Children's Literature
3:15-4:15 pm | Morse Auditorium | For adults
Reservations by May 29
Join children's author and artist Bryan Collier as he discusses the influence of children's literature on his life and those around him.
FILM
Thornton Dial | 4:30-4:50 pm | Morse Auditorium
Tickets available on day of film
The documentary examines the extraordinary life and work of this 77-year-old contemporary artist from Bessemer, Ala., whose work appears in In Conversation. The former migrant farmer and steel worker never formally trained as an artist, yet art critics call him genius. 2006, 20 minutes, produced and directed by Celia Carey.
Made possible by the Lowell Institute
