The Studio Museum in Harlem Magazine Spring/Summer 2019 Studio Magazine Board of Trustees Contributors Editor-In-Chief Raymond J
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The Studio Museum in Harlem Magazine Spring/Summer 2019 Studio magazine Board of Trustees Contributors Editor-in-Chief Raymond J. McGuire, Chairman Joshua Bell Elizabeth Gwinn Carol Sutton Lewis, Vice-Chair Major Gifts Officer Communications Director Rodney M. Miller, Sr., Treasurer Jacqueline L. Bradley, Secretary Eric Booker Managing Editor Exhibition Coordinator Sofía Benitez Laura Day Baker Communications Assistant Dr. Anita Blanchard Connie H. Choi Kathryn C. Chenault Associate Curator, Permanent Collection Photo Editor Joan S. Davidson SaVonne Anderson Gordon J. Davis, Esq. Stacie Crawford Designer and Digital Coordinator Damien R. Dwin Special Events Manager Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Digital Editor Sandra Grymes Isaac Diggs Dana Liss Arthur J. Humphrey Jr. Photographer, Artist, and Educator Assistant Director, George L. Knox Digital Communications Nancy L. Lane Emily Dunkel Dr. Michael L. Lomax Assistant to the Director’s Office Editorial Assistant Bernard I. Lumpkin Kima Hibbert Dr. Amelia Ogunlesi Yohannah Franco Communications Intern Holly Peterson Education Intern Ann G. Tenenbaum Copy Editor Reginald Van Lee Hanna Girma Samir S. Patel Lise Wilks Curatorial Fellow Design Ex-Officio Jennifer Harley The Original Champions of Design Hon. Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City School and Educator Programs Coordinator Roxanne John, Mayoral Designee Printing Hon. Tom Finkelpearl, Commissioner Chloe Hayward Allied Printing Services of the Department of Cultural Affairs Manager, Education Programs Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator Studio is published two times a year Ginny Huo by The Studio Museum in Harlem, Expanding the Walls/Youth Programs 144 W. 125th St., New York, NY 10027 Coordinator Copyright © 2019 Studio magazine Paloma Hutton Membership & Annual Fund Associate All rights, including translation into other languages, are reserved by the publisher. Mimi Lester Nothing in this publication may be Museum Archivist reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Devin Malone Public Programs and Community Cover image Engagement Fellow Andre D. Wagner Crown Heights, Brooklyn, 2015 Chayanne Marcano Courtesy the artist Assistant, Public Programs and Community Engagement Mia Matthias Curatorial Fellow Hallie Ringle Hugh Kaul Curator of Contemporary Art at Birmingham Museum of Art Legacy Russell Associate Curator, Exhibitions Ilk Yasha Studio Museum Institute Coordinator Studio Museum Moving Day by Isaac Diggs My artistic practice is dedicated to capturing dynamic photographs of the built environment. For over twenty years I have documented the construction and renovation of historic and contemporary struc- tures and urban environments, including Harlem’s 125th Street. You can imagine how thrilled I was when The Studio Museum in Harlem commissioned me to photograph its building on July 26, 2018: the Museum’s last day of occupancy in the building it has called home since 1982. I was offered unrestricted access to areas of the Museum rarely open to the public, at a time when its contents were literally on the floor. In exploring areas of the building mostly unchanged since it was occupied by the New York Bank for Savings, I was able to see the spatial imprint left by generations of staff, curators, and artists laboring to reimagine black culture day in and day out. Moving is an uncomfortable process and it rarely looks good. Aside from the general stress of packing and the disruption of daily routines, moving forces us to confront history and reveals the fragility of our best-laid plans. It is a rare case study when a black institution has the space and resources to reimagine itself so completely; certainly the moment demands self-reflection from the Museum. That this posture is accompanied by openness bodes well for what is to come. All Photos: Isaac Diggs Letter from the Director 2019 finds The Studio Museum in Harlem in the midst of Hanna Girma, Andre D. Wagner, Thelma an exciting and dynamic celebration of our 50th anniver- Golden, Kambui sary. We kicked off the celebration on October 18 with our Olujimi, and Legacy Russell at the opening Gala, a fantastic event that brought together longtime of Future Continuous, supporters and new friends. We’ve continued the momen- April 1, 2019 Photo: Liz Ligon tum with exciting exhibitions, engaging programs, and the commencement of the first major phase of our building project. For thirty-five years, the Studio Museum has called 144 Thelma Golden (center) with past West 125th Street home. As Isaac Diggs’s photographs on Studio Museum the preceding pages show, we fully moved out last year. directors Kinshasha Holman Conwill and We are now carefully dismantling the building in advance Edward S. Spriggs of construction on our new home, designed by Adjaye at Gala 2018. Photo: Julie Skarratt Associates in collaboration with Cooper Robertson, which will rise on the same site. While we build, our programs continue in Harlem, around the city, and beyond. In this issue you will read Thelma Golden (right) with past about Future Continuous: Kambui Olujimi and Andre D. Studio Museum Wagner at the historic George Bruce Library, Harlem directors Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell Postcards on view at Studio Museum 127, our Find Art Here (left) and Dr. Lowery initiative, and so much more. Since our founding in 1968, Stokes Sims (center), October 16, 2018. the Artist-in-Residence program has been central to our mission. An exciting new partnership with the Museum of Modern Art means that this year the residents’ annual exhibition will, for the first time, be held outside the Studio Museum’s space—at MoMA PS1 in Queens. We can’t wait to welcome our audience and greet new visitors in Long Island City this summer. fundamentally changed the narrative of art history, and Farther afield, Black Refractions: Highlights from The inspired and championed a generation of scholars, critics, Studio Museum in Harlem continues its national tour, curators, and artists. He will be deeply missed, but his leg- opening at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South acy informs and inspires me every day. Carolina, in May and at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts in I hope each and every one of you have the opportunity Michigan in September. Black Refractions presents an to be inspired by the incredible artists and cultural pro- amazing group of works from our collection, including ducers the Studio Museum is proud to know and support. selections from the recent Peggy Cooper Cafritz bequest. Thank you for being part of our community—and part Peggy’s landmark gift of more than 400 pieces has signifi- of our future. cantly expanded and transformed our collection. We will have the privilege of honoring her unparalleled support of artists by presenting these works for many years to come, and are deeply grateful to her and her family. Finally, as we were going to print with this issue, I learned of the passing of my dear friend Okwui Enwezor. Thelma Golden Okwui created exhibitions, publications, and projects that Director and Chief Curator page 48 page 44 page 62 page 58 page 68 page 72 Visitor Information 19 Harlem Postcards 26 Exhibition Schedule 20 Elsewhere 32 MOOD: Studio Museum 22 Maker's Mixtape: 42 Artists in Residence 2018–19 “A Place of Hands” with Allison Janae Hamilton Future Continuous: 24 Kambui Olujimi and Andre D. Wagner Black Refractions 44 ZOMA: A Museum Is Born 48 Archive Spotlight 54 Practice in Print: Theresa Chromati 62 Ntozake Shange: She Who Walks Like a Lion 68 Collecting a Legacy: New Acquisitions 72 Perspectives on Teen Leadership 80 Celebrating 50 Years! 90 from Hawa Building Dispatch: Aissatou 96 How to Talk to Grown-Ups 82 Bey-Grecia of McKissack about Art & McKissack DIY: Create a Picture Pendant 84 Membership, Donor & 98 Supporter Lists Five Tips for Arts Educators 87 Membership Information 111 Member Spotlight: Sergio Lora 88 Radical Reading Room Radical Reading Room is a site of collective practice where visitors can explore and exchange texts, participate in discussions, and reexamine how we engage in, and make, history. Opening May 3, 2019 at Studio Museum 127 Visitor Information The Studio Museum’s building at 144 West 125th Street is closed for construction of our new museum. Studio Museum 127, our temporary programming space, is located at 429 West 127th Street between Amsterdam and Convent Avenues. Opening hours are Thursday through Sunday, 12 to 6 pm. Our inHarlem initiative also presents exhibitions and events at a variety of partner and satellite locations in Harlem. Other programs take place at additional partner locations throughout the city and beyond. Visit studiomuseum.org for full details on specific programming. Follow us on social media! @studiomuseum General Info T 212.864.4500 F 212.864.4800 Media Contact studiomuseum.org/press Public Programs Info 212.864.4500 x282 [email protected] Membership Info 212.864.4500 x221 [email protected] E xhibition Schedule Maren Hassinger: Monuments June 16, 2018–June 10, 2019 Marcus Garvey Park Madison Ave., Between 120th St. and 124th St. Harlem Postcards: Spring 2019 February 21–May 19, 2019 Studio Museum 127 429 W. 127th St. Future Continuous: Kambui Olujimi and Andre D. Wagner March 25–June 15, 2019 NYPL George Bruce Library 518 W. 125th St. Radical Reading Room May 3–October 27, 2019 Studio Museum 127 429 W. 127th St. MOOD: Studio Museum Artists in Residence 2018–19 June 9–September 8, 2019 MoMA PS1 22-25 Jackson Ave. Long Island City, NY Expanding the Walls 2019 July 19–August 30, 2019 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education Entrance at 5th Ave. and 81st St. Check studiomuseum.org for the latest on our exhibitions and programs. MOOD: Studio Museum Artists in Residence 2018–19 by Legacy Russell and Hallie Ringle The Studio Museum in Harlem is pleased to present MOOD, featuring the work of 2018–19 artists in residence Allison Janae Hamilton, Tschabalala Self, and Sable Elyse Smith.