Madi Comfort

Works of late Whittier artist Madi Comfort are included in an exhibit titled "inside my head," running now through Sept. 27 at the California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The exhibit is closed Mondays. Admission is free.
Parking at 39th Street and Figueroa Avenue is $8. For more information, call (213) 744-7432.
Comfort died five years ago at the age of 79. She moved to Whittier in 1970 following many glamorous years as a movie actress-singer and associate of legendary band leader Duke Ellington. It was after moving to Whittier that she honed her artistic talent in the class of Jerry Romotsky at Rio Hondo College. She was 59 when she enrolled.

Tank Man

OK, this is not about Black visual art, but it is about one of the most iconic images ever. I remember how much this photo affected me as a young person. When I saw this lone man stand up to a line of tanks, I knew that human beings were able to reach down deep for courage that I never imagined existed.

So as we celebrate the anniversary of Tiananmen, let's remember this solitary, strong, freedom fighter and pray for human rights worldwide, and at home.

Check out the behind the scenes article in the New York Times, with interviews from various photographers who snapped the same image.

National Trust for Historic Preservation

As many of you know, one of my interests is historic preservation. You can help out the National Trust for Historic Preservation by checking out and bidding in their online auction. There are only a few more days left to bid. Visit the auction here. Luckily, their national conference will be in Nashville, TN this year. I hope to be able to attend.

The Trust is a great organization with many initiatives that work to preserve our nation's architectural and cultural history. Many of their projects focus on places of interest to African American history.

National Trust for Historic Preservation Online Auction

Art "Career" Update

Those of you who know me know that I've been a bit trifling with my art career lately. There's only so many times that I can get away with telling people that my painting is going fine, while glaring at them and daring them to ask a follow up question. I lost my Step Dad at the beginning of the year and them my Mom became very ill and had to be hospitalised for a couple of months. I had to really drop everything and help take care of her. She's fine now, and I'm ready to get going again.

So, I've been spending a lot of time (and a surprising amount -- I'm in the wrong business -- of money) on getting some of my prime pieces framed and photographed. But this weekend, I donated a piece to a local charity auction and it sold -- so that lifted my spirits.

I spend a lot of time posting on this blog about other African American artists, so I just thought I'd update you on one in particular -- me.

The piece above on the left is entitled Crown/Collar and is on display at a local TV studio.

Changing Art We Can Believe In

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The Obamas are revamping the White House art collection, and to make room for modern works by African-American, Asian, Hispanic, and female artists, they’ll be doing away with many of 19th-century still lifes, pastorals, and portraits that are currently on view. The art world is paying close attention to the process, as the Obamas’ decisions could affect the markets for chosen works and artists. Last week the First Couple installed seven pieces on loan from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in their private residence, including ones by African-American abstract artist Alma Thomas. The National Gallery of Art has also loaned the family works this year, by Jasper Johns, Richard Diebenkorn, and Edward Ruscha, as well as Robert Rauschenberg and Louise Nevelson.
Read more at The Wall Street Journal.

Musical Interlude

Michelle Obama Supports the Arts

"Nearly 6 million people make their living in the nonprofit arts industry," First Lady Michelle Obama reminded everyone yesterday during her remarks at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she cut the ribbon for the re-opening of the American Wing. "Arts and cultural activities," she continued, "contribute more than $160 billion to our economy every year." Those are big numbers, and it's good to see the First Lady emphasize them. They should make clear to anyone that the arts is as legitimate an industry as any other when it comes to government support in this recession. Those numbers should also make clear that $50 million--the grand total given to the arts out of the $787 billion stimulus package--is nowhere near what the arts industry needs.

Read the Rest of the Story Here.

Online Documentary: Colored Frames

I learned about this excellent documentary from BlackLines.

“Colored Frames” chronicles the struggles of African American artists for visibility and acceptance over the past 75 years. The dark tales of racism and oppression in the art world from a variety of artists young and old, is counterbalanced by the vibrant imagery of their works, which range in style from impressionistic collage, to abstract surrealism. “It was important that rather than simply being a collection of nice pictures, the film at the same time explore the core of the African American experience both historically, and today. Only this way can the audience truly understand and appreciate these works” said Wilson. Ugbode added “I’m not saying good films haven’t been made, but I believe that there is room in the celebration of Black History for new interpretations of that history. If only because history up until recently has been documented by the same people.”

Check out the documentary here.

What do you think?

Craig Wilkins

As a graduate student in Cultural Studies at the University of Minnesota, Craig Wilkins was struck by how people define space at hip hop raves. In the midst of dance, human presence defines architecture, not the other way around.

An avid dancer, Wilkins hung out at raves in the Minneapolis area when Prince was rising in popularity. He was fascinated with how music and dancing creates an identity and function for space. "No matter how many different kinds of people come to a rave, there's a moment in that rave where everybody's on the same page. Everybody's in the same place, whether that place is in a warehouse, an open field… I'm like, man that's a phenomenal, wonderful thing. Are there any other ways that can happen? How might I be able to make that architectural? Basically what architects do is shape space. If music can help create space and can help create identity, what kind of identity would a hip hop space make?"Fast forward 20 years, Wilkins is in Detroit, a professor of architecture at the University of Michigan and the director of the university's Detroit Community Design Center. He dances less, but retains an appreciation of hip hop and the notion that human activity defines architecture, not the other way around.

Read the Rest of the Story Here.

Wiley World

Here's a great article from the latest Advocate magazine about one of my favorite artists.

His paintings might resemble portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds or Thomas Gainsborough, but little else is traditional about Kehinde Wiley’s approach to urban male culture.
From The Advocate June 2009