Black Meetings and Tourism

Nov/Dec 2012

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ICI•pg_14-22__BMT_pg3-58 1/22/13 2:21 AM Page 14 M U S E U M N OT E S BY PATRICIA ANN JORDAN BIRMINGHAM EXHIBITION OFFERS ALTERNATIVE PORTRAITS OF BLACK CULTURE ello Faithful Readers. By the time you read this column, the November elections will have passed. Hopefully, to our good, with Obama presiding another four years. God be with him for there is much to do and a lot he's up against. Let's continue to keep him in our prayers. Wanted to share, Intimate Interiors, an exhibition presenting alternative portraits of Black culture spanning mid-20th century to modern day, currently running at the Birmingham Museum of Art. As a mixed media exhibition, Intimate Interiors presents 12 portraits of Black people in intimate moments and spaces that include religious worship, bedrooms, and entertaining. Ranging from a depiction of elderly women at church in the south, to young people dancing the jitterbug on a Saturday night, the exhibition focuses on the intimate moments of everyday life in Black culture. According to Jeffreen M. Hayes, Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow, in such spaces, Black folk are at their most comfortable, and oftentimes most vulnerable views. The exhibition offers alternative images to racist images of Blacks that we often encounter in our global visual culture. By exhibiting alternative images, the exhibition organizers hope to encourage dialogue about the similarities shared with other cultures, while celebrating Black cultural experiences. The exhibition's opening coincided with the Sankofa Soiree at the Birmingham Museum of Art on Saturday, August 25. The 4th annual Sankofa Soiree was hosted by The Sankofa Society: Friends of African American and African Art and carried the theme Intimate Evening of Art, which connects to the exhibition Intimate Interiors. The weekend began with a Friday night reception and champagne toast, where Sankofa Society members did a meet and greet with the weekend's honoree, Theaster Gates, a Chicago-based artist and urban planner. The weekend events also featured a series of live musical entertainment, dinner, and a celebration of African-American and African art. Intimate Interiors, presented by Cadence Bank, will be on display until December 3, 2012 in the Museum's Bohorfoush gallery, which is dedicated to the exhibition of African-American art. Curator, Jeffreen M. Hayes completed her doctoral studies at the College of William and Mary in the American Studies program. Her specialty is contemporary African-American art and visual culture. Dr. Hayes is currently an Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow in African American Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art. The Birmingham Museum of Art was founded in 1951, and has one of the finest collections in the Southeast. More than 24,000 objects displayed and housed within the Museum represent a rich panorama of cultures, including Asian, European, American, African, Pre-Columbian, and Native American. Highlights include the Museum's collection of Asian art, Vietnamese ceramics, the Kress collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts from the late 13th century to the 1750s, and the Museum's world-renowned collection of Wedgwood, the largest outside of England. For more information on museum happenings, call (205) 254-2565 or visit artsbma.org. H 14 B M & T ••• November/December 2012 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com

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