here & now California African American Museum Fall 2017
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welcome. This fall we present a suite of new exhibitions that delve into key eras in African American art and history and examine identity and exclusion. We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85, a notable traveling exhibition for which CAAM will be the only West Coast venue, looks at the political, social, cultural, and aesthetic priorities of women of color during the emergence of second-wave feminism. The exhibition presents works by artists and activists who lived and labored at the intersections of avant-garde art worlds, radical political movements, and profound social change. In addition, we’re honored to debut a solo exhibition of recent work by Los Angeles artist Lezley Saar that reflects her longstanding interest in issues of hybridity, exclusion, and acceptance, as well as to present Circles and Circuits I: History and Art of the Chinese Caribbean Diaspora, the first of a two-part exhibition that is part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA. Our co-presenter for this groundbreaking look at the art of the Chinese Caribbean diaspora is the Chinese American Museum, where the second half of this exhibition takes place. Meanwhile, have you visited our new website, caamuseum.org? It’s the final part of a rebranding initiative that we’ve rolled out over the past year, which includes our new logo and the overall fresh look that you see on everything CAAM-related, from our building to our e-newsletter to our social media platforms. The new website is filled with details about our exhibitions and public programs, information about the Museum’s collections and history, and ways you can get involved at CAAM. Please take a look, and let us know what you think! Finally, you may know that our seasonal opening celebration, “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,” has become a phenomenon unto itself—the summer event ended with a huge, impromptu Electric Slide! Please plan to join us at the next one on Wednesday, October 25 (see page 11 for details). It’s not a party without you! 4 exhibitions | 12 public programs | 16 for families | 18 visit 2
Gary Simmons Fade to Black in CAAM’s lobby. Photo: Brian Forrest
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exhibitions We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85 October 13, 2017 – January 14, 2018 Focusing on the work of African American women artists, We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85 examines the political, social, cultural, and aesthetic priorities of women of color during the emergence of second-wave feminism. It is the first exhibition to highlight the voices and experiences of women of color—distinct from the primarily white, middle-class mainstream feminist movement—in order to reorient conversations around race, feminism, political action, art production, and art history in this significant historical period. Presenting a diverse group of artists and activists who lived and worked at the intersections of avant-garde art worlds, radical political movements, and profound social change, the exhibition features a wide array of work, including conceptual, performance, film, and video art, as well as photography, painting, sculpture, and printmaking. The artists represented in the exhibition include Emma Amos, Camille Billops, Kay Brown, Vivian E. Browne, Linda Goode Bryant, Beverly Buchanan, Carole Byard, Elizabeth Catlett, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Ayoka Chenzira, Christine Choy and Susan Robeson, Blondell Cummings, Julie Dash, Pat Davis, Jeff Donaldson, Maren Hassinger, Janet Henry, Virginia Jaramillo, Jae Jarrell, Wadsworth Jarrell, Lisa Jones, Loïs Mailou Jones, Barbara Jones-Hogu, Carolyn Lawrence, Samella Lewis, Dindga McCannon, Barbara McCullough, Ana Mendieta, Senga Nengudi, Lorraine O’Grady, Howardena Pindell, Faith Ringgold, Alva Rogers, Alison Saar, Betye Saar, Coreen Simpson, Lorna Simpson, Ming Smith, and Carrie Mae Weems.
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We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85 is organized by the Brooklyn Museum. Generous support for this exhibition is provided by the Ford Foundation. The exhibition is organized by Catherine Morris, Sackler Family Senior Curator for the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, and Rujeko Hockley, assistant curator of contemporary art at the Whitney Museum of American Art. CAAM’s presentation is organized by Naima J. Keith, Deputy Director and Chief Curator.
Lorraine O’Grady. Mlle Bourgeoise Noire Goes to the New Museum, 1981. Performed at the New Museum, New York. Gelatin silver print, 9 ¼ x 7 in. (23.6 x 17.8 cm). Courtesy of Alexander Gray Associates. © 2017 Lorraine O’Grady / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
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exhibitions Lezley Saar: Salon des Refusés October 25, 2017 – February 18, 2018 Since the 1990s, Lezley Saar has worked with paint, fabric, photographs, and found objects to investigate issues such as hybridity, identity, and acceptance. Her oeuvre, which employs a distinctive visual vocabulary, is multilayered in terms of materials, execution, meaning, and intellectual complexity. Saar’s recurring depiction of persons outside the realm of what is commonly believed to be “normal”—be it defined in physical, mental, neurological, sexual, or racial terms—is distilled from her lifelong personal experiences as an artist born and based in Los Angeles. Salon des Refusés (Salon of the Rejected) includes three of Saar’s most recent bodies of work: Madwoman in the Attic/Madness and the Gaze, Monad, and Gender Renaissance, along with a selection of early altered books that show the origins of the artist’s interest in literature, mixed media, and marginalized figures. It takes its name from an art exhibition held in Paris in 1863 organized by artists that had been excluded from the official Paris Salon—an important annual exhibition that could make or break an artist’s career. These painters departed from the established aesthetic of the time because of their avant-garde styles and everyday subject matter, yet they still wanted their voices to be heard. By using this title, Saar alludes metaphorically to individuals excluded from mainstream society, whose depictions appear in the many portraits on view in this exhibition. This exhibition is curated by Mar Hollingsworth, Visual Arts Curator and Program Manager. Lezley Saar, Bemused Resignation Monad Series, 2014. Mixed media on canvas. 16” x 12”. Collection Betzi Stein
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ongoing exhibitions Gary Simmons: Fade to Black Through Summer 2018 “A flickering shard of sunlight cuts across the lobby and, as if at the start of a 1920s movie cast from a rickety projector, the text on the murals seems almost kinetic.” Los Angeles Times, July 11, 2017
For his first Los Angeles museum exhibition, Gary Simmons has covered all five walls of CAAM’s grand lobby with a site-specific painting featuring his signature erasure techniques and including titles of vintage silent films that feature predominately African American casts. This exhibition is curated by Naima J. Keith, Deputy Director and Chief Curator.
Center Stage: African American Women in Silent Race Films Through October 15, 2017 “The black woman’s unfortunate standing in Hollywood history is why [this exhibition] is so significant. It reveals how as early as 100 years ago, independent black filmmakers presented complex portrayals of women of color that major studios never fathomed.” KCET Artbound, July 17, 2017
In collaboration with the UCLA Digital Humanities Department, CAAM presents Center Stage, an exhibition that features screenings of several rarely seen race films, including Oscar Micheaux’s Within Our Gates (1920) and The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920), extant clips from Lincoln Picture Company’s By Right of Birth (1921, dir. Harry Grant), The Scar of Shame (1929), and The Blood of Jesus (1941, dir. Spencer Williams). This exhibition is curated by Tyree Boyd-Pates, History Curator and Program Manager, CAAM, and the UCLA Digital Humanities Department.
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Photo: HRDWRKER
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ongoing exhibitions
can’t stop won’t stop!
Circles and Circuits I: History and Art of the Chinese Caribbean Diaspora Through February 25, 2018 Circles and Circuits explores the art of the Chinese Caribbean diaspora from the early 20th century to the present day. By examining the contributions of artists of Chinese descent in Cuba, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and beyond, the exhibition reveals the hidden complexities of the transcultural art of the Caribbean.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Opening Celebration
Circles and Circuits is presented at two venues: the Chinese American Museum (CAM) and the California African American Museum (CAAM). The presentation at CAAM traces the history of Chinese Caribbean art from the 1930s through the period of the region’s independence movements, showcasing the contributions of artists little known outside their own countries—such as Sybil Atteck (Trinidad and Tobago) and Manuel Chong-Neto (Panama)—and providing a new context for understanding the better-known work of artists such as Wifredo Lam (Cuba). At CAM, Circles and Circuits II focuses on the work of contemporary artists, including Albert Chong and María Magdalena Campos-Pons, as well as artists of the ongoing Chinese Caribbean diaspora. This exhibition is organized by the Chinese American Museum in partnership with the Asian/Pacific/ American Institute at New York University and CAAM. Curated by Alexandra Chang, A/P/A Institute at NYU, and Steven Y. Wong, CAM, in coordination with Mar Hollingsworth, Visual Arts Curator and Program Manager, CAAM. The exhibition is part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, a far-reaching and ambitious exploration of Latin American and Latino art in dialogue with Los Angeles, taking place from September 2017 through January 2018 at more than seventy cultural institutions across Southern California. Pacific Standard Time is an initiative of the Getty.
Come one, come all! DJ sets by Monalisa and Novena Carmel Good art, people & food trucks FREE RSVP: rsvp@caamuseum.org
Althea McNish, Hull Traders Printing Co., Golden Harvest, 1959. Hand-printed cotton fabric. Private collection, Los Angeles
Celebrating the openings of: We Wanted a Revolution: Radical Black Women, 1965–85 Lezley Saar: Salon des Refusés Circles and Circuits I: History and Art of the Chinese Caribbean Diaspora
Novena Carmel. Photo by Kenechukwu Okeke.
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public programs
Sunday, October 1, 2017 | 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Sunday, November 5, 2017 | 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Sunday, December 3, 2017 | 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. CAAM Book Club The exhibition We Wanted A Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85 inspires the book selections for CAAM’s new monthly book club. In October, delve into Kellie Jones’s South of Pico, which examines the artists in Los Angeles’s black communities during the 1960s and 1970s. In November, Alice Walker’s In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens will be the focus, and in December participants will read and discuss the thought-provoking essay We Should All Be Feminists by the award-winning author of Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Join us for lively afternoons of spirited discourse moderated by CAAM’s Research Librarian Denise L. McIver. Tuesday, October 10, 2017 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Paula Williams Madison: From Harlem to China Writer, filmmaker, and former NBC Universal executive Paula Williams Madison shares the personal journey of seeking her Chinese grandfather’s descendants in China, as told in her acclaimed book and film, Finding Samuel Lowe. The Harlem native, whose parents hail from Jamaica, discusses the fascinating history of Chinese artists of Caribbean descent and Caribbean artists of African descent presented in the exhibition Circles and Circuits I: History and Art of the Chinese Caribbean Diaspora, a partnership with the Chinese American Museum (CAM). Madison, a past board member of the Friends of CAAM and a present board member of CAM, works to build relationships across these communities. 12
Friday, October 20, 2017 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. Screening: Let it Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992 with director John Ridley Join us for a screening of Let it Fall (144 min.), the recently released documentary about Los Angeles in the decade leading to the 1992 Uprisings, followed by a conversation with the acclaimed filmmaker John Ridley. This critically lauded film features archival footage and interviews with members of the diverse communities involved: black, white, Hispanic, Korean, and Japanese Americans, as well as police commanders, patrolmen, and members of city government. With special thanks to Lincoln Square Productions.
Rodeo Caldonia, 1986 copyright Lorna Simpson, courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth.
Monday, October 23, 2017 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. In Conversation: Kellie Jones and Naima J. Keith Location: Art + Practice, 4334 Degnan Blvd., LA 90008
Kellie Jones, esteemed author, curator, and associate professor in Art History and Archaeology and African American Studies at Columbia University, discusses and signs her new book, South of Pico, in conversation with CAAM deputy director and chief curator Naima J. Keith. The book examines how artists during the 1960s and 1970s in Los Angeles’s black communities created a vibrant, productive, and engaged activist arts scene in the face of structural racism. Emphasizing the importance of African American migration, as well as Los Angeles’s housing and employment politics, Jones shows how the work of Betye Saar, Charles White, Noah Purifoy, Senga Nengudi, and other black Angeleno artists spoke to the dislocation of migration, the city’s urban renewal, and restrictions on black mobility. Presented in conjunction with Art + Practice. Wednesday, October 25, 2017 | 6:00 – 7:00 p.m Curatorial Walkthrough: We Wanted a Revolution Tour We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85 with co-curators Catherine Morris, Sackler Family Senior Curator for the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Brooklyn Museum, and Rujeko Hockley, assistant curator of contemporary art at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Together they will offer an in-depth look at the exhibition, which features forty artists working during the emergence of second-wave feminism. Our opening celebration, “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,” follows.
Friday, October 27, 2017 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. The Life and Times of Rodeo Caldonia Presented in conjunction with We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85, this panel reflects on the contributions of Rodeo Caldonia High Fidelity Performance Theater, the black feminist performance collective founded in Brooklyn in the mid-1980s. Panelists include Lisa Jones, co-founder and writer-director; Alva Rogers, co-founder and lead performer; Lorna Simpson, artist; and Derin Young, musical director and sound artist. The panel is moderated by scholar and poet Dr. Eve Ewing.
All events are free unless otherwise noted and are subject to change. Please visit caamuseum.org for the most up-to-date information on upcoming public programs. RSVP to CAAM programs at 213.744.2024 or rsvp@caamuseum.org 13
public programs All events are free unless otherwise noted and are subject to change. Please visit caamuseum.org for the most up-to-date information on upcoming public programs. RSVP to CAAM programs at 213.744.2024 or rsvp@caamuseum.org
Friday, November 10, 2017 | 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. Screening: Death by Delivery Death by Delivery from Fusion TV examines the rising number of deaths of expectant mothers in the US, particularly of pregnant black women. Some cities are addressing the problem in new ways and curbing this unsettling trend. From Atlanta to New York to Los Angeles, meet the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, doctors, doulas, midwives, and of course the mothers themselves who are fighting to end this tragedy of neglect. The screening is followed by a panel discussion with representatives from MomsRising, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, and Black Women for Wellness. Thursday, November 16, 2017 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. The Provocateurs: A Master Series Today, numerous artists are striving to create radical social change through their work. Conceived by Black Lives Matter Art + Culture and presented in conjunction with the exhibition We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85, this program aims to inspire and encourage makers to continue this practice. Artists Lynée Denise, Emory Douglas, Maren Hassinger, Sarah Jones, and others share how they use their artistic practice to engage political or social concepts and challenge the establishment. No)one. Art House. Photo: Matthew Brush
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Tuesday, November 28, 2017 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. TRANSflective: A Conversation on the Beauty of the Transgender Experience Trans is a term used to describe people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth, and that experience is one of the salient topics explored in the exhibition Lezley Saar: Salon des Refusés. Hear trans women in the community and artist Lezley Saar discuss advocacy and authenticity. Panelists include City of Los Angeles Commissioner Ceri Zamora; Jazzmun Crayton, an actress and performer who works in social services; Ryka Aoki, an author and martial arts instructor; and Saar, whose work regularly alludes to individuals excluded from mainstream society.
Thursday, December 7, 2017 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. In Conversation: Lok Siu and Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons Explore the hidden complexities of Caribbean culture, including the influences and intersections of the Chinese and African diasporas seen in the works on view in Circles and Circuits I: History and Art of the Chinese Caribbean Diaspora. Lok Siu, associate professor of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley, and Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, an artist featured in the exhibition, discuss the 200-plus year history of the Chinese diaspora in the Caribbean and how art has played a pivotal role in depicting these historically silenced narratives.
There is renewed urgency in today’s political climate to hear from multiple generations of activists working to make change. Activism Now is a series that invites speakers to discuss their work as well as the challenges, opportunities, and consequences of expanding the impact of social and political activism today.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. In Conversation: Thelma Golden and Gary Simmons Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem, and artist Gary Simmons, who created the large-scale installation Fade to Black in CAAM’s grand lobby, have a friendship spanning more than twenty years. Golden and Simmons, who have worked together on several projects including the historically important Black Male exhibition at the Whitney Museum in 1994, illuminate how Simmons’s CAAM exhibition fits within the larger trajectory of his career.
Tuesday, November 7, 2017 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Angela Rye Angela Rye, principal and CEO of the Washington, DC–based political advocacy firm IMPACT Strategies, examines the current state of the nation and suggests effective ways citizens can respond and act. A leading political strategist and advocate for social change, Rye is a frequent commentator on CNN, NPR, and other media outlets. As one of Essence magazine’s 100 Woke Women, Rye not only talks the talk but also mentors others on how to walk the walk!
Sunday, December 17, 2017 | 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Conversationsby Artists for Artists Samira Yamin and Umar “Frohawk” Rashid kick off this series of conversationsby artists for artists,conceived by artist Lisa C. Soto and originally hosted at Soto Studio in Inglewood. This series brings together creative contemporaries from many artistic genres, including visual, performing, and multidisciplinary practices. Two artists working in different mediums and with distinctly different approaches interview one another and then broaden their conversation to an audience of their peers. Come for a stimulating, nurturing, and supportive environment where creatives can get to know one another and talk shop. A reception with Caribbean food follows, organized by Soto. Limited capacity, RSVP required. Tuesday, December 19, 2017 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Animate Space Performance by No)one. Art House This site-specific performance, conceived by Christopher Bordenave with No)one. Art House, animates the grand lobby of the museum with a poetic experience. The final event of 2017 at CAAM, the performance is inspired by Gary Simmons: Fade to Black, the large-scale installation that serves as a backdrop for the dancers. A central female dancer takes the audience on a visceral journey through the ephemeral, ghost-like nature of both the mural and the largely forgotten history of the films it evokes.
Saturdays and Sundays 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Drop-In Exhibition Tours Free tours led by museum guides are available on the weekends! Tours last approximately forty-five minutes and are followed by a Q&A. Space is limited; first come, first served. Organizations and groups of ten or more must schedule tours in advance by contacting info@caamuseum.org. 15
CAAM welcomes children of all ages, and we present a wide range of interactive programs designed especially for families. The following programs occur on an ongoing basis.
for families All events are free unless otherwise noted and are subject to change. Please visit caamuseum.org for the most up-to-date information on upcoming public programs. RSVP to CAAM programs at 213.744.2024 or rsvp@caamuseum.org
Sunday, October 1, 2017 | 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Portrait Fan Workshop Bring the family to create your own portrait fan, inspired by the exhibition Face to Face: Los Angeles Collects Portraiture. Celebrate the dynamic personalities in each face using a variety of materials. No prior art experience necessary. Art materials provided. Tuesday, October 3, 2017 | 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 7, 2017 | 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 5, 2017 | 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Youth Now To inspire activism in the next generation of leaders, community mentors in a variety of fields welcome teens on a drop-in basis to participate in unscripted conversations and workshops about changing communities. We invite youth to reclaim the word “responsibility” from its frequent use by adults to blame or shame youth for societal problems. Instead, young people will use theater techniques, critical thinking, and community organizing to reframe “responsibility” to mean “the ability to respond to a broken society.” Teens will share topics of interest and receive feedback from guest mentors including Brent Blair, associate professor of Theatre Practice at the USC School of Dramatic Arts; Gilbert Salazar, an artist specializing in techniques from the Theater of the Oppressed; Suzanne Lacy, an artist and professor at the USC Roski School of Art and Design, and others. Presented in partnership with the USC School of Dramatic Arts, led by Brent Blair, director of Theatre and Social Change and associate professor of Theatre Practice. 16
Sunday, October 29, 2017 | 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. We Wear a Revolution: Radical Clothing Workshop Invent and embellish your own fashion statement inspired by two works in the exhibition We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85: Jae Jarrell’s Urban Wall Suit and Lorraine O’Grady’s Mlle Bourgeoise Noire. This workshop concludes with a fashion show where participants can share their radical duds. Fabric and embellishments will be provided. Saturday, October 21, 2017 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. PST Family Day: Carnival at CAAM! Most of the Caribbean celebrates Carnival, a two- or three-day-long explosion of music, dance, parading floats, and colorful costumes that takes place each year before Lent. Circles and Circuits features the Carnival designs of Trinidadian artist Carlisle Chang (1921–2001). Create Carnival at CAAM by designing your own fantastic headdress and then, as they say in Trinidad, let’s . . . play mas!
Sunday, November 5, 2017 | 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. PST Family Day: Colorscapes Join us for hands-on art projects based on works on view in Circles and Circuits I: History and Art of the Chinese Caribbean Diaspora. Families will create a unique artwork using printmaking techniques, taking cues from Sybil Atteck’s expressionistic watercolors and Manuel Chong-Neto’s compositions of geometric forms. Saturday, December 9, 2017 | 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. CAAM Family Maker Fest Come participate in this all-ages affair featuring maker stations lead by local artists. Learn from the pros of our community, including June Edmonds, who will demonstrate how to turn miniature paintings into earrings; Regina Herod, who will lead a workshop in faux stained-glass ornaments; and Cola Smith, who will teach her vibrant pattern- and color-blending techniques as participants create affirmation frames to hold precious ideas and memories. Take home several creative treasures of your own! No prior art experience necessary. Art materials provided.
Tuesdays | 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Stroller Tours Babies are welcome! In fact, you need a baby in tow if you want to join this group for casual and lively discussions in the galleries led by museum educators—just for parents-caregivers and their pre-toddler-age children (18 months and younger). Expect a special outing that allows for adult conversation, but where no one minds if a baby lends their opinion with a coo or cry! Tours are limited to ten adults with children and meet at the front desk. No RSVP needed. Thursdays | 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. through December 14, 2017 CAAM: After School At these drop-in, after-school art workshops, children of all ages and their adult companions engage in creative projects to learn about the art and artifacts on display in our galleries. CAAM: After School gives young people the opportunity to experiment with new artistic techniques and explore CAAM’s exhibitions after the school day ends. No RSVP needed.
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visit We Wanted a Revolution
Map Circles and Circuits Gary Simmons: Fade to Black
We Wanted a Revolution
Research Library
Circles and Circuits Lezley Saar
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Conference Room
Admission is FREE. Hours Galleries open Tuesdays–Saturdays 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Sundays 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Location CAAM is located in Exposition Park, which is home to a variety of museums and attractions. Parking is $12 (cash only) at 39th and Figueroa Streets. The Metro Expo line stop Expo Park/USC is a five-minute walk through the Rose Garden to the Museum. Stay in touch with CAAM caamuseum.org Phone: 213.744.2084 Email: info@caamuseum.org Sign up for our monthly e-news for updates on our exhibitions and public programs: caamuseum.org Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @CAAMinLA The California African American Museum is a state-supported agency and a Smithsonian Affiliate.
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Photo: Brian Forrest
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NON PROFIT ORG US Postage Paid Permit No. 1619 Los Angeles CA
600 State Drive Exposition Park Los Angeles, CA 90037 caam state board of directors todd hawkins, president zna portlock houston, vice president cornelious burke victor griego terri holoman rev. cecil l. murray bari a. williams executive director, george o. davis
Cover: Jan van Raay, Faith Ringgold (right) and Michele Wallace (middle) at Art Workers Coalition Protest, Whitney Museum, 1971. Courtesy Jan van Raay, Portland, OR, 305-37. Š Jan van RaayÂ