Leslie King-Hammond opened recently as guest curator at MOBIA in Manhattan with “Ashe to Amen— African Americans and Biblical Imagery at the Museum of Biblical Art in New York City”. “Ashe”, a Yoruba word, refers to the creative power of an artist to make something happen. “Amen” is an affirmation meaning essentially “so be it” also implying that ‘it’ has been done and done well! This is the feeling that I came away with from much of the work in this exhibition. The beautiful piece by Chester Higgins probably most exemplifies this idea…quiet and understated from the first encounter but then growing in statue and power before your very eyes as you see the deeper significance.
Leslie King-Hammond has curated numerous exhibitions including the very imaginative ‘The Global Africa Project’ which explored the impact of African visual culture on contemporary art, craft and design around the world at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. Dr. King-Hammond has garnered such prestigious awards as a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Studio Museum in Harlem, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women’s Art Caucus-College Art Association, and in 2010 the Alain Locke International Prize, among many others.
The Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA) provides a beautiful venue for this work. The stated objective of the museum is to ‘provide to the public an interpretation of art through the lens of biblical religions and an understanding of religion through its artistic manifestations’. I believe that this philosophical approach will become increasingly relevant over the coming years and that this venue will benefit greatly from this approach.
Organized by MOBIA, “Ashe to Amen: African Americans and Biblical Imagery” will be on view at MOBIA February 15 – May 26, 2013; at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture June 22 – September 29, 2013; and at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens October 20, 2013 – January 5, 2014.
Major support for MOBIA’s exhibitions and programs has been provided by American Bible Society and by Howard and Roberta Ahmanson. “Ashe to Amen: African Americans and Biblical Imagery” is made possible by the generous support of New York Theological Seminary, the National Endowment for the Arts, Jim and LaFaye Lewis, New York Amsterdam News, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Support for children’s educational programs is provided, in part, by TD Charitable Foundation.