At the Brooklyn Museum looking to the art of Mickalene Thomas for inspiration, noted scholars discuss issues surrounding the black female body in the context of the art-historical canon. Visitors are invited to join the conversation.
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor Brooklyn Museum Saturday, January 12, 2013 at 2:00 PM
How has the black female body been idealized and misread in visual culture? How might these tendencies affect black women today?
A tour of the exhibition: Mickalene Thomas Origin of the Universe will precede and follow the discussion at 1 and 4 PM.
Speakers include:
Deborah “Deb” Willis, contemporary African American artist, photographer, curator, historian, and author; Professor and Chair of the Department of Photography and Imaging at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University
Isolde Brielmaier, Chief Curator of Exhibitions at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD); writer and lecturer on contemporary art
Carla Williams, writer, speaker, coauthor of The Black Female Body: A Photographic History, and other books, Professor of Photographer at Rochester Institute Technology
Tisa Bryant, writer who’s multilayered work often traverses the boundaries of genre, culture, and history; School of Critical Studies faculty member and Interim Faculty Co-director for Equity and Diversity at CalArts
Advance purchase is recommended at www.museumtix.com. Museum Members receive free admission; please call the Membership Hotline at 718-501-6326 for reservations. Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn Museum 200 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, N.Y. 11238-6052
‘Envisioning Emancipation’recounts a dynamic history of black self-possession and self-determination… one that challenges the abiding myth of the crusade against slavery and segregation: that of passive black victims who obtained freedom mostly through the benevolence and generosity of their white saviors.” “Groundbreaking…The book explores how blacks ‘positioned themselves and were posed by others’ in order to advance, question or alter prevailing ideas about race.”
African American Civil Way Union Soldier and Family
The history of America’s enslaved African Americans, is most often ignored entirely in the telling of the American story. If the African American enslaved is mentioned at all in most histories of America it is as downtrodden victims, a poor people who are entirely dominated by the superior ruling group, or as backdrop to historical events such as the Revolutionary War, and even the Civil War. Seldom are they seen as heroes and even less often are they applauded for the stealth and cunning with which they have survived against impossible odds throughout the history of the country. The stories are often told of how they were saved by the abolitionist movement and the generosity of the Abraham Lincoln’s of the era. Notwithstanding the singular importance of these interracial and cross cultural collaborations it is only recently that slaves and former slaves are seen as having had a great deal to do with their own liberation! The indomitable spirit, the steadfast belief in God, and in themselves, an unbelievable optimism that spanned 400 of the darkest years imaginable. That spirit still survives to this day…these are traits that should be remembered and celebrated on this coming 150th anniversary!
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‘NOTABLE COMMENTS’
“Envisioning Emancipation offers an illuminating and inspiring look at the men and women who enabled, lived through, and were affected by the landmark event of emancipation. With a stunning collection of photographs accompanied by engaging new scholarship, this book is sure to have a vital and important impact on the way we see our nation and ourselves.” THELMA GOLDEN, Director and Chief Curator of the Museum of Harlem
“When Frederick Douglass observed that ‘Negroes can never have impartial portraits at the hands of white artists,’ he virtually predicted a century of derogation and invisibility for African Americans. Images of African Americans under slavery or even later during Reconstruction are notoriously rare, and there has never been a comprehensive survey of these always illuminating photographs. In Envisioning Emancipation, Deborah Willis and Barbara Krauthamer have painstakingly filled in many of the missing pieces, compiling an extraordinary photograph album of African American vernacular life that will be treasured as much for its historical insights as for its powerful aesthetic impact.” BRIAN WALLIS, Chief Curator, International Center of Photography
“Envisioning Emancipation is a rare publication that is intellectually innovative and emotionally enriching. Willis and Krauthamer have transformed the way scholars will look at abolitionism and the transition from enslavement to freedom by carefully recasting and reassessing black imagery to better understand and explore the intersection of race, gender, propaganda, and identity. The authors remind us that photography was a valuable and effective weapon in the struggle over the future of slavery in America. A weapon that was used, fought over, and manipulated by all involved.” LONNIE BUNCH is the Founding Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture
“[A] stunning range of images that ‘allow us to contemplate not only the history of slavery and emancipation but also our continued ties to that history and its legacies.’ The result is a gem: haunting, touching, troubling, inspiring, and informative….Particularly noteworthy is the attention given to women, especially their role in the Civil War…. Though it does not purport to be a photographic history of African-Americans, one will certainly see the course of history leading to emancipation.” —Publishers Weekly
The new book by Professors Deb Willis and Barbara Krauthamer has risen in less that a month in release to:
