» Trends

‘Hear Me Now’ on view at the Met

By RENEE MINUS WHITE Fashion & Beauty Editor

While on the express bus riding down 5th Avenue to attend the Met’s press event, it was a joy to gaze at the huge poster advertising the recently opened landmark exhibition, “Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina,” hanging in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You must see these extraordinary sculptures, elegant and somehow so modern, created by skilled African American artists in the 19th-century American South. There are approximately 50 ceramic objects from this district, a center of stoneware production in the decades before the Civil War, along with some sketches and photos hanging on the walls. It’s amazing, and a wonderful exhibit for the family.

The exhibition opens with a display of 12 monumental masterpieces by Edgefield’s best-known artist, David Drake— known as Dave—who signed, dated, and inscribed verses on many of his jars, even though literacy among enslaved people was criminalized at the time. The vessels bear witness to the joys, traumas, and lived experience of enslavement that echoed the prose of abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs. These pieces testify to the lived experiences and material knowledge of the enslaved people in the area.

However, “Hear Me Now” is centered on the artwork “Why Born Enslaved!” by the French sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux. Created in 1868, 20 years after emancipation was achieved in the French Atlantic, the sculpture made its debut in Paris against the backdrop of European colonialism, imperialism and the recent end of slavery in the United States. The Carpeaux bust of a Black woman whose bare arms and torso are bound with rope (not shown) is well known to Western audiences. There were many versions produced during and after his lifetime. The subject’s resisting pose and defiant expression tells a story. I thought, “She could be me.” She resembled some family members. The other sculptures that were extremely relatable were the exquisite busts of a Black man and woman in the center of the exhibit, and a Black woman displayed across from them wearing gold earrings. A photo of Louise King in 1864 by Jacques-Philippe Potteau (French, 18071876) was striking.

“As the first exhibition from The Met’s American Wing to highlight the work of enslaved makers, this project marks a pivotal moment in the museum’s efforts to tell a more inclusive and expansive story of artistic expression, both past and present. These remarkable vessels help tell untold histories, while also raising complex questions regarding the collecting, display, and interpretation of objects made by enslaved individuals,” said Max Hollein, Marina Kellen French director of The Met.

In the decades before the Civil War, a successful alkaline-glazed stoneware industry developed in Old Edgefield district, a clay-rich area in the westernmost part of South Carolina. From the beginning, enslaved African Americans were involved with all aspects of this labor-intensive industry. The stoneware they made—durable, impervious, utilitarian vessels of varying sizes and forms essential for food preparation and storage—supported the area’s expanding population and was inextricably linked to the demands of a lucrative plantation economy.

An educational program sponsored by Thelma and AC Hudgins also accompanies the exhibit. It is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

On Saturday, Dec. 3, The Met will host a public program titled “Learning from Edgefield,” featuring discussions with a range of expert participants including historians, artists, and museum leaders to explore best practices around working with descendant communities and important African American cultural heritage sites, including Edgefield, and how museums collect, display, and interpret objects by enslaved makers. Thelma and AC Hudgins make educational programs possible.

A catalogue featuring essays, interviews and photos accompanies the exhibit and is available at the Met Store. For more information visit www.metmuseum.org.

By JEANETTE TOOMER Special to the AmNews

Just a few weeks ago celebrities, directors, writers and theater patrons gathered in Pittsburgh to witness the celebratory opening of August Wilson’s boyhood home in the Hill district. Wilson is a Tony and two-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright who set all of his dramas in this predominantly Black community.

Beginning in 1984 with “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Wilson’s riveting conflicts and vibrant characters left Broadway’s audiences in awe and ready to experience a new way of creative vitality and poetic storytelling. The prolific Wilson, who died in 2005, left his mark on the storied avenue with celebrated dramas that reflected the lives of African Americans in every decade of the 20th century. Among them were two Pulitzer Prize winning dramas, “Fences” (1985), and “The Piano Lesson” (1987). In all he wrote, nine celebrated Broadway plays including “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” and “King Hedley II.”

Wilson’s home is now a historic landmark in what once was a poor, predominantly Black neighborhood in which he found inspiration for his characters and the setting for all of his works. It sits on the hill in what now looks like a newly gentrified community with renovated tenements lining the street. His home is like many turnof-the-century three story tenements where he, his mother, Daisy Wilson and his five siblings lived.

Today, many people are familiar with the movie adaptation of “Fences,” starring Denzel Washington, and the recent awardwinning adaptation of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” directed by George C. Wolfe and starring the late Chadwick Boseman. Wilson’s legacy has clearly reached beyond the Broadway stage. On Broadway Kenny Leon directed a revival of “Fences.” And over the years and across the country local theaters have mounted revivals of “Fences,” “The Piano Lesson” and recently “Jitney” in their local professional theaters. In the backyard of his historic home is an outdoor theater where they also produce Wilson’s works.

This coming theater season, one of his titular dramas, “The Piano Lesson” comes to Broadway starring Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington and Danielle Brooks, and begins previews Sept. 19 at the Ethel Barrymore Theater, 243 W. 47th St.

For more info, visit www.augustwilsonhouse.org.

Stretch your grocery budget with a savory solution

In today’s world, grocery shopping can seem more like a burden than an opportunity to gather supplies for your family's favorite meals. With prices of everyday ingredients fluctuating almost daily, it's important for many families to make their dollars go further.

Easy ways to stretch your grocery budget, like using versatile ingredients, can make the checkout experience a little less impactful on your household's finances. Consider the benefits of mushrooms, which provide a delicious option to enhance flavor in favorite recipes while extending portions in an affordable way.

Save money

Stretch your dollars by stretching your meals using a process called "The Blend." Blending finely chopped mushrooms with ground meat can extend portion sizes of your favorite meaty recipes and help your bottom line. Chop your favorite mushroom variety to match the consistency of ground meat, blend the chopped mushrooms and meat together then cook to complete the recipe. For burgers, use a blend of 25% finely chopped mushrooms and 75% ground meat. For tacos or chili, use 50% mushrooms and 50% meat or an even higher mushroom-to-meat ratio.

Savor the flavor

The savory umami taste of mushrooms means a flavorful experience in blended recipes like burgers, where the chopped mushrooms help hold in the juiciness. Or, you can chop, quarter, slice or enjoy them whole in a recipe like Creamy Spinach, Mushroom and Lasagna Soup.

One carton, multiple dishes

Thanks to mushrooms' versatility, you can buy one large carton of mushrooms to chop up then bulk up multiple dishes, from a morning omelet to hearty soups to blended burgers.

Serve up nutrition

Low-calorie, low-sodium, fat-free and cholesterol-free mushrooms are nutrient rich and can play a starring role in a variety of meals. With an array of fresh varieties and nearly endless ways to prepare them, they can be your powerhouse from the produce department.

Find more recipe ideas and ways to make the most of your grocery store dollars at MushroomCouncil.com.

Creamy Spinach, Mushroom and Lasagna Soup

Recipe courtesy of Emily Weeks, MS, RD, on behalf of the Mushroom Council

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Servings: 4

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 medium onion, small diced 8 ounces mushrooms, such as white button, crimini or portabella, sliced 1 jar (24 ounces) marinara sauce 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1 tablespoon dried basil ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon oregano ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 bay leaf 3 cups vegetable broth 6 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces ½ cup heavy cream 5 ounces fresh baby spinach 1 cup whole milk ricotta ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, for topping

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, garlic, onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions and mushrooms soften, 4-5 minutes.

Add marinara, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, basil, salt, oregano, pepper, bay leaf and broth. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to low and simmer. Add lasagna noodles and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and remove bay leaves. Stir in heavy cream and spinach until wilted, 2-3 minutes.

Divide between bowls and top each with a dollop of ricotta and sprinkle of mozzarella.