For part 2 of Andrea Kirsh’s new catalog roundup featuring African American women artists, she looks at “Nina Chanel Abney: Royal Flush,” from the painter’s 10-year retrospective at Duke University’s Nasher Museum of art, as well as at the double-volume publication that resulted from last year’s blockbuster “We Wanted A Revolution: Black Radical Women 1965-1985” at the Brooklyn Museum. Kirsh reflects on generational shifts and on all the work yet to be done.
Read MoreOver the past couple of decades, almost all American art museums have claimed a mission to reach out to “underserved communities,” yet none of them have acknowledged that these communities have their own well-developed aesthetics of art and material culture. They differ from the mainstream, and the institutions have not been willing to embrace aesthetic values beyond their own. The first part of “The Freedom Principle” is remarkable for doing just that: exhibiting art–and music–that was selected by a group of artists largely excluded from the mainstream of their period, who developed a different set of aesthetic aspirations and standards.
Read MoreHELLO!
Sign up to receive Artblog’s weekly newsletter and updates sent directly to your inbox.