Mickalene Thomas: Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities

Mickalene Thomas Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities An exhibition organized by the Aspen Art Museum

February 9 – May 20, 2017

#SpelMuse20 #BeYourOwnMuse #MickaleneThomas

Polaroid Series #10, 2016 Polaroid Chromogenic Print (16) 3 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches each Courtesy the artist Editions of 3 +2 AP’s 29 9/16 x 33 1/16 inches, framed

Mickalene Thomas Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities February 9 – May 20, 2017

The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art is proud to present Mickalene Thomas: Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities, an exhibition featuring new work by Mickalene Thomas, as a highlight of its 20th anniversary. For over ten years, Mickalene Thomas (b. 1971) has produced sumptuous, ecstatic, and excessively tactile paintings, photographs, collages, films, and installations. Her vibrantly colored portraits of family, friends, lovers, and celebrities mine art history and popular culture alike, claiming a space for the representation of the Black female body as a site of vulnerability, eroticism, power, and self-determination.

Mickalene Thomas: Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities, featuring photographs, mirrored silkscreen portraits, film, video, and sitespecific installations, expands upon Thomas’ investigations of gender, race, sexuality, and desire. Collage—the incorporation and juxtaposition of disparate forms and materials, often appropriated or found—is central to Thomas’ work across painting, photography, installation, and video. By editing and deconstructing rich portraits of women she knows personally, women she admires, and herself, Thomas creates a dynamic collage of her personal world. By literally and figuratively presenting herself alongside her own mentors, muses, and celebrities, Thomas creates a larger narrative of what it means to be a woman in today’s society.

This exhibition builds upon Thomas’ ongoing reconsideration of Black female identity, presentation, and representation, creating an incisive, moving, and at times, riotous portrait of the multiplicities of womanhood. She completed the works in the exhibition in 2016 while she was the Gabriela and Ramiro Garza Distinguished Artist in Residence at the Aspen Art Museum.

Mickalene Thomas: Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities is curated by Courtenay Finn and organized by the Aspen Art Museum.

#SpelMuse20 #BeYourOwnMuse #MickaleneThomas

Installation image of Mickalene Thomas: Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities at the Aspen Art Museum. Photo: TonyPrikryl

About the artist Mickalene Thomas is a 2015 United States Artists Francie Bishop Good & David Horvitz Fellow and a distinguished visual artist, filmmaker, and curator whose work has been exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally. She is known for paintings that combine art historical, political, and pop-cultural references. Her work introduces complex notions of femininity and challenges common definitions of beauty and aesthetic representations of women.

Thomas holds a Master of Fine Arts from Yale University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute. She’s held solo museum exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum, Santa Monica Museum of Art, George Eastman House, New York, and L’Ecole des Beaux Arts, Monaco. Recent solo exhibitions include Mickalene Thomas: Do I Look Like a Lady? at MOCA Grand, Los Angeles, Mickalene Thomas: Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities at the Aspen Art Museum, Waiting on a Prime-Time Star at Newcomb Art Museum, and Muse: Mickalene Thomas Photographs at Aperture Foundation, New York, which is scheduled to travel to several venues across the United States through 2018, featuring her notably curated exhibition tête-à-tête. Her work has been a part of numerous group exhibitions, including Us is Them at Pizzuti Collection, Eye Pop: The Celebrity Gaze at Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Fifty Years After: Gordon Parks, Carrie Mae Weems, Mickalene Thomas, LaToya Ruby Frazier at James Barron Gallery and the continued traveling exhibition 30 Americans which is organized by the Rubell Family Collection, Miami, and has been featured at many institutions since 2008. Thomas’ work is in many permanent collections including San Francisco MoMA, Brooklyn Museum, Guggenheim, Seattle Art Museum, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, MoMA PS1, New York, among many others.

Mickalene Thomas is represented by Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; Kavi Gupta Gallery, Chicago; and Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris and Brussels. She lives and works in New York, and serves on the boards of the Brooklyn Museum, Children’s Museum of the Arts, MoCADA, MoMA PS 1, BOMB Magazine, and Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation.

Exhibition Checklist Shug Kisses Celie 2016 Silkscreen ink and acrylic on mirrored acrylic mounted on wood panel 9 panels: 24 x 20 inches per panel 72 X 60 inches overall Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong

Sister: Shug Avery Breakfast 2016 Silkscreen ink and acrylic on mirrored acrylic mounted on wood panel 9 panels: 24 x 20 inches per panel 72 x 60 inches overall Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong Blues 2016 Silkscreen ink and acrylic on mirrored acrylic mounted on wood panel 9 panels: 24 x 20 inches per panel 72 x 60 inches overall Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong Shug 2016 Silkscreen ink and acrylic on acrylic mirror mounted on wood panel 72 x 60 x 2 inches Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong Do I Look Like a Lady? (Comedians and Singers) 2016 2-Channel HD Video Projection, total running time: 12:33 Dimensions variable Each projection size: 72 x 132 inches Courtesy the artist Angelitos Negros 2016 2-Channel HD Video, total running time: 23:09 48 x 54 inches Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong #SpelMuse20 #BeYourOwnMuse #MickaleneThomas

Angelitos Negros (still) 2016 2-Channel HD Video, total running time: 23:09 48 x 54 inches Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong

Screen Test: Joyce Screen Test: Que Screen Test: Racquel Screen Test: Mickalene Screen Test: Angel Screen Test: Theolanda (all 2016) Digital transfer of painted Super 8mm film (black and white, silent) Duration variable Dimensions variable Courtesy the artist Me as Muse 2016 Multimedia video installation, total running time: 4:02 Dimensions variable Courtesy the artist Polaroid Series #10 2016 Polaroid Chromogenic Print (16) 3 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches each Courtesy the artist Polaroid Series #12 2016 Polaroid Chromogenic Print 20 1/2 x 26 inches paper size Courtesy the artist Polaroid Series #13 2016 Polaroid Chromogenic Print 20 1/2 x 26 inches paper size Courtesy the artist Polaroid Series #14 2017 Polaroid Chromogenic Print 11 x 14 inches Courtesy the artist Polaroid Series #15 2017 Polaroid Chromogenic Print 28.81 x 34.31 inches Courtesy the artist Polaroid Series #16 2017 Polaroid Chromogenic Print 11 x 14 inches Courtesy the artist #SpelMuse20 #BeYourOwnMuse #MickaleneThomas

Public Programming Calendar All programs are held in the Museum unless otherwise noted.

Opening Reception + ART PAPERS LIVE Thursday, February 9, 2017 6:30 p.m.

Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D., Academic Center Auditorium Be among the first to view Mickalene Thomas: Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities and attend a conversation between Mickalene Thomas and Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Ph.D., Founding Director of the Women’s Research & Resource Center and the Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women’s Studies, Spelman College.

This event is organized in collaboration with ART PAPERS and Atlanta Celebrates Photography.

Yoga in the Museum Mondays, February 13 – April 24, 2017* 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Enjoy a yoga class surrounded by works of art and engage in a practice that focuses on balance, focus, and strength. The following certified yoga instructors will lead the classes below: February 13

Octavia Raheem

February 20

Marr-Teen Guy

February 27

Chelsea Jackson-Roberts

March 6

Charisse Williams

March 20 and 27

Ayodele Murphy

April 3 and 10

Rachelle Knowles

April 17 and 24

Vanya Francis

Yoga in the Museum is free and open to beginner and experienced yogis.

Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Yoga in the Museum is made possible with support from Please contact us at 404.270.5607, museum@spelman.edu, or @spelmanmuseum on Twitter with questions and for more information. *The Museum will be closed Monday, March 13, 2017 in observance of spring break.

Spelman College Family Weekend: Tour the Museum Friday, February 17, 2017 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Each year, Spelman College extends a warm welcome to the families of our students and invites them to experience all that Spelman offers. Join us for a special guided tour of Mickalene Thomas: Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities led by a student Museum Ambassador and her mentor.

This program is organized in collaboration with Student Life and Engagement, Spelman College.

3 + 1: NAMOUR Tuesday, March 7, 2017 6:30 p.m.

Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D., Academic Center Auditorium Join us for a special Women’s History month advance screening of Heidi Saman’s award winning film NAMOUR (2016). NAMOUR is a heartfelt exploration of negotiating personal responsibility and moral conviction within the American immigrant community.

This 3 + 1 program is organized in collaboration with the BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta, Georgia.

3 + 1: Older Women and Love Saturday, March 25, 2017 12:00 p.m.

Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D., Academic Center Auditorium Enjoy a community screening of Camille Billops’ film Older Women and Love (1986), which explores intergenerational relationships and celebrates female sexuality. Immediately following the screening, participants representing the arts, women’s studies, and sexual health will engage Older Women and Love within the context of gender, race, and relationships.

This 3 + 1 program is organized in collaboration with the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives & Rare Book Library, Emory University.

About 3 + 1 3 + 1 is a community film screening and discussion program. Three film experts with diverse (and oftentimes conflicting) perspectives are featured with one empty seat for a member of the audience to occupy and participate in the dialogue.

BLACK BOX Michelle Hite, Younger Sundays Sunday, April 2, 2017 3:00 p.m.

Younger Sundays invites audiences into an extended meditation on expressions of clarity in African American lives as meaningful cultural, political, and social texts. Sunday, the one day that African Americans had time for themselves, acts as the program’s muse and guide to contemplating freedom, love, and beauty. This BLACK BOX showcases the brilliant utterances of African American Sundays and explores the digital possibilities for sharing this insight for 21st century citizens.

About BLACK BOX BLACK BOX is a site for play, dialogue, and creative risk taking where an artist shares an in-progress work in front of an audience for feedback, engagement, and encouragement. It also provides a space for arts enthusiasts to view compelling work from some of the most exciting and thought-provoking artists working today. Each BLACK BOX focuses on the art and culture of the African Diaspora.

If you are interested in participating, email museum@spelman.edu with BLACK BOX in the subject line for submission guidelines.

#SpelMuse20 #BeYourOwnMuse #MickaleneThomas

Me as Muse 2016 Multimedia video installation total running time: 4:02 Dimensions variable Courtesy the artist

Drawing Sessions in the Museum Thursday, April 20, 2017 7:00 p.m.

The Spelman College Department of Art & Art History has a longstanding tradition of hosting life drawing sessions for artists of all ages and levels.

Join us for a special Drawing Sessions inside the Museum with artist educator Charmaine Minniefield and special guests.

This program is free and open to the public. Please bring your own materials and note that paint is not allowed in the Museum.

This program is organized in collaboration with the Department of Art & Art History, Spelman College.

Be Your Own Muse is a podcast series that highlights Black women cultural producers. Since launching in September 2016, the Museum has featured celebrated artists and curators, including Firelei Båez, Vanessa German, Fabiola Jean-Louis, Erika Dalya Massaquoi, Ph.D., Mimi Plange, and Lina Iris Viktor. Our upcoming recordings will include Mickalene Thomas, internationally recognized educator Collette Hopkins, Ph.D., and Living Walls’ inaugural Laura Calle grantee Danielle Deadwyler, among others. Follow us on SoundCloud for updates.

Guided Tours The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art provides guided tours of all of its exhibitions free of charge. To schedule a tour, email museum@spelman.edu with Guided Tour in the subject line.

Please contact us at 404.270.5607, museum@spelman.edu, or @spelmanmuseum on Twitter with questions about any of the above programs and for more information.

#SpelMuse20 #BeYourOwnMuse #MickaleneThomas

Mickalene Thomas: Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities is organized by the Aspen Art Museum. The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art’s presentation (February 9 — May 20, 2017) is made possible by

MISSION To inspire and enrich the lives of the Spelman College community and the general public primarily through art by women of the African Diaspora.

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SPELMAN COLLEGE MUSEUM OF FINE ART in the Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D. Academic Center GPS system address: 440 Westview Drive, SW 30310 350 Spelman Lane, Box 1526 | Atlanta, GA 30314 | 404.270.5607 museum.spelman.edu | museum@spelman.edu spelmanmuseum | @spelmanmuseum | spelmanmuseum Hours: Tuesdays - Fridays | 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Saturdays | Noon - 4:00 p.m.

Closed Sunday, Monday, holidays, and Spelman College breaks

Angelitos Negros (still), 2016, 2-Channel HD Video, total running time: 23:09 48 x 54 inches.

Courtesy the artist, Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong