Presenting Kara Walker's

PRESENTING KARA WALKER’S ART: CASE STUDIES OF THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM AND THE WALKER ART CENTER By Takenya A LaViscount Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences o f American University in Partial Fulfillment o f the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Arts In Arts Management Chair: Brett Ashley Crawfoi Helen Li Zpe Charttoi fthe College o f Arts and Sciences Date 2006 American University Washington, DC 20016 AMERICAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY V)H Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1437975 Copyright 2006 by LaViscount, Takenya A. All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 1437975 Copyright 2006 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. © COPYRIGHT By Takenya A LaViscount 2006 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PRESENTING KARA WALKER’S ART: CASE STUDIES OF THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM AND THE WALKER ART CENTER BY Takenya A LaViscount ABSTRACT Recognizing the controversial subject matter conveyed by Kara Walker’s artwork, this thesis examines the differences in the framing of Walker’s work when presented by museums devoted to art created by artists of African descent versus mainstream art museums. Specifically, this thesis compares the presentation of Walker’s art to the public by the Studio Museum in Harlem (SMH) and the Walker Art Center (WAC). SMH is an accredited art museum that focuses on the presentation of art created by people of African descent. WAC is a multidisciplinary contemporary art museum that presents art across the spectrum of race, ethnicity, age and discipline. In addition to comparing these two art institutions, this thesis also offers suggestions for how to present Walker’s controversial art and create an environment that encourages dialogue about artistic intent, identity and audience reception. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to my thesis committee, which is composed of a diverse group of remarkable women, each with her own unique talents. I am in awe of Brett Ashley Crawford’s extensive knowledge of the performing and visual arts sector. I am truly grateful for her guidance, encouraging words and warm persona through out this endeavor. I admire Helen Langa’s knowledge of art history and her feedback has been invaluable. I am also impressed by Zoe Charlton, a professor and artist whose knowledge of both creating and critiquing art has been extremely helpful. It has been such a pleasure working with these three creative intellectuals. Their input has been crucial for the completion of my thesis. I would also like to thank all of the busy art museum professionals who offered their help and took the time to participate in an interview: Yasmil Raymond, Lynn Dierks, Barry Gaither, Shanta Scott and Lizzatta LeFalle-Collins. Last but certainly not least, I am grateful for the love and support my friends and family have given me. Without my parents and friends, who have always encouraged me to pursue my dreams, I would not have been able to complete this project. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...................................................................................................... iii LIST OF LLUSTRATIONS....................................................................................................v Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................1 2. SUBVERSIVE MAMMIES AND JEZEBELS......................................................... 19 3. THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM’S PRESENTATION OF KARA WALKER’S ART.............................................................................................................50 4. THE WALKER ART CENTER’S PRESENTATION OF KARA WALKER’S ART....................................................................................................................................65 5. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................ 88 BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................................................................................97 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. United Colors of Benetton, Breast Feeding, 1989.................................. 25 2. Kara Walker, Untitled (Destroying the Terror), 1994............................ 31 3. Kara Walker. John Brown. 1996.............................................................. 33 4. Thomas Satterwhite Noble, John Brown’s Blessings, 1867 ................... 35 5. Kara Walker, The End of the Uncle Tom and the Grand Allegorical Tableau of Eva in Heaven, 1995..................................................... 42 6. Kara Walker, The End of the Uncle Tom and the Grand Allegorical Tableau of Eva in Heaven, 1995 (detail)......................................... 45 7. Kara Walker, The End of the Uncle Tom and the Grand Allegorical Tableau of Eva in Heaven, 1995 (detail)......................................... 47 8. Kara Walker, Endless Conundrum, An African Anonymous Adventuress, 2001.............................................................................. 77 9. Kara Walker,Endless Conundrum, An African Anonymous Adventuress, 2001 (detail).................................................................. 79 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The actual struggle was then, as it is now, about hegemonic control of black representation. Black authority was and still is characterized by knowledge of vernacular (i.e “authenticity”) and adherence to a moral code that is organized around a proprietary relationship to the black body and, by extension, its image. CoCo Fusco, The Bodies That Were Not Ours and Other Writings Kara Walker, born in 1969, is a black female artist. Walker creates paper silhouettes that portray slavery-era, Jim Crow-era, and minstrel stereotypes used to categorize black people. Walker’s artistic creations also include paintings, drawings, animated films and performance art that depict similar racially-charged subject matter and commentary about United States history. Her illustrated stereotypes include “mammies”, “jezebels”, “uncle toms”, “mandingos”, and “pickaninnies” among others. Walker’s artwork illustrates violent, sexuality explicit, blunt subject matter that forces the spectator to contemplate slavery’s crude and brutal past. Her art includes obscene Victorian melodramas with fictional black and white characters engaged in such taboo acts as bestiality, sodomy, incest, fetishism, and the excretion of bodily fluids. Irony, humor and masochism merge to reveal the intricate effects of race and sex-based oppression on our psyche. 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 A spectator of Walker’s postmodern aesthetic has to ponder the ways in which modem day perceptions mould our understanding of the past and how the past has shaped our present identity. When exhibited in museums and galleries Walker’s silhouette installations are intentionally overwhelmingly large. Usually, her large-scale paper silhouettes are placed directly onto the wall. The spectator is placed in a position where s/he comes in contact with his or her own horrific shadow. Walker asserts that these fictive stereotypes lurk in our subconscious and manipulate our perceptions of racial identity, gender identity, and history.1 Walker is a controversial figure. The contention that revolves around Walker is the result of where Walker’s artwork is displayed, her reliance on derogatory iconography, her risky verbal statements regarding race and gender identity, and the high market value of her art work. Recognizing the controversial subject matter conveyed by Walker’s artwork, a question arises — are there differences in the framing of Walker’s work when presented by museums devoted to art created by artists of African descent versus mainstream art museums? This study provides a comparison of two art museums and their presentation of Walker’s art to the public; The Studio

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