Studio/ Summer 2008 The Studio Museum in Harlem Ma∂azine/ Summer 2008 SMH Board of Introducin∂ From the Director Trustees turin∂ Alani Bass , Mi∂uel Calderon, Target Free Cat Chow and Felicia Me∂∂inson; Chairman Sundays! StudioSound with Rich Medina; and Raymond J. McGuire See pa∂es Eye Notes, featurin∂ the work of Vice-Chair our youn∂est “artists in residence,” Carol Sutton Lewis 36–38! the hi∂h school participants of our Treasurer Expanding the Walls pro∂ram. Re∂inald Van Lee Secretary The Studio Museum in Harlem Ma∂azine / Summer 2008 Anne B. Ehrenkranz year, Leslie Hewitt, Tanea Richard- Gayle Perkins Atkins son and Saya Woolfalk ener∂ize the Jacqueline L. Bradley Museum’s ∂alleries (and the pa∂es Kathryn C. Chenault 02 What’s Up / Kehinde Wiley / R.S.V.P. / New Intuitions / A Portrait of the Artists / Eye Notes / Harlem Postcards / Gordon J. Davis of this ma∂azine) with their new work Susan Fales-Hill Four Decades 18 Projects on View / Rich Medina / Black is Beautiful 20 Upcomin∂ Exhibitions / Barkley L. Hendricks in New Intuitions. I am thrilled that In these pa∂es you will see addi- Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. they share the ∂alleries this sum- tional excitin∂ features hi∂hli∂htin∂ Sandra Grymes 24 Feature / Allison Saar’s Swing Low 26 Elsewhere / Phantom Sightings / Salad Days / 1968: Then and Now / Yoruba / VanDerZee Mussenden Donna Courtesy / 1932 / Summer 2008 Studio mer with The World Stage: Africa, alumni of our foundational pro∂ram, Joyce K. Haupt A People’s Geography / Nicholas Hlobo / The 7th Gwan∂ju Biennale / RECOGNIZE! / The Poetics of Cloth / The Essential Lagos ~ Dakar, a solo exhibition by includin∂ Alison Saar (1983–84) and Arthur J. Humphrey, Jr. This year (2008–09) marks the Geor∂e L. Knox Art of African Textiles / Scene in America / Aaron Dou∂las / Kori Newkirk 32 Commissioned / Katonya 36 Target Free Wardell Milan II (2006–07). Also, I am fortieth anniversary of The Studio Nancy L. Lane thrilled to offer you a sneak peek at Sundays! 39 Education and Public Pro∂rams 43 Profile / Elaine Pedlar 44 Colorin∂ Pa∂e 46 3Qs / Paula Wilson Museum in Harlem. Over the past Dr. Michael L. Lomax our newest artist-in-residence initia- four decades, the Museum has Tracy Maitland 47 Studio Visit / Nina Chanel Abney 48 Feature / Contemporary Revolutionary 52 Studio Fiction / Brian Keith Jackson tive, the benefit print series. Leslie, Rodney M. Miller Band leading Leader Band achieved so much, and one of the / Tanea and Saya, workin∂ with master Eileen Harris Norton 54 Feature / Sketches of Harlem: Wardell Milan II 58 Feature / A Voyeur's View from Lan∂ston’s Block 62 Profile / accomplishments of which we are printer Jean-Yves Noblet, have Dr. Amelia O∂unlesi most proud is the amazin∂ success Corine Pettey Harlem Redux 63 Special Project / Benefit Print 64 Special Events / Luncheon 66 Development News / Members created a limited-edition trio of of our Artist-in-Residence pro∂ram. Charles A. Shorter, Jr. prints that will be available for pur- 2007—08 / Member Spotli∂ht / UMEZ Grant 69 Museum Store / Introducing: By Hand Clothin∂ Early participants have ∂one on to Ann Tenenbaum chase this summer. achieve iconic status, and recent John T. Thompson VanDerZee James Michael Winston ∂raduates are takin∂ the contempo- 2001–02 artist in residence Kehinde Finally, this summer we launch a new rary art world by storm. This sum- ex-officio Wiley. The exhibition features new and excitin∂ partnership that prom- Hon. Kate D. Levin mer’s exhibitions and this issue of paintin∂s from his travels last year to ises to expand and enrich our edu- ex-officio Studio are positively brimmin∂ with Ni∂eria and Sene∂al. cational and public initiatives. Target Karen A. Phillips fantastic work by past and present Free Sundays at the Studio Museum artists in residence. Studio launches July 20 with free admission Editor-in-chief and pro∂rams every Sunday! Ali Evans Mana∂in∂ editor See you around and definitely Tiffany Hu uptown… Editor at lar∂e Lea K. Green Copy editor Samir S. Patel Roundin∂ our summer exhibitions Art Direction and Desi∂n are R.S.V.P., in which Rashawn Griffin The Map Office, New York (artist in residence 2005–06) has Thelma Golden Ori∂inal Desi∂n Concept The annual Artist-in-Residence created a new work in response to Director and Chief Curator 2x4, New York exhibition is always one of the most Sen∂a Nen∂udi’s work R.S.V.P. V anticipated and excitin∂ hi∂hli∂hts Printin∂ (1976); Collection in Context: Four Cosmos of the Studio Museum season. This Decades; Harlem Postcards, fea- Communications, Inc. The Studio Museum in Harlem is supported, in part, with public funds provided by the followin∂ Thelma’s photo / Studio is published three times ∂overnment a∂encies and elected representatives: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders a year by The Studio Museum in Harlem, 144 W. 125th St., The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Devel- Cover Ima∂e/ New York, NY 10027. Copy- opment Corporation; New York State Council on the Arts, a state a∂ency; Council Member Inez E. Kehinde Wiley ri∂ht © 2008 Studio Ma∂azine. Dickens, 9th C.D.; Speaker Christine Quinn and the New York City Council; Assemblyman Keith L. T. Place Soweto (National Assembly) All material is compiled from Wri∂ht, 70th C.D. throu∂h New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; and 2008 sources believed to be reliable, Manhattan Borou∂h President, Scott M. Strin∂er Courtesy the artist and but published without respon- Deitch Projects, New York sibility for errors or omissions. Studio assumes no responsibil- This issue of Studio is underwritten, in ity for unsolicited manuscripts or part, with support from Bloomber∂ photo∂raphs. All ri∂hts, includ- The Studio Museum in Harlem is deeply ∂rateful to the followin∂ institutional donors for their in∂ translation into other lan∂- leadership support: ua∂es, reserved by the pub- Bloomber∂ MetLife Foundation lisher. Nothin∂ in this publication Carne∂ie Corporation of New York Nimoy Foundation may be reproduced without the Citi∂roup Foundation The Scherman Foundation permission of the publisher. The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation Please email comments to Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies Tar∂et [email protected]∂. in the Fine Arts Time Warner, Inc. JPMor∂an Chase Foundation The Wachovia Foundation Robert Lehman Foundation The Winston Foundation Pierre and Maria-Gaetana Matisse Foundation Chanelle Joseph / Into The Unknown / 2008 3 Studio / Summer 2008 01/ Kehinde Wiley 03/ Kehinde Wiley Rubin Singleton Dogon Couple What’s Up 2008 2008 Courtesy the artist and Courtesy the artist and Deitch Projects, Deitch Projects, The World Stage: Africa New York New York 02/ Kehinde Wiley Matar Mbaye Lagos ~ Dakar 2008 Courtesy the artist and Deitch Projects, July 17–October 26, 2008 New York 02 03 The World Stage: Africa, Lagos ~ Dakar is Kehinde Wiley received a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute Wiley’s (b. 1977) first solo exhibition at The Studio in 1999 and an MFA from the Yale School of Art in 2001 Museum in Harlem and features ten new paintin∂s before becomin∂ an artist in residence at the Studio from his multinational “The World Sta∂e” series. Museum. His work is represented in the collections of Wiley is known for his stylized paintin∂s of youn∂, several museums, includin∂ the Walker Art Center in urban, African-American men in poses borrowed Minneapolis, Brooklyn Museum, Denver Art Museum from ei∂hteenth- and nineteenth-century Euro- and Vir∂inia Museum of Fine Art. Recently, his work has pean fi∂urative paintin∂s, a practice he started in been featured in exhibitions in Bel∂ium, Los An∂eles, the early 2000s while an artist in residence at the Chica∂o and Ohio. Ð Studio Museum. Over the last two years, Wiley has expanded his project by livin∂ and workin∂ abroad; he temporarily relocates to different countries and opens satellite studios to become familiar with local culture, history and art. His “The World Sta∂e” series is the result of these travels. Wiley’s first trip was to China, where he placed his models in poses based on Chinese propa∂anda art from the Cultural Revolution. The World Stage: Africa, Lagos ~ Dakar, or∂anized by Christine Y. Kim, features paintin∂s from Wiley’s next stops, Sene∂al and Ni∂eria. For this exhibition, Wiley’s models mimic historical public sculptures from Dakar, Sene∂al, 01 and La∂os, Ni∂eria. 5 Studio / Summer 2008 Catalo∂ue Excerpt The World Stage: Africa Lagos ~ Dakar Kehinde Wiley from "Africa Never Looks Back from the Place from Which We See It: Kehinde Wiley on the World Sta∂e" By Tavia Nyon∂’o Wiley’s project, I su∂∂est, should not be misunderstood extends the possibilities for black representational as some sort of collective rescue of the black male ima∂e. practice by ruinin∂ the myth of an innocent black-on- Nothin∂ so static or monolithic subsists on his canvases. black ∂aze—not so much refusin∂ the possibilities See 70!Page What he sees—or, at the very least, what he shows—are black of black heroism as exultin∂ in the exposure of its mecha- men with a ran∂e and ambi∂uity of looks: thin and muscu- nism. A performative intertext to Wiley’s paintin∂s lar, fly and homely, free or forced, dressed up or simply can be found in contemporary house ball competitions, dressed, and posin∂ with that cocked chin and da∂∂er- a black queer subculture that celebrates a form of in-the-eyes, haplessly ∂rimacin∂ or just lookin∂ blank.