Author: Camara Dia Holloway

I am the Project Manager for the Romare Bearden Digital Catalogue Raisonné at the Wildenstein Plattner Institute. I earned my PhD at Yale University in the History of Art Department and specialize in twentieth century American art with a particular focus on the history of photography, race and representation, and transatlantic modernist networks. I also serve as a Founding Co-Director of the Association for Critical Race Art History (ACRAH).

SYMP: African Art Symposium in Honor of Dr. Sidney L. Kasfir @ Emory

Critical Encounters: A Graduate Student Symposium in Honor of Sidney Littlefield Kasfir

Friday & Saturday
April 22 & 23, 2011
Michael C. Carlos Museum
Emory University
Reception Hall
Throughout her career Dr. Sidney L. Kasfir has sought to rethink the way scholars, artists, museums, and viewers understand and categorize African art. She has attempted to expand our classificatory system without allowing generalizations to dilute the complex efforts of artists, cultures, and visual languages. This symposium, organized in honor of her retirement from Emory University, considers three themes to which Dr. Kasfir has contributed: Commodification and Tourism; Heritage; and The Artist, The Workshop, and Cultural Brokerage.

Invited graduate students from across the country, in multiple disciplines working with visual culture in Africa, will explore topics related to these themes in a day-long symposium that is open to the Emory community and the public.

This program is co-sponsored by Emory University’s Michael C. Carlos Museum, Art History Department, and Institute for African Studies.
Friday, April 22
7:30 pm
Keynote Address
Dr. Chika Okeke-Agulu, Assistant Professor of Art History, Princeton University, New Thoughts on the Mbari Mbayo Workshops in Osogbo, 1962-66

Continue reading “SYMP: African Art Symposium in Honor of Dr. Sidney L. Kasfir @ Emory”

EXH: “Richmond Barthé: The Seeker” and Gallery Talk @ Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art

Richmond Barthé: The Seeker
November 6, 2010 – June 12, 2011

Gallery of African American Art
Beau Rivage Resort & Casino Gallery

Guest Curator: Margaret Rose Vendryes

Richmond Barthé, who was born on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, began his career in 1927 during his training at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Barthé initially studied painting, but after he was exposed to modeling the human form in clay, he found his calling and began to attain success as a sculptor. After his move to New York, where he was associated with the Harlem Renaissance, Barthé established a reputation as one of the leading modern artists of his time, as well as one of the first African American artists to obtain critical success and celebrity.

Gallery Talk and Reception

Saturday, April 16
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Guest Curator, Margaret Rose Vendryes, Ph.D. will speak on the highlights of bronze sculptor, Richmond Barthé’s life and career.  She will also be available to sign her book Barthé a Life in Sculpture which is available for purchase in the Museum Store.

The event is Free for members
$5 for non-members

www.georgeohr.org

386 Beach Boulevard · Biloxi · Mississippi  · 39530 · 228.374.5547

PUB: Doctored: The Medicine of Photography in Nineteenth-Century America by Tanya Sheenan

“Doctored: The Medicine of Photography in Nineteenth-Century America,” by Tanya Sheenan was released last week from Penn State University Press.

http://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-03792-9.html

http://www.amazon.com/Doctored-Medicine-Photography-Nineteenth-Century-America/dp/027103792X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301967393&sr=1-1

In Doctored, Tanya Sheehan takes a new look at the relationship between
photography and medicine in American culture, from the nineteenth century
to the present. Sheehan focuses on Civil War and postbellum Philadelphia,
exploring the ways in which medical models and metaphors helped strengthen
the professional legitimacy of the city’s commercial photographic
community at a time when it was not well established. By reading the trade
literature and material practices of portrait photography and medicine in
relation to one another, she shows how their interaction defined the space
of the urban portrait studio as well as the physical and social effects of
studio operations. Integrating the methods of social art history, science
studies, and media studies, Doctored reveals important connections between
the professionalization of American photographers and the construction of
photography’s cultural identity.

Continue reading “PUB: Doctored: The Medicine of Photography in Nineteenth-Century America by Tanya Sheenan”

EXH: “Reframing Haiti: Art, History and Performativity” @ Brown University, et al.

From March 23-April 21, 2011, Brown University, in collaboration with the Rhode Island School of Design and the Waterloo Center for the Arts, will host a multi-venue exhibition of more than 100 works of Haitian art.

In conjunction with this exhibition, titled, Re-Framing Haiti: Art, History and Performativity, Brown will host five visiting Haitian artists, who will present public lectures and workshops.

The exhibition and all artist events will be free and open to the public.

http://brown.edu/web/reframing-haiti/

 

Contact: reframinghaiti@gmail.com

401-863-3137

OPP: Archaeological Field School on Edgefield, South Carolina Pottery Communities

Archaeological Field School on Edgefield, South Carolina Pottery Communities
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Anth. 454-CF and 455-CF (6 credits; 6 weeks), May 23, 2011 to July 1, 2011

This field school will provide training in the techniques of excavation, mapping, controlled surface surveys, artifact classification and contextual interpretation. Students will work in supervised teams, learning to function as members of a field crew, with all of the skills necessary for becoming professional archaeologists. Many students from past University of Illinois field schools have gone on to graduate study and professional field-archaeology positions. Laboratory processing and analysis will be ongoing during the field season. Evening lectures by project staff, visiting archaeologists, and historians will focus on providing background on how field data are used to answer archaeological and historical research questions.

Learn more on our web site —
http://www.histarch.uiuc.edu/Edgefield/

Continue reading “OPP: Archaeological Field School on Edgefield, South Carolina Pottery Communities”

EXH: “Moments of Beauty” @ The Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos

The Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos
J. D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere
Moments of Beauty
15 April– 27 November 2011

ARS 11
Museum of Contemporary Art, Kiasma
Helsinki, Finland

The Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos presents Moments of Beauty, a groundbreaking exhibition of work by the Nigerian artist J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere. Occasionally elegiac, but invariably elegant, the photographs in this exhibition reflect what the artist deems as “moments of beauty,” referring to the ebullience of Nigerian life engendered by independence and decolonisation. The exhibition highlights the breadth and depth of Ojeikere’s practice, chronicling his experiences as a visual artist and commercial photographer by presenting works that cover a range of subjects including architecture, education, fashion, social life and cultural festivals. This first comprehensive survey of Ojeikere’s work to date, with over 150 works, marks the beginning of rigorous scholarship and engagement with the artist’s practice, which spans more than half of a century. As such Moments of Beauty provides in-depth perspectives to the practice of an artist whose formidable archive has become an important anthropological, ethnographic, and artistic treasure.

J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere (b. 1930) documented significant moments in Nigerian history with great passion and discernment. Throughout his career, he has focused on the social, political and cultural transformations occurring during Nigeria’s transition from a colonial state to an independent republic. His formal investigations, documentary work and various commercial endeavors captured the unique atmosphere and élan of Nigeria during a period of great euphoria and ambivalence. Practicing since the early 1950’s, Ojeikere is a leading artist of his generation, devoted to the art of image making, the history of his country and the critical possibilities of the photographic medium.

Moments of Beauty is curated by Aura Seikkula and Bisi Silva. Curatorial Assistant is Antawan I. Byrd.

This exhibition has been organised by the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos in collaboration with Foto Ojeikere. It is co-produced with theMuseum of Contemporary Art, Kiasma as an independently curated part of the ARS 11 exhibition, Helsinki, Finland. ARS 11 is curated by Pirkko Siitari, Arja Miller and Jari-Pekka Vanhala from Kiasma.

A substantial monograph of Ojeikere’s life and work is currently in production and being co-ordinated by CCA, Lagos. The richly illustrated exhibition catalogue of ARS 11 includes an insightful essay on Ojeikere’s practice by Aura Seikkula and Bisi Silva.

Taking “Africa” as its focal point, this year’s edition of ARS 11, Finland’s largest international exhibition of contemporary art will feature work by approximately thirty artists whose practices engage with Africa from various perspectives. Among the participating artists are Georges Adéagbo, El Anatsui, Samba Fall, Laura Horelli, Alfredo Jaar, Nandipha Mntambo, Otobong Nkanga, Odili Odita, Emeka Ogboh, Abraham Oghobaseand Barthélémy Toguo.

For inquiries, please contact info@ccalagos.org or info@kiasma.fi
Antawan I. Byrd
Curatorial Assistant
Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos
Lagos, Nigeria
antawan@ccalagos.org

JOB: Curatorial Fellowship @ Indianapolis Museum of Art

Weisenberger Fellow of American Art

The Indianapolis Museum of Art is pleased to announce an 8-month graduate curatorial fellowship. The Weisenberger Fellowship provides curatorial training in American art and supports scholarly research of the IMA collection of American painting and sculpture from 1800 to 1945. The Weisenberger Fellow is fully integrated into the museum’s curatorial division and has responsibilities in collection management and preparation of interpretive materials.

The Weisenberger Fellow will receive a stipend of $16,000 plus benefits, and housing on the museum campus is provided. The 8-month fellowship period will begin in October 2011.

To be eligible for the fellowship, the applicant must hold a Master’s degree in art history or a related field. Applicants must demonstrate scholarly excellence as well as a strong interest in the museum profession. Applications should include a cover letter explaining your interest in the fellowship, a curriculum vitae, a writing sample, and 3 letters of recommendation. Applications must be received by May 15, 2011.

Application materials may be emailed to hr@imamuseum.org or mailed to:

Indianapolis Museum of Art

Attn: Human Resources

4000 Michigan Road

Indianapolis, IN 46208-3326

CFP: Museum History Journal

Museum History Journal, now in it fourth volume, is soliciting new
submissions for volumes 5 and 6, to appear in 2012 and 2013 (each volume
includes two issues, published in January and July). For specific
submission guidelines and other information, please visit the Left Coast
Press website: http://www.lcoastpress.com/journal.php?id=6

Museum History Journal is an international, peer-reviewed journal of
critical, evaluative histories related to museums. Content encompasses
not only a broad range of museum types—including natural history,
anthropology, archaeology, fine art, history, medical and science and
technology—but also related cultural institutions such as aquaria,
zoos, botanical gardens, arboreta, historical societies and sites,
architectural sites, archives and planetariums. It presents a variety of
scholarly approaches, such as analytical, narrative, historical,
cultural, social, quantitative and intellectual.

Please send manuscripts to the Editor, Hugh H. Genoways
<hgenoways1@unl.edu> <mailto:hgenoways1@unl.edu>.

FEL: Mellon Curatorial Fellowship for African-American Art @ Birmingham Museum of Art

Mellon Fellowship Job Description
The Mellon Fellowship offers a post-doctoral candidate the opportunity to gain professional curatorial experience in a major museum setting.  The Fellow is primarily responsible for collection- and exhibition-related research focusing on African-American art and artists and related issues, with an emphasis on developing engaging exhibitions and publications, researching and identifying acquisitions through purchase and gift, audience development, fundraising and public relations, and additional duties as appropriate to specific projects.
The Museum boasts impressive holdings of African-American art in a wide variety of media by artists such as Henry Ossawa Tanner, Robert S. Duncanson, Bill Traylor, Jacob Lawrence, Gordon Parks, Ernest Withers, Thornton Dial, Jack Whitten, Lorna Simpson, Kerry James Marshall, Carrie Mae Weems, Glenn Ligon, Odili Donald Odita and numerous others.  In addition to this impressive foundation, there exists an avid local collector base and a concentrated commitment on the Museum’s part to further acquisitions of African-American art, especially the work of emerging and mid-career artists.  The Birmingham Museum of Art aims to amass a world-class collection that illuminates the range of motivations, creativity and aesthetics of black artists working in all artistic media, with the eventual goal of being a center and requisite destination for anyone with an interest in viewing, studying and researching the art of 20th– and 21st-century African-American artists.
The position reports to the Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and also works in close association with the Curator of American Art. As a two-year, full-time commitment, the Fellow is exposed to all aspects of curatorial operations and participates in the daily activities of the Museum’s curatorial department.  With a start date as early as July 1, 2011, the fellowship carries a yearly salary of $44,000 plus selected benefits. Additional operating resources are designated to support the research and implementation of programs and exhibitions devised by the Mellon Fellow.
Qualifications
The successful candidate must hold a Ph.D. in art history with demonstrated expertise of African-American art, and strong collaborative and organizational skills. In addition, the Fellow must be a passionate and energetic person with the ability to manage, research, exhibit, and develop an important collection. S/he must have the interest and ability to share the collection with diverse audiences and to build a positive image and lasting relationships for the Birmingham Museum of Art. S/he must be an innovative thinker and a great communicator with the ability to present the African-American art collection to all internal and external constituencies and must have a reputation for the highest level of integrity and credibility.
Museum Description
Founded in 1951, the Birmingham Museum of Art is one of the premier museums of the southeast, with a collection of over 24,000 objects that represent a rich panorama of international cultures, past and present.  Six curators oversee the collection in the areas of European Art, Modern and Contemporary Art, Decorative Art, Asian Art, Arts of Africa and the Americas, and American Art.  The Museum’s educational programs are designed around the collection and special exhibitions, and provide opportunities for all ages and levels of experience to connect with art. Visit www.artsbma.org for more information.
Procedure for application
Applicants must submit a curriculum vitae, contact information for three references, and a statement specifying: 1) the applicant’s research goals; 2) how these goals relate to or will benefit the Birmingham Museum of Art and Birmingham community; 3) and how resources at the BMA might be used to accomplish these goals.
The application deadline is May 27, 2011, however review of applications will be ongoing and applications received after the deadline may be considered. The Birmingham Museum of Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Qualified minority applicants are strongly encouraged to apply. Application materials should be sent to:
Jeannine O’Grody
Chief Curator
Birmingham Museum of Art
2000 Rev. Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd.
Birmingham, AL 35203
jogrody@artsbma.org

 

REF: “Slavery in Canada” website

http://www.canadachannel.ca/slavery/index.php/Welcome_to_the_Slavery_in_Canada_Portal

A new online resource in the history of slavery and the abolitionist movement in Canada entitled “Slavery in Canada.” This resource was developed for Heritage Canada (a federal government department in Canada) for students in grades 5 to 10 (ages 11-16).