15 x 15
A Special 15th Anniversary Acquisitions Initiative of the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art
Installation of Bearing Witness: Contemporary Works by African American Women Artists, 1996, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
About the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art Since 1996, the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art has distinguished itself as the only museum in the nation that emphasizes art by and about women of the African Diaspora. It has become recognized for its visionary leadership and for expanding the exhibition offerings in Atlanta, the region, and beyond.
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
The 15 x 15 Acquisitions Initiative In celebration of its 15th anniversary, the Museum is launching the 15 x 15 Acquisitions Initiative, a three-part project that involves: • acquiring works by 15 emerging, mid-career, and established artists • an exhibition presenting the 15 soon to be acquired works alongside works by celebrated artists including Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, and Hale Woodruff that have been in Spelman College’s collection for decades • a catalogue to be created with the involvement of scholars, faculty, and students. The 15 x 15 Acquisitions Initiative creates a context for the College’s past, present, and future collecting efforts and honors the Museum’s unique emphasis on art by and about women of the African Diaspora.
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
The 15 x 15 Acquisition Wish List The 15 x 15 wish list was carefully crafted over the course of more than a year and has been developed in direct response to previous exhibition projects. The 15 artists were selected based on their inclusion in previous exhibitions that the Museum presented as well as the responses that their work garnered from students, the campus community, visitors, and critical exhibition reviews. Each of the 15 artists contributes to the field of visual art in tangible ways and consistently demonstrates a commitment to expanding their artistic practice. The 15 x 15 Acquisitions Initiative is the genesis of growing a mission-focused permanent collection.
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
The Fifteen
Sheila Pree Bright (American, b. 1967)
Sheila Pree Bright is an Atlanta-based artist who has gained national attention for her photographic portrayals of urban and suburban themes and her provocative commentary on American beauty standards. Photographs from her series Plastic Bodies were included in Undercover: Performing and Transforming Black Female Identities. In Suburbia, Bright explores the African American suburbs and the invisibility of the black middle class. In 2006 she won the Santa Fe Prize from the Santa Fe Center for Photography for this extensive series.
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
Untitled #3, (from the Suburbia series) Untitled #5, (from the Suburbia series) Untitled #28, (from the Suburbia series) Chromogenic prints 24 x 30 inches Courtesy the artist
María Magdalena Campos-Pons (Cuban, b. 1959)
María Magdalena Campos-Pons is a Boston-based Afro-Cuban artist who combines installation, painting, photography, performance, and video to convey her experiences as an expatriate. Her work, which is informed by her rich cultural heritage, focuses on dislocation, femininity, identity, longing, and spirituality. It has been exhibited internationally and was featured in Authentic/Ex-centric: Africa in and out of Africa (Venice Biennale, 2001), María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything is Separated by Water (Indianapolis Museum of Art, 2007), and María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Dreaming of an Island (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, 2008).
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
Spoken Softly with Mama II, 2008 Embroidered silk and organza over ironing boards with photographic transfers, cast glass irons, video projections, stereo sound Audio courtesy Neil Leonard Dimensions variable Courtesy the artist and the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami
RenĂŠe Cox
(Jamaican-American, b. 1960) RenĂŠe Cox is widely acclaimed for her photographs that provoke, question, and challenge the multi-layered impact of sexism and racial prejudice. Her large-format photographic works often feature bold protagonists that heighten the multiple dimensions of black womanhood. They have been presented in many exhibitions including Committed to the Image: Contemporary Black Photographers (Brooklyn Museum, 2001) and Undercover: Performing and Transforming Black Female Identities (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, 2009).
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
Hot-en-Tot, 1994 30 x 40 inches Gelatin silver print Courtesy the artist
Lalla Essaydi (Moroccan, b. 1965)
Lalla Essaydi is a highly regarded photographer who incorporates layers of Islamic calligraphy applied by hand with henna, in tandem with poses directly inspired by 19th Century Orientalist painting in her work. In series such as Les Femmes du Maroc, she reflects the “complex female identities” prevalent in Morocco and throughout the Muslim world. Essaydi has explained that her photographs provide the opportunity for the artist and her subjects to engage in the emerging “culture of Islamic feminism.” Her large-scale photographs have been featured in exhibitions including Black Womanhood: Images, Icons and Ideologies of the African Body (Hood Museum, 2008), Undercover: Performing and Transforming Black Female Identities (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, 2009), and several solo traveling shows.
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
Les Femmes du Maroc: Harem Women Writing, 2008 Chromogenic print 30 x 40 inches Courtesy the artist and the Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York
LaToya Ruby Frazier (American, b. 1982)
LaToya Ruby Frazier creates compelling psychological portraits that blur traditional lines between self-portraiture and social documentary. Her photographs, which examine themes such as the mother/daughter relationship, the body and landscape, familial and communal history, and intergenerational cycles have been discussed widely in important art publications and featured in exhibitions in New York, Denmark, and Detroit. Frazier’s work has been written about extensively in The New York Times, ArtForum, Art in America, and The Village Voice. An emerging artist who was recently awarded an Art Matters grant, Frazier has been identified as one of the most compelling photographers of her generation.
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
Momme Portrait Series (Shadow), 2008 Mom Making a Portrait of Me, 2008 Self Portrait (October 7th 9:30am), 2008 Gelatin silver print 16 x 20 inches Courtesy the artist and the Hagedorn Foundation Gallery, Atlanta
Myra Greene (American, b. 1975)
Many of Myra Greene’s projects include photography, printmaking, sound, and digital production work. She melds these processes as a means to explore issues about the body, memory, the absorption of culture, the ever-shifting identity of African Americans, and antebellum and contemporary images of African American women. Her work has been featured in several recent exhibitions including Undercover: Performing and Transforming Black Female Identities (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, 2009) and Character Recognition (Center of Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock, New York 2009).
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
Untitled from the series Character Recognition, 2004 – 2007 Ambrotypes on black glass 3 x 4 inches Courtesy the artist and the Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago
IngridMwangiRobertHutter (Kenyan-German, b. 1970)
IngridMwangiRobertHutter is an artist collective that includes Ingrid Mwangi, who is of Kenyan and German parentage, and Robert Hutter, a German native. Together, they explore the notion of race, gender, and cultural heritage through photography, performance, video, and installation. They create engaging, provocative, physically demanding, and at times, unsettling works which have been featured in solo exhibitions in Belgium, Egypt, Italy, Germany, Japan, Kenya, Tanzania, and the United States. Their recent exhibition IngridMwangiRobertHutter: Constant Triumph (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, 2011), explored how to realize common realities, overcome cultural and social discrimination, avoid violent conflicts, and explore the fragility of the human existence.
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
Chameleon, 2003 3 C-prints 100 x 80 centimeters Courtesy the artist Purchased with support from the Friends of the Museum
ACQUIRED
Lauren Kelley (American, b. 1975)
Lauren Kelley is the recipient of important awards including an Altoids Curiously Strong Award (2008) and the Artist-in-Residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem (2009). An interdisciplinary artist who utilizes drawing, photography, sculpture, and video to critically explore ideas about black girlhood and womanhood, she is perhaps best-known for her stop-motion animation videos featuring Barbie-like dolls, which examine real-life concerns such as body image, women’s health, consumerism, race, romantic relationships, and sexuality. Her work has been featured in Cinema Remixed & Reloaded: Black Women and the Moving Image Since 1970 (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 2007) and Undercover: Performing and Transforming Black Female Identities (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, 2009).
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
Big Gurl, 2006 Digital animation, 8:12 minutes Edition of 7 + 1AP Courtesy the artist
Marcia Kure (Nigerian, b. 1970)
Marcia Kure has garnered significant attention for her paintings and drawings that are made of the brownish pigment of kola nuts and watercolor. The solitary, amorphous, surreal yet commanding figures that she creates—often adorned in highly inventive attire—explore a host of subjects including glamour, aggression, violence, female authority, and beauty. A selection of Kure’s kola nut drawings were featured in Undercover: Performing and Transforming Black Female Identities (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, 2009).
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
OCD/The Wife of the Conformist, 2011 The Conformist, 2011 LDIMEDILLIGAF, 2011 Watercolor, kolanut pigment, pencil, and egg tempera on paper 15 x 11 inches each Courtesy the artist and BravinLee Programs, New York
Bradley McCallum & Jacqueline Tarry (American, b. 1966 & 1964)
Bradley McCallum and Jacqueline Tarry’s photographs, large-scale public projects, performances, and installations focus on their experiences as an interracial couple. In important series such as Whitewash, which engages the Civil Rights Era, they have challenged audiences to confront issues of race and social injustice in communities and the historical precedents that continue to impede the progress of equality in contemporary society. Their work has been included in several important exhibitions including Cinema Remixed & Reloaded: Black Women and the Moving Image Since 1970 (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 2007) and Bradley McCallum & Jacqueline Tarry: Evenly Yoked (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, 2010).
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
Man with Dignity: Rich’s Department Store, Atlanta, GA (after unknown photographer; William Stanford Collection, Kenan Research Center, Atlanta History Center), 2008 Oil on linen, toner on silk 49 x 37½ inches Courtesy the artists Woman with Dignity: Rich’s Department Store, Atlanta, GA (after unknown photographer; William Stanford Collection, Kenan Research Center, Atlanta History Center), 2008 Oil on linen, toner on silk 49 x 37½ inches Courtesy the artists
Nandipha Mntambo (South African, b. 1982)
Nandipha Mntambo is the recipient of several prestigious awards including the 2011 Standard Bank Visual Artist Award. Through her multimedia work she creates visually arresting work and investigates stereotypical ideals of the female form and notions of femininity. Using the medium of cowhide, she questions the use of conventional art materials and products. Mlwa ne Nkunzi and Europa were among the most engaging works featured in Undercover: Performing and Transforming Black Female Identities.
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
Mlwa ne Nkunzi, 2008 Diptych, archival ink on cotton rag paper 44 x 33 inches each Courtesy the artist and the Michael Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town Purchased with support from Vicki and John Palmer
ACQUIRED
Lorraine O’Grady (American, b. 1934)
Lorraine O’Grady is a pioneering photo-installation and performance artist, writer, and critic, who examines interracial diversity, race, identity, the African Diaspora, cultural politics, and black female subjectivity. The artist’s liberal arts education and heritage have influenced her understanding of art and helped fuel her interest in the notion of hybrid identities. Her work has been featured in important exhibitions including Undercover: Performing and Transforming Black Female Identities (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, 2009) and the 2010 Whitney Biennial.
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
Mlle Bourgeoise Noire, 1980 – 1983 Photographs/performance documentation by Coreen Simpson and Salima Ali 50 x 40 inches and 40 x 50 inches (total of 14 photographs, dimensions variable) Courtesy the artist and the Alexander Gray Gallery, New York
Howardena Pindell (American, b. 1943)
Howardena Pindell is a pioneering mixed-media artist, educator, writer, critic, and curator who initially garnered international attention in the 1960s and 1970s for her abstract painting and sculpture. Kokuzo Bosatsu and other works from the Autobigraphy series reflect Pindell’s early interests in destruction and reconstruction with examinations of memory and autobiography. In this series the artist cuts, paints, and manipulates postcards from her travels and paints in the areas between the fractures.
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
Kokuzo Bosatsu, 1983 Gouache, tempera, postcards on paper 17.5 x 15 x 3.5 inches Courtesy the artist and the Sandler Hudson Gallery, Atlanta
Lorna Simpson (American, b. 1964)
Lorna Simpson is known for confronting and challenging conventional views of gender, identity, culture, history, and memory through her large-scale photographs and text-based works that are formally elegant and subtly provocative. Throughout her prestigious career she has consistently incorporated cropped bodies of anonymous black women to amplify their collective historic invisibility and heighten their treatment as the object of the dominant male gaze. Simpson is the recipient of many accolades including the Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize (2006). Her work, the subject of many exhibitions including a retrospective organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art in 2007, was featured in Cinema Remixed & Reloaded: Black Women and the Moving Image Since 1970 (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 2007).
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
Details, 1996 21 photogravures with silkscreen text Edition of 40 10 x 8 inches each, installation variable Courtesy the artist and Salon 94, New York
Carrie Mae Weems (American, b. 1953)
Carrie Mae Weems has created a remarkable body of work that employs photography, sound, text, installation, and video to examine the complexities of family relationships, gender roles, history, racism, sexism, class, and political systems. She often inserts herself within her work as a muse protagonist to bear witness to, explore, and challenge perceptions of race, class, gender, and power. Weems, the recipient of many awards including the Rome Prize (2006), has been the subject of many solo exhibitions including Carrie Mae Weems: The Louisiana Project (Newcomb Gallery, 2005).
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
I Looked and Looked and Failed to See What So Frightened You, 2004 C-print diptych 36⅜ x 24⅜ inches each Courtesy the artist and the Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
The Museum emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora
Support the 15 x 15 Acquisitions Initiative Your investment in the 15 x 15 Acquisitions Initiative will help to bring critical works of art to Spelman College and make them a permanent part of the College’s collection. At this exciting time in the Museum’s history, the Museum is appealing to alumnae, art enthusiasts, Friends of the Museum, and other supporters to help build upon its legacy and help catapult it into the next phase of its evolution. To make a contribution to the Museum’s 15 x 15 Acquisitions Initiative go to https://speldoc.spelman.edu/Donation.nsf/museum?OpenForm Contributions to the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art are tax-deductible within the limits prescribed by law. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to receive timely updates about the 15 x 15 Acquisitions Initiative and upcoming exhibitions and related programs.
Cover: **Nandipha Mntambo, Mlwa ne Nkunzi, 2008, archival ink on cotton rag paper, 44 x 33 inches. Courtesy the artist and the Michael Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town.
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