Black Art Exhibition
date:Wednesday, August 20, 2008 time:10:00 AM to 5:00 PM venue:Seattle Art Museum address:1300 First Avenue Seattle, WA 98101 View map from:Seattle Art Museum
While black is a word with many connotations referring to color, race, style
of comedy, etc. the phrase Black art is usually associated with works made by
artists of African descent. Simply put, it is both a color and a concept.
This exhibition comprises works drawn primarily from Seattle Art Museum’s
permanent collection and magnifies the impact of this charged color and its
reference to complicated social histories and purely artistic concerns. The
installation Black Art includes work that spans across time, from ca. 1830 to
2006, and across national and ethnic boundaries. Among the issues that black, as
a concept, raises are racial and cultural heritage, perception and stereotype,
spirituality and religion, protest and narrative. The aesthetic role that the
actual color black plays in formal exercises of composition and line are
highlighted in both figurative and abstract work shown here. It’s up to you to
determine when black refers to a subject an artistic identity, aesthetic choices
or content.
This installation is particularly relevant to the work of Gwendolyn Knight and
Jacob Lawrence the artists for whom this gallery is named. Jacob Lawrence found
his success in creating art that featured the triumphant stories of Black
subjects, and Gwendolyn Knight‘s work celebrated animals, nature and people of
diverse backgrounds.
Museum Hours:
Tuesday – Sunday: 10 am. – 5 pm.
Thursday & Friday: 10 am. – 9 pm.
Monday: closed
Tickets: Suggested General Admission
$13 adults
$10 seniors (62 and over)
$7 students (with ID) and youth (13–17)
Free for children 12 and under
Free for SAM members.
Date: May 2–September 7, 2008
Location: Seattle Art Museum Third Floor Galleries.
