The Georgia Museum of Art will celebrate the lasting impact of African American history this February through an artistic lens. By highlighting works in the museum’s permanent collection, as well as several programs, visitors will have an opportunity to reflect on history from a new perspective.
A Self Guided Tour
When you visit the museum galleries this month, be sure to pick up a Black history gallery guide at the lobby desk. The guide highlights several significant pieces on display by African American artists. The Georgia Museum of Art’s permanent collection features hundreds of works by African American artists, partially thanks to a 2012 donation by Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson. Their gift of 100 works by African American artists was a nod to museum founder Alfred Heber Holbrook’s original donation of 100 American paintings that is the foundation of the museum’s permanent collection. The long-term installation “Decade of Tradition” features a selection of the Thompsons’ donated works and offers a unique way to celebrate and contemplate Black history. The Thompsons’ generous contribution allows us to celebrate the transformative impact of art created by African American artists.
Works such as “Bluest Eye” by Stefanie Jackson, “Seeking Blessing I” by Kevin Cole and “Mayors Mask Ball” by Lee Ransaw are on view this month. These art pieces, among many, highlight the cultural stories told through art. Below is a sneak peak of our Black history month gallery guide:
Black Art and Culture Awards
The Thompsons’ contributions to the museum go well beyond their donation to the permanent collection. Known for their advocacy for African American art and artists, they also endowed a curatorial position at the museum. In honor of their generosity, the museum’s annual Black Art and Culture Awards recognizes a living African American visual artist with a significant Georgia connection with the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Award. This year, the event will occur on Friday, March 22, and artist Curtis Patterson will receive the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Award. The Lillian C. Lynch Citation, which honors an African American leader who has made a significant contribution to African American cultural education and service, will be awarded to Marie T. Cochran.
Family Day: Remembering Radcliffe Bailey
On February 10, the museum’s Family Day event will remember and celebrate recently deceased contemporary artist Radcliffe Bailey. Based in Atlanta, Radcliffe explored African American history through his mixed-media works. Family Day event attendees will learn about his works in the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection of African American Art, and then create art of their own to take home. If you and your family are not able to attend, you can pick up Family Day To-Go kits, while supplies last.
“For me as an artist, I want to be known as an artist, at the end of the day I want to be known as a human, I just want to be respected. But sometimes I choose for African American artist, in many ways we need to be acknowledged for our contributions to the world,” said Bailey in an interview with Rob Perrée. “I think we have given a lot of contributions and a lot of them haven’t been acknowledged.”
Authored by:
Alexandra King
