The bibliography of politically-committed art by African American women has gotten considerably richer with the publication of several exhibition catalogs, all of which are essential resources on their subjects. Here, in part 1 of a two-part series, Andrea Kirsh reviews the catalogs for “Howardena Pindell: What Remains to Be Seen” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and “Joyce J. Scott: Harriet Tubman and Other Truths” at Grounds for Sculpture.
Read MoreNew Artblog contributor, Matthew Singer places “Maelstrom Analytica,” Tristan Lowe’s installation on view at Intuitive Art Space through September 19th, within the broader cultural conversation about toxic masculinity. He also considers, by way of contrast, recent explorations of gender and violence by Lowe’s age-mate and contemporary, the New York-based artist Cary Leibowitz (Candyass).
Read MoreAndrea Kirsh takes a trip to Chicago and shares her experience of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s recent Howardena Pindell retrospective. Across an impressive range of media and techniques, Pindell’s work tackles race, labor and the technologies that bind. This long-overdue exhibition, which was on view at the MCA from February 24 through May 20, will travel to the Virginia Museum of Fine Art later this year before showing at Brandeis University’s Rose Art Museum in early 2019.
Read MoreArtblog’s resident architect, Mandy Palasik, attends this year’s Louis I. Kahn Memorial Award + Talk, and reports back on awardee, Sir David Adjaye’s presentation of his own work at the event. She reflects on his innovative approach to translating inspiration into material form and on his commitment to delivering quality design regardless of budget.
Read MoreImani Roach visits local artist Frances Beaver at her Fishtown studio to chat about her recent video project, Sex of the Earth, and her evolving relationship to narrative and performance.
Read MoreCarl(os) chats with Machine Dazzle, costume designer for Taylor Mac’s upcoming performance of “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music,” at the Kimmel Center June 2nd and 9th. They talk hoarding, trash aesthetics, designing on instinct and much more.
Read MoreDeb Krieger is back with a review of Grizzly Grizzly’s current two-person show, “Two Spiders,” featuring work by Jesse Harrod and Chris Bogia. On view through May 27th, “Two Spiders” explores queerness through a variety of media and in relation to a playful mix of bodily and cultural references.
Read MoreMichael visits Stanek Gallery to review People, Places & Things, the Old City fixture‘s first exhibit of photography. Comprised of works from the past 60 years by ten photographers, including several notable locals, this show is as engaging as it is stylistically varied. Be sure to catch it before it closes on March 26th!
Read MoreIn Part Two of our 2-part coverage of the new documentary, Imani gives her take on how Sara Driver’s film about Basquiat’s early years both fits and breaks the mold. Boom For Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat is now playing at Ritz at the Bourse. See Roberta’s review from last Friday for even more to chew on.
Read MoreKaterina Lanfranco, Artblog’s new NYC correspondent, visited The Studio Museum’s exhibit, “Firelei Báez: Joy Out of Fire,” on view at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture May 1-November 24. Part of the Museum’s itinerant “inHarlem” programming, “Joy Out of Fire” thoughtfully pairs Baez’s expressive mural-scale paintings with historical ephemera from the library’s own archives.
Read MoreJune 1 is the deadline to apply for funding from the new Velocity Fund. The fund awards grants up to $5,000 to artists living in Philadelphia for new projects, especially those that are collaborative and/or experimental. If you have questions about applying, Read This Post! There are answers!
Read MoreImani talks to Trenton Doyle Hancock about “Moundverse Infants” his new installation of collected and commissioned “dolls” at Temple Contemporary through July 27th. Inspired in part by the Clark Doll Test, as well as by Hancock’s desire to take play seriously, the exhibition includes both new work created in collaboration with Tim Rusterholz of Tyler School of Art’s sculpture lab, and highlights from The Philadelphia Doll Museum’s collection of 20th century black dolls.
Read MoreThe Women’s Mobile Museum is a year-long project by the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center which brings renowned South African Photographer, Zanele Muholi to Philadelphia to engage with a group of ten local women who are interested in media arts and museum studies but have not had significant access to formal training in these areas. Imani sat down with Muholi and two of the program’s apprentices, Shasta Bady and “Muffy” Ashley Torres, to discuss their hopes for the project and their journey thus far.
Read MoreIn Part One of our 2-part coverage of the new documentary, Roberta gives a brief overview of the film and says it’s not a bio-pic but a history flick about an era in which Basquiat was a player who turns out to be major. The film opens today at Ritz at the Bourse. Stay tuned for Imani Roach’s review coming up soon!
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