Tag: African American Art

REF: The Romare Bearden Catalogue Raisonné Project

The Wildenstein Plattner Institute is proud to announce the inaugural release of THE ROMARE BEARDEN CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ PROJECT, featuring over 200 of the artist’s unique works created between 1964 and 1969. This significant launch represents a major step forward in the study of one of the 20th century’s most influential African American artists.⁠

Romare Bearden, Prevalence of Ritual: Tidings, 1964, Photostat mounted on fiberboard, 28 3/4 x 39 3/4 inches (73 x 101 cm), Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh. Photograph © 2025 Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh © Romare Bearden Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. RB27TI

Working in partnership with the Romare Bearden Foundation, WPI’s team of researchers led by Dr. Camara Holloway have made incredible strides in identifying elements of the artist’s production: approximately 50 works presented in this first installment were previously unknown within the Foundation’s records. ⁠

The publication of this first installment includes an introductory text by Jacqueline Francis and Anne Monahan, “Romare Bearden, 1964–69: A Turning Point,” which describes Bearden’s artistic transformation — from painter and watercolorist to a nationally-recognized master of collage — as well as pivotal moments earlier in his career: http://bit.ly/4neTiox

We are thrilled to share the initial phase of this project with the larger community, and are looking forward to future installments with continued collaboration with the Romare Bearden Foundation, our technology partner Navigating.art and vital support from the Hasso Plattner Foundation.

Explore the first installment of the digital catalogue here! http://bit.ly/4kRFONU

To Attend: James A. Porter Colloquium – Register Now

The 35th Annual James A. Porter Colloquium

on African American Art and Art of the African Diaspora

Dates: April 3-5, 2025

Locations:

  • April 3, 2025- The Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park (In-Person)
  • April 4, 2025- The Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC(In-Person and Live-streamed on Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Youtube page)
  • April 5, 2025- National Gallery of Art, Washington,DC (In-Person Only and Live-streamed on National Gallery of Art’s Youtube page) & Howard University, Washington DC(In-Person Only and Live-streamed on the Porter Colloquium Youtube page)

Colloquium Theme Synopsis:

The Shape of Race

In partnership with the Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Association of Critical Race Art History, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Howard University Gallery of Art and the National Gallery of Art, the Department of Art in Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts invites the public to convene to examine new developments in the area of critical race art history.

Register for Driskell Center events on Thursday, April 3, 2024 by clicking the links below:

4:00PM Deity of the Circle Performance

6:00PM Distinguished Lecture by Dr. Kellie Jones

All additional registration can be completed through this eventbrite page.

Register on Eventbrite

Save the Date: 2025 James A. Porter Colloquium

JOB: Registrar, David C. Driskell Center, University of Maryland

Position Number: 130060
Title: Program Manager
Functional Title: Art Registrar
Category Status: 35-Exempt Contingent Category 2
Applicant Search Category: Staff
University Authorized FTE: 1.000
Unit: ARHU-David C. Driskell Center

Campus/College Information:
Founded in 1856, University of Maryland, College Park is the state’s flagship institution. Our 1,250-acre College Park campus is just minutes away from Washington, D.C., and the nexus of the nation’s legislative, executive, and judicial centers of power. This unique proximity to business and technology leaders, federal departments and agencies, and a myriad of research entities, embassies, think tanks, cultural centers, and non-profit organizations is simply unparalleled. Synergistic opportunities for our faculty and students abound and are virtually limitless in the nation’s capital and surrounding areas. The University is committed to attracting and retaining outstanding and diverse faculty and staff that will enhance our stature of preeminence in our three missions of teaching, scholarship, and full engagement in our community, the state of Maryland, and in the world.

Background Checks
Offers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. Information reported by the background check will not automatically disqualify someone from employment. Prior to any adverse decision, finalists have an opportunity to provide information to the University regarding the background check.

The University reserves the right to rescind offers of employment or otherwise decline or terminate employment if the information reported by the background check is deemed incompatible with the position, regardless of when the background check is completed.

Offers are contingent on providing proof of employment eligibility in the United States no more than 3 days after the initial start date. If this proof is not provided within this timeframe, the offer may be rescinded or employment terminated.

Position Summary/Purpose of Position:
Serving as a member of the senior administrative team of the David C. Driskell Center, the Registrar supervises all aspects of registration activities pertaining to the permanent collections, loans, implementation of policies and procedures for acquisition, documentation, inventory, management, and disposition of the permanent collection and other objects in the Center’s custody. The Registrar also manages collections storage and will be the lead staff member on an upcoming migration to a new collections management database.

This is an in-person position. Telework may be available up to two (2) days per week, subject to approval.

Benefits Summary
Top Benefits and Perks: Exempt Benefits Summary

Minimum Qualifications:

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

EXPERIENCE: 3 years of relevant professional experience.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:
– Demonstrated knowledge of professional museum practices, including registration methods, safe object handling and art preservation, packing and shipping, storage of art, security measures, and object numbering techniques.
– Knowledge of and demonstrated skill in collection management databases, Microsoft Word and Excel, and Adobe Photoshop.
– Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and written and verbal communication skills.

Preferences:
-MA in Museum Studies or related field preferred.
– Experience in the field of Collections Management, including long-term department and museum planning, supervising staff, and writing and managing budgets.
– Experience with loans, both international and domestic, is a plus.
– Some knowledge in the areas of artwork and items in the Museum’s care is preferred.

Additional Information:
This is a grant-funded, term position for three years. Salary range is $58,656 – $70,000.

Candidates must be able to provide proof of eligibility to work in the USA. No visa sponsorship is offered for this position.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefits package, including 22 Days Annual Leave; 15

Days Sick Leave; 3 Days Personal Leave; 15 Paid Holidays; Tuition Remission; Health, Dental, Vision and Prescription coverage.

This is an in-person position. Telework may be available up to two (2) days per week, subject to approval.

People who identify with historically marginalized groups based on gender, race, ethnicity, and nationality are especially encouraged to apply.
Job Risks: Not Applicable to This Position

Physical Demands:
Creating an object’s condition report may require prolonged standing and lifting of large/heavy art objects.

Posting Date: 10/31/2024
Closing Date:
Open Until Filled Yes
Best Consideration Date 12/06/2024

Diversity Statement:
The University of Maryland, College Park, an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, creed, marital status, political affiliation, personal appearance, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment, in all aspects of employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

“Enduring Legacy: Conversations on Romare Bearden” Zoom webinar series in May

Bearden with Betty Blayton and Children’s Art Carnival students; “Romare Bearden: The Prevalence of Ritual” at the Studio Museum in Harlem, 1972; Romare Bearden Papers [ysqdockk], The Wildenstein Plattner Institute, Inc.

We hope you can join us for an exciting series running throughout May 2024 hosted by the Wildenstein Plattner Institute: 

ENDURING LEGACY: Conversations on Romare Bearden 

This event series features three speakers whose scholarship and practice engage with Bearden’s formulation of the visual world. 

Curating Romare Bearden with Charlie Farrell 

Wednesday May 8, 2024 at 1 pm

Registration link

Charlie Farrell will discuss the exhibition Romare Bearden: Resonances at the Saint Louis Art Museum. The show features Bearden’s important collage, Summertime (1967), alongside other collage works from the Museum’s collection. The aim is to trace Bearden’s influence and relationships with other artists, grounding him in a continuum of Black creativity. 

Situating the Projections with Anne Monahan 

Wednesday May 15, 2024 at 1 pm

Registration link

Anne Monahan will discuss her chapter on Bearden from her manuscript in progress, “A Usable Past”: Race, Figuration, and Politics in the 1960s. Her research on Bearden reconsiders his breakthrough Projections exhibition in 1964, exploring his turn to photomontage, how race factored into the works’ reception, and the impact of this work on a rising generation of artists of color.

Conceptualizing Black Joy with Kahlil Robert Irving

Wednesday May 22, 2024 at 1 pm

Registration link

Kahlil Robert Irving will discuss his artistic practice, including the pieces that were included in the recent exhibition, In Common: New Approaches with Romare Bearden, held at the New School in New York City. The show featured the work of six contemporary artists alongside that of Bearden.


These conversations commemorate Bearden’s continuing impact thirty-six years after his passing. The insight of his work resonates with our present moment and contemporary questions of race in America. More information can be found on our website.

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Assistant Professor, Tenure Track—Latin American and Latinx/e History and/or African American Art History—San Francisco State University (application review begins Feb. 1, 2024)

Department/School Name: School of Art
Area of Specialization: Art History
Rank of Appointment: Assistant Professor

San Francisco State University, School of Art seeks applicants for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Art History with a specialization in Latin American and Latinx/e art history and/or African American art history. Position begins August 2024.


The mission of San Francisco State University is to create an environment for learning that promotes appreciation of scholarship, freedom, human diversity, and the cultural mosaic of the City of San Francisco and the Bay Area; to promote excellence in instruction and intellectual accomplishment; and to provide broadly accessible higher education for residents of the region, state, the nation, and the world. Ph.D. required. Salary commensurate with qualifications. Application review begins 2/1/2024 and continues until filled.


Send cover letter describing research interests and relating your experience to the required qualifications, a current CV, a statement on how your teaching and creative work align with the commitment of the School of Art to foster an inclusive and diverse academic community, writing sample, sample syllabi, and contact information of three references letters of recommendation to be requested later. Access application portal at: https://careers.pageuppeople.com/873/sf/en-us/job/533826/assistant-professor-art-history-school-of-art

JOB: Asst Prof, African American/African Diaspora/African at University of Pittsburgh

The Department of History of Art and Architecture (HAA) in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh seeks to appoint an Assistant Professor (tenure-stream) of African American, African Diasporic, or African art and/or architecture (chronology open) with a start date of September 1, 2024, pending budgetary approval.

Applicants should submit a cover letter (1-2 pages), current CV, writing sample (15-20 pages), teaching portfolio (12 pages max), as diversity statement (1-2 pages) via Talent Center, as well as 3 confidential letters of recommendation emailed to Chair and Administrative Officer (see job description for details).

For further details about the position, or to apply, please follow this link: cfopitt.taleo.net/careersection/pitt_faculty_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=23007761.

JOB: Asst Prof, African American/African Diaspora at Rollins College

The Department of Art and Art History at Rollins College seeks an Assistant Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art History (1800-present), tenure-track, with a research and teaching focus in African American Art History or the African diaspora, which may include the Caribbean. Ph.D. and teaching experience required. Especially welcome are applicants with interests in justice, interdisciplinary teaching, and the development of courses addressing cross-cultural themes. Preference will be given to candidates from marginalized communities and applicants with experience in object-based teaching, community engagement, and/or digital humanities. Opportunities exist for robust partnership with curricular programs in African and African American Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, American Studies, and Sexuality, Women’s & Gender Studies, as well as with the Rollins Museum of Art, which includes the Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art. Community engagement opportunities are available, including in the Hannibal Square historic neighborhood, nearby Eatonville, and with the Zora Neale Hurston Museum. The Morse Museum of American Art also provides opportunity for collaboration and on-site teaching. Duties include 3/3 teaching load, scholarly research and publications, advising and other service to the department and the college.

Rollins College is a comprehensive liberal arts college located just north of Orlando, FL, a diverse metropolitan community with a thriving economic and cultural scene. Nearby Orlando International Airport provides easy access to U.S. and international destinations. The college emphasizes innovative and quality teaching in small classes and ranks number one among 121 Southern master’s-level universities in the annual rankings of “America’s Best Colleges,” released by U.S. News & World Report. Please visit the college website at www.rollins.edu.

To learn more and apply, visit:

https://jobs.rollins.edu/en-us/job/493540/assistant-professor-of-modern-and-contemporary-art-history-1800present

JOB: Assistant Professor in African American and/or Africa Diaspora Arts at Boston University

Boston University’s Department of History of Art & Architecture invites applicants for a renewable four-year tenure track position, beginning AY 2024-25, as Assistant Professor in African American and/or Africa Diaspora Arts, with a geographic focus on the United States, the Caribbean, and/or South or Central America. This is a joint position with Boston University’s African American & Black Diaspora Studies Program. We seek exceptional scholars and teachers, with expertise in modern and/or contemporary art and visual culture, whose work incorporates diverse perspectives and critical approaches. Boston University and the Department actively seek diversity in the student and faculty ranks, recognizing that pluralism of experience deepens the intellectual endeavor.

The successful candidate will offer graduate and undergraduate courses in History of Art and Architecture and African American & Black Diaspora Studies; conduct research in their area(s) of specialization; and advise and mentor graduate and undergraduate students. Salary competitive and commensurate with experience. PhD required and publications preferred.

Please submit in PDF or Word form to AcademicJobsOnline (https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/25530) and addressed to Professor Ross Barrett, Search Committee Chair (rcb@bu.edu): 1) a curriculum vitae; 2) three recommenders’ contact information; 3) a cover letter that describes your research accomplishments and plans, your teaching principles, and approaches, and how your research, teaching, and/or other activities contribute to diversity objectives. Review of applications begins November 15, 2023.

Boston University expects excellence in teaching and in research and is committed to building a culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse scholarly community.

BU conducts a background check on all final candidates for certain faculty and staff positions. The background check includes contacting the final candidate’s current and previous employer(s) to ask whether, in the last seven years, there has been a substantiated finding of misconduct violating that employer’s applicable sexual misconduct policies. To implement this process, the University requires a final candidate to complete and sign the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” after execution of an offer letter.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

LEC: “Race Matters: Cultural Politics in the 1960s” webinar series on Zoom in September

We hope you can join us for this exciting webinar series hosted by the WPI, Race Matters: Cultural Politics in the 1960s

The 1960s was a tumultuous moment in American history as racial equality movements propelled sweeping changes to the body politic. This critical juncture in the nation’s race relations captured the public’s attention as the media delivered the unfolding drama to their doorsteps. The turbulent racial climate spurred the artist’s Romare Bearden’s pivotal turn to collage and return to Black figuration. 

This webinar series presents new insights into the work of Bearden and his contemporaries. His fellow artists, who came from diverse racial backgrounds, joined Bearden in responding to the tenor of the times and tackling Black subject matter and/or racial themes in their work. The series will expand our understanding of how racial concerns were articulated during this watershed decade.

About the Webinars:

Tomorrow I May Be Far Away — with Bridget R. Cooks

Thursday, September 7, 1pm ET 

Register here

In this talk, art historian Bridget R. Cooks addresses Romare Bearden’s ability to engage the Black and mainstream art worlds during the 1960s and ’70s. During this time, his art was revered as exemplary of American art and Black art in different institutional contexts delineated by race. Cooks discusses how Bearden navigated his presence in both worlds through his art and exhibitions.

Bridget R. Cooks is a scholar and curator of American art. She serves as Chancellor’s Fellow and Professor of African American Studies and Art History at the University of California, Irvine. She is most well-known as the author of the book, Exhibiting Blackness: African Americans and the American Art Museum.

Romare Bearden, the South, and the Southern Black Arts Movement— with James Smethurst

Thursday, September 14, 1pm ET

Register here

This talk will discuss the place of the South, what Romare Bearden described as the “homeland of my imagination” in Bearden’s work. It will also consider the impact of Bearden and his work on the Black Arts Movement in the South during the 1960s and 1970s. 

James Smethurst is a Professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is the author of The New Red Negro: The Literary Left and African American Poetry, 1930-1946; The Black Arts Movement: Literary Nationalism in the 1960s and 1970s; The African American Roots of Modernism; Brick City Vanguard: Amiri Baraka, Black Music, Black Modernity; and Behold the Land: A History of the Black Arts Movement in the South. 

Bearden and Harlem in the 1960s — with Maya Harakawa 

Thursday, September 21, 1pm ET

Register here

This talk explores Romare Bearden’s evolving relationship with Harlem in the 1960s, a decade when Bearden depicted Harlem in his art, joined the neighborhood’s cultural council, curated exhibitions in Harlem, and protested reductive curatorial approaches to Harlem’s history. In addition to discussing Bearden, the talk will also focus on the artistic landscape of 1960s Harlem and highlight the neighborhood’s role in defining artistic practice at a moment of profound social and artistic change. 

Maya Harakawa (she/her) is assistant professor of art history at the University of Toronto. A specialist in art of the African Diaspora in the United States, she is currently writing a book on art and Harlem in the 1960s.

Witness: Rauschenberg Reflects the Tumultuous 1960s — with Helen Hsu

Thursday, September 28, 1pm ET

Register here

Deploying methods of collage, innovated with solvent transfer and screenprinting techniques, Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008) appropriated from, intervened in, and disrupted the ever proliferating mass media imagescape. “Witness” presents examples of the artist’s work from the 1960s that crystallize the decade’s cultural reckonings and historical crises. Rauschenberg’s remaking and reinvention of collective visual sources invites viewers to critically engage with shifting conditions of recognition and obscurity, recasting the encounter with an artwork as a form of creative participation.

Helen Hsu is the Associate Curator for Research at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. She was formerly an assistant curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and is an alumna of Stanford University.