The Studio Museum in Harlem Magazine / Spring 2005
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/ Spring 2005 The Studio Museum in Harlem Magazine / Spring 2005 Exhibition Fund, Gayle Perkins SMH Board Operation of the Studio Museum in Harlem is Members supported with public funds provided by The Atkins and Charles N. Atkins, and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; halley k. harrisburg and Michael Raymond J. McGuire the New York State Council on the Arts, Rosenfeld. Chairman a state agency; and the New York State Offi ce of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation Chris Ofi li: Afro Muses 1995-2000 Carol Sutton Lewis through the offi ce of Sen. David A. Paterson. has been made possible through the Vice-Chair Major funding is also provided by The Peter Reginald Van Lee Jay Sharp Foundation and The Carnegie Cor- generous support of The Peter Jay poration of New York, with additional support Treasurer Sharp Foundation 2004-2005 from The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Studio Museum in Harlem Magazine / Spring 2005 exhibition Fund, Melva Bucksbaum Gayle Perkins Atkins J. P. Morgan Chase, LEF Foundation, The Kathryn C. Chenault Scherman Foundation, Inc., Goldman, Sachs and Raymond Learsy, and The & Co., Credit Suisse First Boston, The New Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation. Paula R. Collins York Times Company Foundation, Pfi zer, Inc., Gordon J. Davis The Norman and Rosita Winston Foundation, On a sad note, we recently lost Anne B. Ehrenkranz Inc., The Cowles Charitable Trust, The Moody’s Foundation, and Young & Rubicam two of our greatest friends and Susan Fales-Hill champions: long time trustee Bobby Exhibitions are made possible in part, by: Dr. Henry Louis The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation 2004/05 Short and artist Gwendolyn Knight From the Director Gates, Jr. Exhibition Fund, Altria Group, Inc., Horace W. 01 / Lawrence. Don’t miss my special Sandra Grymes Goldsmith Foundation, and TishmanSpeyer whats up Chris Ofi li / Traylor / Edmonson / Collection in Context / Har- Properties. This spring The Studio Museum in tributes to them in these pages. This Joyce Haupt lem Postcards 06 / upcoming exhibitions Scratch / Frequency / Energy / Exper- Harlem presents two stellar exhibi- edition of STUDIO marks our fi rst Education and Public Programs are funded in Arthur J. Humphrey, Jr. part, by: The New York State Council on the tions that exemplify the richness magazine. Over the past couple of George L. Knox Arts, a state agency, The Peter Jay Sharp Foun- imentation / Africa Comics 10 / elsewhere Kara Walker / Issac Julien / Back to and variety of art created by black dation, Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence, Elaine years, we’ve truly appreciated your Nancy L. Lane Black art Cinema / PS1 Greater NY / H.O.A.S.T / Afro Pop 12 / feature Gwen- artists globally. Bill Traylor, William e-mails, calls and letters expressing Dannheisser Foundation, MetLife Foundation, Dr. Michael L. Lomax the National Endowment for the Arts, Wacho- Edmondson, and the Modernist your love of our attempt to bring you Tracy Maitland via Foundation, Citigroup Foundation, Fleet dolyn Knight Lawrence 16 / profi le Montgomery Harris 17 / artist commission Impulse organized by the Krannert more of the world of artists of Afri- Rodney M. Miller Boston Financial, The Center for Arts Educa- Art Museum, University of Illinois at can descent. With this publication, tion, Helena Rubinstein Foundation, Morgan Robert Pruitt 20 / feature Bobby Short 24 / catalog excerpt Ofi li / Traylor / Ed- Eileen Harris Norton Stanley, Jerome Foundation, ARTS Intern, The Urbana-Champaign, features the beautifully designed by 2x4, and Corine Pettey Renate, Hans & Maria Hofmann Trust, Rush monson 28 / 3 questions Laylah Ali 29 / profi le Stacyann Chin 30 / playlist Ofi li / works of two major fi gures of the masterfully executed by Editor-in- David A. Ross Philanthropic Arts Foundation, The David self-taught genre who came to the Chief (and PR Manager) Ali Evans, Rockefeller Fund, May and Samuel Rudin Robinson / Simmons 31 / check out 33 / public programs 42 / profi le Chris Myers Charles A. Shorter, Jr. Family Foundation, and public funds from the attention of the art world during the we give you even more. Ann Tenenbaum New York State Offi ce of Parks, Recreation 43 / coloring page 45 / studio visit 46 / overheard 48 / 3 questions Daniel Roumain 1930s and 40s (at a time when & Historic Preservation made available by the This is the last time I write to you as John T. Thompson modern art circles were infatuated offi ce of Assemblyman Keith L. Wright Executive Director of The Studio Joyce A. Wein 49 / harlem: where we’re at 54 / store 56 / benefi t with folk and self-taught idioms as Museum in Harlem. As of July 1, Michael Winston expressions of a true American art.) 2005, Thelma Golden will assume Karen A. Phillips Curators Josef Helfenstein (now the position of Director and Chief ex-offi cio Director of the Menil Collection) and Curator of the Museum. I have been Hon. Kate D. Levin Wardell Milan Tropicks / 2004 / Collection of the artist / New York Russell Bowman, former Director appointed President by our Board ex-offi cio of the Milwaukee Art Museum have of Trustees and will work on special explored the careers of these two projects, including our strategic artists, not only in the context of their plan, re-accreditation and the per- Studio own communities, but also within manent collection. I know you join Ali Evans the broader context of American and me in congratulating Thelma. Editor-in-chief European culture of the fi rst half of As always, I look forward to still see- the twentieth century. Samir Patel ing you at The Studio Museum. Copy editor In the contemporary realm, Chris Ofi li: Afro Muses 1995-2005, pres- Kristia Moises ents a selection of 175 watercolors Editorial assistant created over the last decade by Design the renowned and ingenious black 2x4, New York British artist. These unexpected Printing and engaging works are imagined Cosmos Commu- portraits of African male and female nications, Inc. archetypes and demonstrate Ofi li’s skill with the watercolor medium and his special sense of color. This exhi- bition was organized by SMH Chief Curator Thelma Golden, and is the fi rst time this work is being shown as a body. We thank New Yorker magazine staff writer Hilton Als and artist and critic Beth Coleman for their beautifully poetic contributions to the catalogue. I wish to acknowledge the support for the Studio Museum’s presen- tation of the Traylor/Edmondson exhibition provided by The Peter Jay above: Len Irish Sharp Foundation 2004-2005 above left: Robert Hale 02 / what’s up Studio / Spring 05 03 / Studio / Spring 05 SMH is pleased to present this rare, solo, U.S. museum exhibition of watercolors by Brit- ish painter Chris Ofi li. Ofi li, who is considered one of the most signifi cant and innova- tive painters of our time, was the 1998 recipient of the Turner Prize and represented the Chris Ofi li: United Kingdom at the 2003 Venice Biennale. This project brings together for the fi rst time a series of more than 100 of Ofi li’s iconic watercolors created over the last decade. Known for his aesthetic daring and his passion for painting, Ofi li has always seen the watercolors as an impor- tant extension of his painting practice. Like some of his paintings and pencil drawings, these watercolors are imagined Afro Muses1995– portraits of treasured archetypes and present Ofi li’s acute sensitivity towards portraiture and his exuberant use of color. Mostly portraying women but also some men, they are created in vibrant color with precise and bold lines. This proj- ect, Afro Muses, has been selected by the artist and SMH Chief Curator Thelma Golden and is accompanied by a full-color catalogue. 2005 April 27—July Chris Ofi li: Afro Muses 1995-2000 is presented with the generous support of The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation 2004-2005 Exhibition Fund, Melva Bucksbaum and Raymond Learsy, and The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation. 3, 2005 01—06 / Chris Ofi li Untitled 1995—2005 03 04 01 02 05 06 04 / what’s up Studio / Spring 05 05 / Studio / Spring 05 Bill Traylor, William Edmondson, and the Modernist Impulse is the fi rst large-scale exhi- bition focusing on the works of two major fi gures in American art history: Bill Traylor Bill Traylor, William (1854–1949), a draftsman, and William Edmondson (1874–1951), a sculptor. Although Traylor and Edmondson are often defi ned as “folk” or “outsider” artists that refl ect the roots of African- American culture, their work was actually discovered and fi rst discussed in the broader context of modernism during the1930s. This exhibition includes more than fi fty drawings and paintings made by Traylor, and twenty-fi ve sculptures by Edmondson, along with photographs of them by taken their contemporaries, drawn from private collections and Edmondson, museums across the country. Organized by Josef Helfenstein, Director of the Menil Collection and Russell Bowman, former Director of the Milwaukee Art Museum, this exhibition opened at the Krannert Art Museum, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before traveling to the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama and The Studio Museum in Har- lem, and will be on view at The Menil Collection in Houston, Texas from July 22—October 2, 2005. and the Modernist Bill Traylor, William Edmondson and the Moderrnist Impulse is organized by Krannert Art Museum, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and sponsored in part by Fox Development Corporation, Krannert Art Museum Council, Ruth and Bob Vogele, A.G. Edwards & Sons, Hickory Point Bank & Trust, Hampton Inn and the Illinois Arts Council. The Studio Museum in Harlem’s presentation of this exhibition is made possible by The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation 2004-2005 Exhibition Fund, Gayle Perkins Atkins and Charles N.