Another year in the books. January 1, 2022 started just like 2021. I made gumbo and black eyed peas, watched the Twilight Zone Marathon…then I got to business clipping and pasting images, creating my vision board to chart my course for the year. However, there was one notable omission from my annual plan; I didn’t … Continue reading Traveling without a Map: Navigating Invitations and Provocations
Every year I look forward to February. For me it has always been a month of learning that extends beyond 28 days. I’ve historically dedicated Black History Month to highlighting an Artist a Day on the blog. It’s not only a labor of love, it has been an immensely helpful and impactful writing challenge for … Continue reading Artist a Day 2021: Something New
We’re living in a time of odd juxtapositions. We’re disconnected from our physical lives while we remain constantly connected to each other virtually. We hoard toilet paper yet remain disastrously wasteful. We covet time, but bemoan boredom. Before Covid-19, we longed for the quiet solitude that comes with less crowded streets, remote working, and quality … Continue reading “Give Me Some Moments”: Slow Looking with Lorna Simpson at Hauser & Wirth
I miss museums. There’s something about hearing the faint echoes of hushed conversations within galleries while the sounds of loose hardwood planks slowly creak with each step as I walk through an exhibit. It’s comforting. I miss the carefully engineered skylights and windows that let the right amount of light in and give me a … Continue reading Dawoud Bey: An American Project
The New York Times recently reported that photographer Shawn Walker, one of the founding members of New York’s Kamoinge Collective, will have his work added to the collection of the Library of Congress. The acquisition of over 100,000 photos, negatives and other material is being collected and archived in conjunction with the Photography Collections Preservation … Continue reading Artist a Day: Revisiting Shawn Walker
I love highlighting photographers on the blog and noticed that in prior year’s Artist a Day posts I focused on the work of Black male photographers, with the one exception being Ming Smith. I thought it was time to highlight current photographers who are forging new paths in fashion photography that radically define redefine how … Continue reading Artist a Day: Adrienne Raquel
While I was out for a walk today in downtown Raleigh I stopped to have a chat with a man that works nearby and I found out that he’s a cowboy. We ended up talking about animals and his dream of one day owning a horse, which ended up dovetailing into a convo about the … Continue reading Artist a Day: Ron Tarver
We tend to define key visual art moments through seminal shows that seek to define, map, and place an artist’s work in a historical context. In Los Angeles, many of these moments revolve around large-scale exhibitions like the Hammer’s Made in L.A. biennial or the Getty’s Pacific Standard Time. When they are executed well, these … Continue reading A Case for Black Art History Month in Los Angeles
The hardest part of this Artist a Day series is when I come across an artist where limited biographical information exists. Bay area artist and printmaker Cleveland Bellow showed work in over 60 shows throughout his career and taught art in addition to his civic engagement as Alameda County’s Art Commissioner. Bellow passed away from … Continue reading Artist a Day: Cleveland Bellow
Art fairs are like glorified prom nights for collectors and as such, galleries are the poor chauffeurs, dress makers, and florists that have to cater to whims of giddy, hopeful, attendees– Frieze L.A. was no exception. For those of us who are outside both the blue chip collector class and the P&L engines that drive … Continue reading Artist a Day: Frieze Edition
Culture Shock Art 