The Grapevine

20th-Century British Artists of Color: A New History Project

This is a new initiative, led by contemporary artist Sonia Boyce, will document the careers of British modernists and post-modernists who are/were black. (“Black” here is in the political category that was vital in the 1970s and 1980s, meaning British ethno-racial minorities of African, Asian, and Caribbean heritages.)

Boyce puts the paradox up front. The project’s categorization draws boundaries around the artists as black people, a designation which some of them believe will limit or subtend assessment of their practices. However, without naming these important artists as black people, the pathways of modernism and its narratives, will appear to be entirely and homogeneously white. These accounts are simply incomplete. What’s worse they fail to tell on themselves. That is, they don’t draw attention to their own exclusionarism and elitism.

For more on the British project, see:

“Forgotten History of Black Artists to Be Uncovered in £700,000 Curation Project” (Daily Mail, London)

CFP: Zones of Representation

Call for Papers:

“Zones of Representation: Photographing Contested Landscapes, Contemporary West Coast Perspectives on Photography and Photograph-Based Media,” a symposium organized by Makeda Best (California College of the Arts), Bridget Gilman (Santa Clara University), and Kathy Zarur (California College of the Arts), at SF Camerawork, San Francisco, CA, April 23, 2016
Contemporary global events and phenomena continue to shape visual interpretations of economic, social, environmental, and political geographies, and to disrupt conceptions of region, nation, citizenship, and community.

“Zones of Representation” will consider how photographers and time-based media artists have responded to transformations in the global landscape through new ideas about the function of photographic media, and the shifting roles of makers and audiences. We want to know: how can novel visual practices disrupt traditional narratives of spatial representation? In what unique ways do artists in time-based media acknowledge and respond to the historical contribution of their medium in defining, producing, and perpetuating these same narratives? What new connections do these practices demonstrate and reveal? And, in what ways do contemporary technologies, modes of distribution, and access impact interactions with the land?
We invite papers that address the expanded role of photography and time-based media in global landscape discourses and social fabrics.

Proposals on contemporary topics or new perspectives on historic materials are encouraged. Proposals from image makers are also welcome.

Please send a 300-word proposal, a one-paragraph biographical statement, and full contact information tozonesofrepresentation@gmail.com by January 8, 2016.
“Zones of Representation” aims to connect artists, historians, curators and arts professionals, and students in Northern California, facilitating a regional network for the latest art historical scholarship. The symposium is presented in collaboration with SF Camerawork and is co-sponsored by the Northern California Art Historians (NCAH), a College Art Association affiliated society.

 

 

Live: Conversations about Race at Stanford

Tomorrow (Nov. 19, 2015) starts at 12:30 PM Pacific

The first half of the symposium will feature a conversation from 12:30 to 2 pm PST about Policing, Mass Incarceration & Racial Justice with Mychal Denzel Smith (The Nation), Rinku Sen (Colorlines), Isabel Garcia (Derechos Humanos) and Reverend Osagyefo Sekou (Fellowship of Reconciliation & King Research and Education Institute). Moderated by H. Samy Alim.

The second half of the symposium will feature a conversation from 2:30 to 4 pm PST about The Arts, Racial Justice & Cultural Equity with Favianna Rodriguez (CultureStr/ke), Jasiri X (1Hood), Jonathan Calm (Stanford Department of Art & Art History), Deborah Cullinan (Yerba Buena Center for The Arts), and Rita Gonzalez (Los Angeles County Museum of Art). Moderated by Jeff Chang.
Here’s the URL again:

Lowe Curatorial Fellowship for Diversity in the Fine Arts @ PAFA

The Winston & Carolyn Lowe Curatorial Fellowship for Diversity in the Fine Arts (Lowe Curatorial Fellowship) at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia, PA offers the opportunity for a highly qualified candidate with outstanding credentials to gain professional curatorial experience at a nationally renowned museum of American Art affiliated with a degree-granting fine arts art school.  One of the main goals of the Fellowship is to enhance diversity by focusing recruitment efforts on under-represented groups in America  in the curatorial profession.

The Lowe Curatorial Fellowship will be a full-time, two-year term position offering a highly mentored and structured curatorial experience at PAFA. The Lowe Curatorial Fellowship will be designed to provide a professional bridge to a major institutional museum career and encourage diversity within the museum field.  The Fellowship provides growth and development for outstanding candidates, particularly those from underrepresented groups, and provides a professional bridge to museum careers, encouraging diversity within the museum field.  The start date will be determined based on the successful applicant’s schedule.

Applications will be accepted immediately and will be reviewed until an appropriate candidate is identified.

https://www.pafa.org/current-openings/winston-carolyn-lowe-curatorial-fellowship-diversity-fine-arts-pennsylvania-academy

Tenure Track Assistant Professor Position (20th-21st Century Literature) Macalester College/English Dept. – Deadline Nov. 1, 2015

Macalester/English Department Search for 20th-21st Century British Literature Specialist

Tenure Track Assistant Professor Position @UConn: Black Atlantic Studies (listed through Dec. 31, 2015)

See:

UConn Black Atlantic Studies

Hawai`i and Pacific American Studies Curator Position/SAAM – Application Deadline Oct. 30, 2015

See:

http://smithsonianapa.org/jobs

EXCITING EDMONIA LEWIS DISCOVERY

variety.spice.life's avatarVARIETY . SPICE . LIFE

An important discovery has been made of a Bust of Christ by the Afro-Indian sculptor Edmonia Lewis (1842-1907). It is in a collection in Scotland for which she also created a Madonna and Child With Angels.

A work by her of this name was auctioned in London in the latter part of the 19th-century, but with no illustration and little other information.

For a quick intro to Lewis, her life and career, Google “Marilyn Richardson” “Edmonia Lewis” both in quotes.

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JOB: Senior Curator @ The Columbus Museum (GA)

The Columbus Museum, an art and regional history museum, seeks a Senior Curator for one of the largest museums in the Southeast. The Museum has a collection of 18th- to– 21st century American art, decorative arts, and contemporary design, as well as a collection of historical artifacts related to the Lower Chattahoochee Valley. The art collection, for which the Senior Curator is responsible, includes works by Charles Willson Peale, Gilbert Stuart, Sanford Gifford, Robert Duncanson, John Twachtman, Paul Manship, Stuart Davis, Robert Motherwell, Louise Nevelson, Alma Thomas, Dale Chihuly, Kara Walker, and Bill Viola. The museum’s grounds feature the beautiful Bradley-Olmsted Garden, designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm in the 1920s for homeowner and noted industrialist W. C. Bradley. The Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

As part of the museum’s senior management team, the Senior Curator reports to the Director and leads a departmental staff of six that includes the curator of history, registrars, an exhibition coordinator and preparators. The Museum recently adopted a five-year strategic plan that calls for reinstallation of the galleries; greater integration between the art and history collections; new, engaging interpretations of objects in the collection; and appealing and thoughtful special exhibitions and programs. The Columbus Museum has an annual operating budget of $2.7 million and endowments that provide funds for acquisitions. The museum is part of the Muscogee County School District, which contributes 42% of the annual operating funds. The Columbus Museum offers free admission.

The Senior Curator has the opportunity to make important contributions to the fields of historic and/or contemporary American art through new scholarship and publications and to have significant impact on visitors’ understanding of art and history. In addition to organizing exhibitions, researching the collection, and recommending acquisitions, the Senior Curator works with the Board’s collections committee and develops and oversees the departmental budget.

With a population of 204,000, Columbus is the second largest city in Georgia. It is experiencing a renaissance that includes revitalization of its beautiful and historic downtown riverfront. Cultural amenities include the Springer Theater, the River Center for the Performing Arts, and, at Columbus State University, the Corn Center for the Visual Arts, Schwob School of Music, and the Bo Bartlett Center, the last opening in 2017. Columbus is the corporate headquarters of Aflac, TSYS, W. C. Bradley, and Synovus Bank. Located on the East Coast, it is 1 ½ hours from the Atlanta airport and 3 ½ hours from the Gulf Coast. Columbus was rated one of “The Top 100 Best Places to Live,” by Liveability.com in 2014.

Desired abilities and responsibilities

  • Be a leader in developing a new curatorial vision for the museum
  • Passion for engaging diverse audiences of varying levels of art knowledge through the exhibition program and new presentations of the permanent collections
  • Superb public speaking skills
  • Superior writing skills
  • Experience in developing/maintaining relationships with donors and in acquiring art through both gift and purchase is preferred
  • Capable of managing the departmental budget
  • Excellent organizational and strategic thinking skills
  • Desire to work collaboratively with curatorial staff and staff from other departments
  • Knowledge of the proper care and management of collections, standards of documentation and ethics, exhibition organization and implementation, preparation of exhibition-related publications and scholarship

Required education

  • Ph.D. in art history, American studies, or related field preferred or M.A. with record of exhibitions and publications
  • Expertise in historic or contemporary American art. An interest in history, decorative arts and/or contemporary design is desirable.

The Senior Curator is a full-time position that offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience) and full benefits. More information about The Columbus Museum can be found at www.columbusmuseum.com. Interested applicants should visit the Muscogee County School District website at www.muscogee.k12.ga.us to submit an online application. A cover letter and resume with the names of three references should be emailed to Robin Savell at Savell.Robin.W@muscogee.k12.ga.us. Position is open until filled.

The Columbus Museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.