Today’s post features one of my favorite murals in downtown Raleigh that holds a unique connection to Raleigh’s history. In 2017 artist Dare Coulter was commissioned by the ACLU and the Raleigh Murals Project to create “Dare to Dissent”, a tribute to the legacy of protest and activism throughout history. Coulter’s murals are important … Continue reading Artist a Day: Dare Coulter
I’ve spent the better part of this rainy week devoting time in the Artist a Day series to the incredible black and white photography created by artists in the Kamoinge Workshop; one common thread among them is that many were represented by the now shuttered Steven Kasher Gallery in New York. Kasher wound down his … Continue reading Artist a Day: Louis Draper
As an eleven year old growing up in Queens, Dawoud Bey came upon a copy of a book published by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee called “The Movement”. With text by Lorraine Hansberry accompanied by photographs from numerous artists, the book captured the pain, political vitriol, emotion and hatred that swirled around Civil Rights workers in the early … Continue reading Artist a Day Challenge (14): Dawoud Bey
We’re finally closing out 2016 and I know am not alone in saying this: I’m tired. Last month I saw this Sam Durant looming over one of the LACMA galleries as diners were eating al fresco in the courtyard enjoying wine at Ray’s and Stark Bar. Around the same time my Instagram feed was flooded with Basel pictures, including Durant’s popular “End … Continue reading Truth Sellers: My Thoughts on Loss, 2016 & Lucrative Appropriation
TONDI’s first virtual exhibition Burn Baby Burn will take you into the work of Mark Bradford and Noah Purifoy who were each given large scale retrospectives at the Hammer and LACMA this summer. The virtual exhibition is anchored by two essays that probe into specific works found in each exhibit. In Scorched Earth we examine how … Continue reading Virtual Exhibition: Burn Baby Burn!
Today is Langston Hughes’ 113 birthday, and Google has posted a beautiful doodle in tribute to the writer. I am smitten with the animation by doodler Katy Wu and how the illustration captures the vibrancy of the jazz age and the beautiful message in his poetry. Hughes deftly recognized our stark, painful realities while artistically transcending the pain … Continue reading Today’s Google Doodle: February 1, 2015
For the past 10+ years my office has been a supporter of our local YMCA in Downtown Los Angeles, and every year we sponsor the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Brotherhood breakfast. I have been asked to attend this event no less than 6 times and each year I curiously look at my fellow attendees invited to the breakfast. The … Continue reading Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Reflections on Service, Sacrifice and Self
I have been thinking about this phrase for a long time. This 1988 piece by Glenn Ligon was an adaptation of a legendary photo taken in 1968 by Ernest Withers. The original photograph is from the ’68 Sanitation Worker’s Strike in Memphis, TN which was initiated in response to the egregiously deplorable working conditions workers … Continue reading 2013 Inauguration/MLK Day Reflections
Culture Shock Art 