February 7 – May 18, 2013
SPELMAN COLLEGE MUSEUM OF FINE ART
Multiple Choice
Perspectives on the Spelman College Collection
Multiple Choice: Perspectives on the Spelman College Collection February 7 – May 18, 2013
Joe Jennings, Director of the Spelman College Jazz Ensemble and Senior Instructor of the Spelman College Department of Music, interacts with Hale Woodruff (American, 1900 – 1980), Four Figurations, 1969, Oil on canvas, 60 x 71 inches, 1970.3
Spelman College’s permanent collection of art, which dates back to the 1940s, is a rich resource. The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art invited students, faculty, staff, Friends of the Museum, alumnae, and other champions of the institution to tour the College’s extensive holdings. They were then asked to select the object that Izikhamba (beerpot) and Imbenge compels them most and document (beerpot cover), mid-late 20th century, Unknown Zulu artist, South why. Participants’ video segments, Africa, Blackened terracotta and musical responses, poems, firststraw, 11¾ x 14 x 14 inches, Promised person narratives, and experimental gift of Gale and William Simmons writing breathe new life into the College’s permanent holdings. All of the chosen works, along with the written and recorded responses, are featured in Multiple Choice: Perspectives on the Spelman College Collection. Multiple Choice considers and quenches the current thirst for on-demand access. This unique exhibition project affirms that viewing art is an interactive experience. It is inspired by the premise that, as in multiple choice tests, the answer is more often than not “all of the above.” Multiple Choice encourages visitors to participate in the exciting process of responding to works of art. The involvement of all of the participants enlivened this project. For that, the Museum is especially grateful. Anne Collins Smith, Curator of Collections
Multiple Choice
Perspectives on the Spelman College Collection
The Museum acknowledges and thanks all of the Multiple Choice participants. Follow the Museum on Facebook at facebook.com/spelmanmuseum to learn more about their insightful responses. The list of participants follows:
Charnelle Holloway Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Art & Art History, Spelman College
Faye Ainsworth Senior Leadership Gifts Officer, Spelman College
Joe Jennings Director, Spelman College Jazz Ensemble; Senior Instructor Department of Music, Spelman College
Chris Appleton Founder and Executive Director, WonderRoot Robert Brawner President, One Consulting and Arts Patron Arthur J. Clement President, Clement & Wynn Program Managers Ayana Cofer, C’2003 Dancer, Sociologist, Writer, and Graduate Assistant, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art Joyce Davis Associate Director of Publications, Spelman College Briana A. Dixon, C’2016 Sociology Major, Spelman College
Lyrric Jackson, C’2013 Dance and Drama Major, Spelman College
Mercy Michelle Johnson, C’2013 Psychology Major, Spelman College Lani V. Jones, MSW, Ph.D. Visiting Professor, Women’s Research and Resource Center, Spelman College Riann Lippe, C’2013 Sociology Major, Spelman College Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D. President and CEO of UNCF-the United Negro College Fund Renita Mathis Director of Interactive Communications, Spelman College
Makeba Dixon-Hill, C’2003 Curator of Education, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art
M. Akua McDaniel, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Art & Art History, Spelman College
Tananarive Due Spelman College Cosby Endowed Chair in the Humanities and award winning Science Fiction Author
Kristin McDonald Work Environment and Employee Engagement Manager, The Coca-Cola Company
Leatrice Ellzy Managing Partner, Beatrix Moss
John Michael Community Activist
Ray Anthony Galloway Clerk of the Board of Trustees, Spelman College
Aimee Miller, C’2001 Artist
Maggie Ginestra Creative Director, WonderRoot
Opal Moore Associate Professor, Department of English, Spelman College
Michael Gokey SOLO Installation and Design
Taylor Ariel Pettway, C’2013 Psychology Major and Social Justice Fellow, Spelman College
Stephanie Goodalle, C’ 2014 Art History Major, Spelman College
Wyatt B. Phillips Administrative Assistant, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art
Dokubo Goodhead, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Spelman College
Alix Pierre, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, African Diaspora & the World Program, Spelman College
Michelle S. Hite, Ph.D. Lecturer, Department of English, Spelman College Zaneta Hodari, C’2010 Independent Arts Professional Cynthia Hodges-Atkins Learning Resource Specialist, Learning Resource Center, Spelman College
David Wall Rice, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology, Principal Investigator of the Identity Orchestration Research Lab, & Co-Director of the College’s Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies (CTEMS), Morehouse College Susan J. Ross PhotoGriot
Multiple Choice
Perspectives on the Spelman College Collection
Tamara Y. Solomon Degree Works Assistant, Office of the Registrar, Spelman College
Works by the following artists are featured in Multiple Choice: Perspectives on the Spelman College Collection.
Sharan Strange Senior Lecturer, Department of English, Spelman College
Amalia Amaki (American, b. 1949)
Jerry Thomas, Jr., Esq. Art dealer and consultant, and Owner of Jerry Thomas Arts
Herman “Kofi” Bailey (American, 1931 – 1981) Romare Bearden (American, 1911 – 1988)
Carol Thompson Fred and Rita Richman Curator of African Art at the High Museum of Art
Sheila Bright (American, b. 1967)
Clarence White Retired Art Dealer and Art Critic Daryl White, Ph.D. Chair and Professor in the Department of Anthropology, Spelman College
iona rozeal brown (American, b. 1966) Beverly Buchanan (American, b. 1930) Selma Burke (American, 1907 – 1995) María Magdalena Campos-Pons (Cuban, b. 1959) Elizabeth Catlett Mora (American & Mexican, 1915 – 2012) Renée Cox (Jamaican-American, b. 1960) Lalla Essaydi (Moroccan, b. 1956) LaToya Ruby Frazier (American, b. 1982) Sam Gilliam (American, b. 1933) Jenelsie Holloway (American, 1920 – 2009) Debra Johnson (American, b. 1957) Marcia Kure (Nigerian, b. 1970) Jacob Lawrence (American, 1917 – 2000) Edna Manley (Jamaican, 1900 – 1987) Valerie Maynard (American, b. 1937) Bradley McCallum & Jacqueline Tarry (American, b. 1966 & 1964) George Mingo (American, dates unknown) Nandipha Mntambo (South African, b. 1982) Laurie Ourlicht (American, 1953 - 2010) Rodolfo Perez (Filipino, b. 1934) Nancy Elizabeth Prophet (American, 1890 – 1960) Faith Ringgold (American, b. 1930) Lucille Malkia Roberts (American, 1927 – 2010) Barrington Watson (Jamaican, b. 1931) Carrie Mae Weems (American, b. 1953) Claudia Widdis (American, b. 1950) Hale Woodruff (American, 1900 – 1980) Unknown Zulu artist (South Africa, late 20th century) Unknown Mende artist (Sierre Leone, mid-20th century) Unknown Kuba artist (Democratic Republic of the Congo, mid-20th century)
iona rozeal brown, a3 blackface #65, Acrylic on canvas, 85 x 59 inches, Gift of the artist, 2004.1
Multiple Choice
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Thursday, February 7, 2013 | 6:30 p.m. Opening Reception for Multiple Choice: Perspectives on the Spelman College Collection Join us for the opening celebration of Multiple Choice: Perspectives on the Spelman College Collection. Enjoy a performance by the Joe Jennings Quartet while you record responses to your favorite works. Later, Joe Jennings, Director of the Spelman College Jazz Ensemble, will take visitors on a musical journey based on the works in the exhibition that compelled him most. Friday, February 22, 2013 | 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Spelman College Family Weekend: Tour the Museum Each year, Spelman College extends a warm welcome to the families of our students and invites them to experience all that Spelman offers. Ellesse Garvin, C’2016, Sharan Strange, critically acclaimed poet and Senior Lecturer of English, and Makeba DixonHill, C’2003, Curator of Education, will lead an interactive tour of Multiple Choice through the eyes of a student, a professor, and an alumna. Tuesday, February 26, 2013 | 6:30 p.m. Interactive Gallery Walk Join Anne Collins Smith, Curator of Collections, and participate in an exciting dialogue about selected works in Multiple Choice. Get a backstage look at how this unique exhibition, which is enlivened by various voices and points of view, came together. Saturday, March 9, 2013 | 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Community Day Look, share, move, and work together at the Museum. First, take a guided tour of Multiple Choice and then head to the Make-AndTake art workshop to create your own masterpiece. Participate in an interactive dance performance and tell us your family’s favorite work in the show. Come early because the first 25 families will receive a special gift.
Perspectives on the Spelman College Collection
BLACK BOX Dancers, designers, musicians, playwrights, scholars, visual artists, and other creative producers: • Do you have an in-progress work based on the art and culture of the African Diaspora? • Are you looking to share it with like-minded individuals and expand the reach of your creativity? If so, present your work at Black Box. Black Box is a site for play, dialogue, and creative risk taking that encourages artists in various disciplines to engage with others who are directly connected to their subject matter. Further develop your work with the help of our community. If you are interested in participating, send an email to museum@spelman.edu for submission guidelines. Thursday, March 21, 2013 | 3:00 p.m. Black Box: dj lynnée denise, Planet Rock: Techno, House Music and Afrofuturism The pioneers of what has become known as dance music site influences ranging from popular science fiction and George Clinton’s mothership antics to German Krautrock. From jazz to hip hop and soul to funk, images, symbols, and codes linking black artists to alternative realities and otherworldly life forms have been consistent themes in our music and collective consciousness. House and techno music, though less commercially accepted, are no exception. Nomadic artist scholar dj lynnée denise will explore the relationship between Afrofuturism and contemporary black electronic music through an interactive performance paper. Organized in partnership with the Octavia E. Butler Celebration of the Fantastic Arts. The Celebration is presented by Tananarive Due, the 2012-2013 Spelman College Cosby Endowed Chair in the Humanities and award winning Science Fiction Author.
Multiple Choice Thursday, April 4, 2013 | 6:30 p.m. The Creative Class Celebrating the rich legacy of alumni of Atlanta University Center institutions, The Creative Class is an opportunity to hear from some of the most innovative and intriguing arts professionals working today. Naima J. Keith, C’2003, Assistant Curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem, will be in conversation with Makeba Dixon-Hill C’2003, Curator of Education, to discuss the beginnings of her career as an art history major at Spelman College and her most recent projects at one of the most prestigious museums in the country.
Perspectives on the Spelman College Collection
BLACK BOX Wednesday, May 1, 2013 | 6:30 p.m. Black Box: James Ijames, FRoNTiN: The Post Soul Cake Walk James Ijames, a Barrymore and F. Otto Haas Award winning actor and playwright, will perform a nonlinear movement suite inspired by personal experiences and interviews on the performance of black male identity on and off the stage.
Saturday, April 6, 2013 | 12 noon Art Sync Join us as we welcome Naima J. Keith, Assistant Curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem, back to Atlanta. Visit studios, collections, and some of the most compelling contemporary art spaces in the city that engage women and the African Diaspora.
Upcoming Exhibition | Fall 2013
Registration is required and capacity is limited. Call 404.270.5607 or email museum@spelman.edu to reserve your space. Saturday, April 20, 2013 | 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. TellTales: A StoryCorps Partnership Culminating Performance Join us at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art to experience our collaboration with StoryCorps. Together, we have collected interviews by and about women of the African Diaspora that are inextricably linked to art and creativity. At TellTales you will experience a fusion of dance, drama, and music. Ayana Cofer, Graduate Assistant, The NALO Movement, and An Ka Fo Drum and Dance Institute will perform original performance vignettes based on the stories recorded and works in Multiple Choice. Organized in partnership with An Ka Fo Drum and Dance Institute, The NALO Movement, and StoryCorps
John W. Mosley, Crowning of Miss Sepia in Philadelphia, ca. 1958, Gelatin silver print, 20 x 16 inches. Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection, Temple University.
The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art will present Posing Beauty in African American Identity, an exhibition curated by Deborah Willis and organized by Curatorial Assistance Traveling Exhibitions, Pasadena, California. The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art enthusiastically acknowledges the generosity of
CAPTIONS FOR COVER IMAGES: Jacob Lawrence, Praying Ministers (detail), 1962, tempera on masonite, 28¼ x 40¼ inches, Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Adolf Berle, 1968.4. Edna Manley, Market Women (detail), 1936, mahogany, 21 x 6¾ x 12 inches, Gift of Elsie Myers, 1973.1. Marcia Kure, LBR and LGR (detail), 2011, watercolor, kolanut pigment, pencil, and egg, tempera on paper, 15 x 11 inches, 15 x 15 Acquisitions Initiative Purchase, 2012.4. Nandipha Mntambo, Mlwa ne Nkunzi (detail), 2008, diptych, archival ink on cotton rag paper, 44 x 33 inches each, Purchased with support from Vicki and John Palmer in honor of The 15 x 15 Acquisitions Initiative, 2010.1.a-b.
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The Museum is increasingly using email and social media to connect with visitors and Friends. Please subscribe to the enewsletter at spelmanmuseum.org. For advance notice about upcoming exhibition-related programs, follow the Museum on Facebook at facebook.com/spelmanmuseum and on Twitter at twitter.com/spelmanmuseum. For additional information about featured artists, recent events, and recent videos, please see the Museum’s YouTube Channel and our albums on Flickr.
BECOME A FRIEND The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art is the only museum in the nation that emphasizes art by and about women of the African Diaspora. The Museum relies on the support and generosity of Friends and Patrons. By joining this unique cultural institution, you will support the Museum’s new acquisitions, special exhibitions, related programs, exclusive events, and outreach programs. See spelmanmuseum.org to join today.
The only museum in the nation emphasizing art by and about women of the African Diaspora 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 spelman.edu/about-us/museum-of-fine-art spelmanmuseum.org | museum@spelman.edu spelmanmuseum/facebook.com | twitter.com/@spelmanmuseum Subscribe to the Museum’s enewsletter at spelmanmuseum.org Hours: Tuesdays - Fridays, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturdays, noon - 4 p.m. Closed Sunday, Monday, holidays, and Spelman College breaks