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BW|50+

INSPIRED BY THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF AFRICANA STUDIES AT

WILLIAMS COLLEGE, HELD APRIL 4-7, 2019, THIS SITE EXISTS TO SUPPORT EXCELLENCE IN BLACK LIFE AND FOSTER COMMUNITY AMONG ALL WHO ARE CONNECTED TO WILLIAMS COLLEGE.

 

 

 

50th Anniversary Home  |  SPRING 2019

 

 

 

Art and Culture  Snapshots:  Black in the Berkshires

 

 

 

The following was suppose to be a visual presentation of images that I found fascinating during the first-ever visit to Mass MOCA. But, I changed my mind and added a few comments that I hope will serve to illuminate my some of my experiences.  Please allow me to introduce you to two artists I was delighted to discover while at Mass MOCA.

Artist

No. 1

 Trenton Doyle Hancock

Having grown up in a deeply religious, Christian, fundamentalist household, I immediately understood the work shown below.  This constructed work has a black arm coming through the front door of a house enclosed by a white picket fence.  At the end of the arm is a hand, grasping a crimson cross.  Four child-sized mannequins, dressed in Halloween costumes, are leaving the home. 

It was the scene at my childhood home every Halloween - minus the scary arm and cross.  Trick-or-treaters were practicing devilment, according to my parents, and they were always sent away - without any candy.  And all this time, I thought that only happened at my house.

 

 

SNAP

1

 

 

Knock,

Knock

 

Beyond the Halloween house are works the artist calls "Mounds."  I have to say the mounds were not my favorite pieces.  The interior of the mound I entered had ascending shelves stocked with toys.  I recognized a few of the toys, but found the experience a bit claustrophobic.  No, to the toys, thank you.
 

 

No to

Mounds

 

Who's

da Man?

 

From my way of seeing things, the artist is grappling with issues of identify that are deeply rooted to his childhood experiences.  The large print shown left, is the cover illustration of one of the artist's comic books.  The tall Black man in the composition has a "T" on his shirt, the first letter in the artist's name, Trenton.  The figure caused me to reflect upon the superheroes I idolized as a child: Superman, Daredevil, The Flash.  None were Black.  Perhaps the artist is not alone in trying to work out issues of identity through art and a vivid imagination.

The work below made me stop and think about what it means to be a Powerful Black Woman.  I considered the central figure in the work to be a metaphor for all supposedly powerful Black people raised in Euro-centric cultures.  Could the helmeted figure ever be anything more than a prisoner, (as symbolized by the black-and-white stripes of her outfit)?  Regardless of how many worlds she has spinning around her, and her physicality -- she is never far from the formative images of her past.  Childhood dolls, playful symbols of acceptability, if not beauty, are always there, right behind her ... perhaps mocking her and her supposed power.

 

 

Ain't

she a

doll?

 

Artist

No. 2

 Titus Kaphur

Of all of the works at Mass MOCA, the work shown below, has stayed in my head -- pun intended.  Titled "Language of the Forgotten," this 2018 work references one of America's great and shameful stories.  The artist has placed a visual reference of Sally Hemings, the enslaved woman who had children by Thomas Jefferson, inside her enslaver's head.

As I studied the piece, I began to wonder what Mr. Jefferson thought of Ms. Hemings, or rather, what he thought about her; and what she, in turn, might have thought of him and about him.  I found the contrasting images -- the powerful and the enslaved -- both haunting and unsettling. 

This is a great work of art!!!

 

 

SNAP

2

 

Mass

MOCA

 Now Showing

There is a clear commitment at Mass MOCA to create space for diverse artists; and I salute the institution for that.  If you are in the Berkshires this Spring, you might want to stop in and see, "What exactly is realness?"  Curator Denise Markonish takes a critical look at issues of identity and "realness" in the media.

 

 

SNAP

3

 

 

 

 

 

BLACK WILLIAMS 50 PLUS is a presentation of Dan Perkins, a cultural historian and business diversity consultant; and a proud member of the Class of 1978.

Throughout his professional life, Dan Perkins has been a Minority Business Advocate (MBA); connecting people, businesses and communities for good.

Copyright 2019.  All Rights Reserved.