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I.B.8 - LEHMAN COLLEGE - RESOLUTION TO A WARD AN HONORARY DEGREE AT COMMENCEMENT- WHITFIELD LOVELL

WHEREAS, Whitfield Lovell is an acclaimed visual artist best known for his contemporary installations and works on paper using historical African American images and found objects. His poetic and intricately crafted tableaux and installations document and pay tribute to the passage oftime and to the daily lives ofanonymous African Americans; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lovell is internationally renowned for his installations that incorporate masterful Conte crayon portraits ofAfrican Americans from between the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil Rights Movement; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lovell uses vintage photography as his source and often pairs his subjects with found objects, evoking personal memories, ancestral connections, and the collective American past. These compelling and seemingly simple installations are informed by contemporary art practice as well as folk art, vernacular art, and the physical conditions ofmarginalized communities; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lovell was born in the Bronx, received his bachelor' s degree from The Cooper Union for the Advancement ofScience and Art, and subsequently taught at several colleges and universities throughout the country. In 2007, Lovell was awarded a MacArthur Foundation fellowship; and

WHEREAS, works by Mr. Lovell are featured in major museum collections including The Whitney Museum of American Art, NY; The Metropolitan Museum ofArt, NY: The Corcoran Gallery, Washington, DC; The Smithsonian American Art Museum, DC; The Snµthsonian National Museum ofAfrican American History and Culture, DC; The Brooklyn Museum, NY; The Studio Museum in Harlem, NY; and many others. In 1993, Lehman College showcased his work in an exhibit entitled "The Bronx Celebrates Whitfield Lovell;" and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lovell uses art as a medium to depict history and uphold the dignity of common African Americans. His elegant works pay tribute to the marginalized and provide a rich context to tell their stories. Mr. Lovell is an ideal candidate for an honorary CUNY degree from Lehman College, so be it

RESOLVED, that Lehman College award Whitfield Lovell the degree of Doctor ofFine Arts, honoris causa, at the College's annual commenceme!'}t ceremony on May 30, 2019.

EXPLANATION: In awarding Whitfield Lovell the degree ofDoctor ofFine Arts, honoris causa, Lehman will recognize his creativity and sensitivity in depicting the human condition and his use ofart to bear witness to the lives ofthe anonymous, both of which match Lehman's and CUNY' s highest ideals.