Featured photo: from Expressions: Works on Paper by African American Artists: Judy Bowman American, b. 1952 Mom in Harlem, 2020 Archival pigment print on paper 20 x 30 in. Museum purchase with funds from the Collection Endowment, 2020.52 © JudyBowman.com 2020 Photo © StewartStewart.com 2020
Written by Tanya Terry
The Flint Institute of Arts (FIA) is continuing to celebrate Black history through art in January and February 2023 and beyond!
“These are stories that are really important and the history is really important, especially in this community that is over 50% African American,” said Rachael Holstege, associate curator at FIA.
Holstege pointed out in the past, institutionally over art museums, Black artists haven’t been represented as much, as well, or as they should be. She said the FIA is working to do what they can to change that.
“The Expressions: Works on Paper by African American Artists” show takes place from Jan. 14-April 16 in the Graphics Gallery at FIA. It includes 18 works on paper by 18 different African American artists.
“These works, like the title ‘Expressions’ says, are not only expressions of the artists themselves, their interpersonal feelings, but also expressions of others within the African American community, the Black experience,” Holstege said. “These artists are telling the stories and expressing themselves through not only figurative and narrative works that are telling a very clear story, but also through abstract works that are telling this sort of story in a different way.”
Ways of Seeing: The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art at The University of Alabama takes place Jan. 29 – April 23.
Paul Jones is a U.S. collector who died in 2008.
“Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, he saw in museums and private collections that African American, Black artists were underrepresented,” Holstege explained. “As a Black man himself, he really took it upon himself and made it his mission to support these artist and to collect their works. He collected these works with the intention of showing them to the public, although he did live with some of them. He did it to educate and to get these artists out there.”
Jones had close personal relationships with many of the artists. Jones had almost 5,000 works in his collection. He donated a portion to the University of Delaware and a portion to the University of Alabama. The FIA exhibition features 50 of these works from the University of Alabama. There are works from the 1930s-2010.
From now until Feb. 28, Ezra Wube Videoworks: Volume 1 is featured in the Security Credit Union Gallery.
Ezra Wube is a video artist, and he works in stop motion. Stop motion is a cinematographic technique whereby the camera is repeatedly stopped and started and can give animated figures the impression of movement.
“He really looks at the cultural and urban experiences. So, a lot of his works are set in the city, New York City, where he lives. He was born in Ethiopia. So, these works are also looking at cross culture and how he came from another culture and integrated into American life.”
Four video works are being played by Wube repeatedly.
A new permanent gallery dedicated to works by African American and African diaspora artists is located in the FIA’s Contemporary Wing. It originally had works by photorealists, a contemporary art form.
The 16th Annual Community Gala includes a lecture by the curator of the The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art, Emily Bibb, followed by the opening in the Hodge and Henry Galleries, live entertainment, heavy hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. It takes place from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28. in the Isabel Hall, FIA Theater and galleries. Cocktail attire will be appropriate. The Community Gala Committee raises funds through the yearly gallery to acquire artwork by Black artists to continue expanding the collection. Learn more or purchase tickets at https://flintarts.org/events/community-gala.
To learn more about the FIA, visit https://www.flintarts.org/.
