The Kinsey Collection Where Art and History IntersectAfrican History & Heritage

               

We strive to live our life guided by two principals: to whom much is given much is required, and a life of no regrets. We are compelled to give back, so we set about to document the African American experience through original documents, manuscripts, photographs, paintings and sculptures.

Our intention is that this work allows people to develop a deeper relationship to the pieces in our collection that bring African American history to life. Having that connection with the past creates this sense of strength, identity and lineage that is so powerful in each of us.

- Bernard and Shirley Kinsey

VIDEO: The Kinsey Collection Introduction

About The Kinsey Collection...

The Bernard and Shirley Kinsey collection contains a wide range of art and artifacts that bear witness to the multilayered intersections of the past and present. From a curatorial perspective, the correlations of seemingly disparate objects and their historical moments are both purposeful and necessary to form a holistic understanding of the Kinsey's mission. In aggregate, these intersections that are sometimes confrontational become a celebration of the diversity of African and African American experience in the world.

Very little is consoling about the artifacts that are contained in the collection. The context of each piece is complex, giving light to the difficulties of being black, and also, illuminating the brilliance, sometimes tragic, of exceptional people whose contributions add enduring force to the often undervalued collective history of a people. 

Buy The Book...

 
Official Website: www.TheKinseyCollection.com

- 
The Kinsey Collection:
Shared Treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey
Where Art and History Intersect

Art In FLUX Harlem presents ECHOES: A Time to Keep & A Time to Let Go Opening: Friday, November 9th, 2012 (6-9PM) Harlem, New York City

                                                                              

Official Website: www.artinfluxharlem.com

    

ECHOES
Opens NOV. 9th, 2012 6-9pm
A dual-gallery exhibition in which artists reveal the importance of the spiritual power of Africa by retaining elements of the traditional world and yet creating a new contemporary vision. Through visual art, film, photography, dance, and spoken word, artists proclaim a cultural heritage while they explore, celebrate, play, question, challenge or protest diverse issues. The exhibition, spreading in two inter-connected spaces, illustrates the importance of past histories and conveys the vital significance of African traditions in the diaspora.

Opening Night Special Events

Spoken Word: Hisham Tawfiq, Ebbe Bassey, Tara Mhella, Gena Bardwell

Percussion Performance:  Mark Manczuk
Dance Interpretation:  Ntifafa Akoko Tete-Rosenthal
Instrumental music:  Hasan Bakr and Kevin Nathaniel Hylton
DJ Mix: Jeremiah Kpoh

EXHIBITING ARTISTS
Alberte Bernier, Beatrice Lebreton, Carlos DeMedeiros, Dougba Caranda-Martin, Gail Shaw-Clemons, Geraldine Gaines, Ibou Ndoye, J W Ford, Lance Johnson, Leonardo Benzant, Makeba Rainey, Nyugen Smith, Tara Mhella, Toni Thomas, and Trish Mayo. 

PRODUCTION TEAM
Beatrice Lebreton, Curator
Ibou Ndoye, Curator
Ebbe Bassey, Filmmaker
Belynda M'baye, Production Manager

This exhibit, reflective of the mission of Art In FLUX Harlem, was created through a collaborative effort among artists.  The idea of the exhibit was sparked by a curatorial proposal presented by Beatrice Lebreton, and Ibou Ndoye.  The two were introduced to filmmaker Ebbe Bassey whose film, Siri Oko Fo (Mending Fences), inspired the artworks presented in the “Time to Let Go” gallery.  Belynda M’baye came on board as the production manager for the opening night reception and coordinated dance, music and spoken word - all responses to the artworks and the film.

LOCATION:
Art In FLUX Harlem
1961 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. (7th Ave) @ 118th Street

Harlem, New York City

GOOGLE MAPS


GALLERY HOURS:
Wed - Sat:  noon to 7pm
Sun:  noon to 5pm

www.artinfluxharlem.com

Question Bridge: Black Males Visual Exhibit

Official Website: QuestionBridge.com

WOW!!!! I had the great privilege to see the Question Bridge: Black Males exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum (here in New York City) yesterday (Saturday, June 2nd, 2012), one day before it's closing... (Oooooh! News Flash! I just checked the Brooklyn Museum's website - it's been updated and the exhibit has been EXTENDED to July 15th, 2012!!!!!)

I had a few bruthaz mention it to me that I should urgently see it, yet it wasn't until my partner/boyfriend mentioned it as an interest (especially given his job field) in seeing it that I finally went to go see it.

All I can say it is extremely monumental and POWERFUL and one of the best exhibits I've ever seen in my life - especially since the subject matter is around and about me - a Black male in America. As someone who is Black, male, and same gender loving (and of course there's many more parts to my sum) which is considered by some to be three strikes right there, and yet all that and more is covered in this visual installation discussion; from the "N" word to our fears to what it is to be Black -- the whole gamut is covered, and quite brilliantly I must say. The multi-monitor installation set-up with unprompted questions from diverse bruthaz from all around the country is something for US as African folks to think/process, discuss and hopefully have a transformative conversation and mindset around.

I got to see about 30 to 45 minutes of the visual installation; a photographer friend of mine that I bumped into said it was about an hour and 10 minutes before it repeated again. Yet what I did see (I'm always in an observing mode most times) always had a constant crowd of people looking on, listening, shaking their heads or laughing - mostly people of African descent with a few peppered white folks in there. It felt like family coming together to view a discussion around us and the complexity of topics.
  

If you don't live near or New York City, I'd stick close to their Question Bridge: Black Males official website to see where the installation exhibit will turn up next. It's an important contribution to our culture we all need to be in discussion about.

- ROD

About Question Bridge: Black Males...

Question Bridge: Black Males is an innovative video installation created by artists Hank Willis Thomas and Chris Johnson in collaboration with Bayeté Ross Smith and Kamal Sinclair. The four collaborators spent several years traveling throughout the United States, speaking with 150 Black men living in 12 American cities and towns, including New York, Chicago, Oakland, Birmingham, and New Orleans. From these interviews they created 1,500 video exchanges in which the subjects, representing a range of geographic, generational, economic, and educational strata, serve as both interviewers and interviewees. Their words were woven together to simulate a stream-of-consciousness dialogue, through which important themes and issues emerge, including family, love, interracial relationships, community, education, violence, and the past, present, and future of Black men in American society.

The exhibition includes multiple screens playing videos of the interviews, edited so that it appears as if the men are having a conversation. The artists hope that the Question Bridge project will be a catalyst for constructive dialogue that will help deconstruct stereotypes about Black male identity in our collective consciousness. Museum visitors are also invited to visit the user-generated Question Bridge website, accessible on iPads throughout the gallery, which offers a platform to represent and redefine Black male identity in America.

The Question Bridge executive producers are Delroy Lindo, Deborah Willis, and Jesse Williams. Will Sylvester is the Post-Production Producer, and Rosa White is the Supervising Story Producer. The Transmedia Producers are Antonio Kaplan and Elise Baugh of Innovent.
  

Question Bridge: Black Males is a fiscally sponsored project of the Bay Area Video Coalition, supported in part by a grant from the Open Society Foundations Campaign for Black Male Achievement, the Tribeca Film Institute, Sundance Film Institute’s New Frontier Story Lab, the LEF Foundation, the Center for Cultural Innovation, and the California College of the Arts. Additional support was provided by the Jack Shainman Gallery.

     

30 AMERICANS Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC October 1st, 2011 - February 12th, 2012; Featuring Kehinde Wiley, Basquiat, more...

Sleep by Kehinde Wiley

Official Exhibit Website: corcoran.org/30americans

30 AMERICANS
October 1st, 2011 through February 12th, 2012
Washington, DC

30 Americans showcases works by many of the most important African American artists of the last three decades. This provocative exhibition focuses on issues of racial, sexual, and historical identity in contemporary culture while exploring the powerful influence of artistic legacy and community across generations.

Jean-Michel Basquiat

30 Americans is a wide-ranging survey of work by many of the most important African American artists of the last three decades. Selected from the Rubell Family Collection, the exhibition brings together seminal figures such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and David Hammons with younger and emerging artists such as Kehinde Wiley and Shinique Smith. Often provocative and challenging, 30 Americans focuses on issues of racial, sexual, and historical identity in contemporary culture. It explores how each artist reckons with the notion of black identity in America, navigating such concerns as the struggle for civil rights, popular culture, and media imagery. At the same time, it highlights artistic legacy and influence, tracing subject matter and formal strategies across generations.





P.S.>> Kehinde Wiley, who is one of my favorite African-American artists (and same gender loving [SGL]), is one of the 30 featured artists.

Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design
500 Seventeenth Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
Gallery Ph: (202) 639-1700
GOOGLE MAPS

The main entrance is located on Seventeenth Street between New York Avenue and E Street NW.

Hours
Wednesday 10AM – 5PM
Thursday 10AM – 9PM
Friday 10AM – 5PM
Saturday 10AM – 5PM
Sunday 10AM – 5PM

CLOSED Monday & Tuesday

Admission Pricing
Tickets for 30 Americans are now on sale.
Adults $10
Seniors (62+) / Students (with valid ID) $8
Children under 12 FREE
Members FREE

The New (Black) Aqualad

Artist David Finch's INCREDIBLE interpretation of the new (Black) Aqualad is so qool I had to post it.

Nice costume and LOVE the hair and everything...

Click To Enlarge

The Fort Greene Photography Organization Presents "REFLECTIONS ON HOME"Sat & Sun, May 15th - 16th, 2010 @ South Oxford Space (Bklyn, NYC)

Click The Image To Enlarge
-
Official Websites: FGPO.org or sonyaonline.org

The Fort Greene Photography Organization
presents
"REFLECTIONS ON HOME".

Saturday and Sunday,
May 15th and 16th, 2010
12PM - 6PM.

ARTIST RECEPTION: Saturday, May 15th 6PM-9PM
138 South Oxford Street, STUDIO G, Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

See invite for details. Hope to see you there!

Type: Arts/Photography - Exhibit
Start Time: Saturday, May 15, 2010 / 12 - 6PM
End Time: Sunday, May 16, 2010 / 12 - 6PM
Location:
South Oxford Space
138 South Oxford Street
Studio G
Brooklyn NY 11217
GOOGLE MAP

Stand With Us In Support Of The Schomburg Center

Dear Friends of the Schomburg,

The story is now legend.

As a young boy, when told that Black people had no history, Arturo Schomburg began amassing the irrefutable evidence… books, manuscripts, art, photos, film, music and more… that formed the foundation of the Schomburg Center.

In his quest, he understood that he couldn’t do this essential work alone. He called on his friends in Harlem -- Langston Hughes, Aaron Douglas, Zora Neale Hurston, and many more -- to help him. As a result, the Schomburg Center has become not only the preeminent intellectual center of the African Diaspora, but also one of the premier research libraries of The New York Public Library.

Like Mr. Schomburg, we are calling on friends like you to stand with us in support of the Schomburg Center, particularly now during one of the most fiscally dire times in the history of the Center.

Recent and proposed budget cuts have threatened critical key elements of the Schomburg's activities. These include our award-winning public programs —films, exhibitions, lecture series, symposia, and more. When our programs are cut, our ability to share stories of the African Diaspora in an authentic voice with audiences of all ages and races is put at risk.

You’ve been an active participant in the life of the Center, either online or at our locations in Harlem, and we deeply appreciate your involvement. Now we’re hoping you’ll increase your commitment to the Center during this time of need and become a member of The Schomburg Society today. Join with the many other people from across the country who have come to understand that protecting and preserving the legacy of Africana history and culture is simply too important to be left to others. I hope we can count on you to join with us. Thank you.

Warmly,

Howard Dodson
Chief

P.S.> Not only will your membership in The Schomburg Society afford you a variety of benefits, but you will also have the satisfaction of knowing that you are contributing to the sustenance of this remarkable institution. Thank you again.

The Nude Book Vol. 1.0 The Best Coffee Table Book Celebrating Black Male Beauty

Official Website: TheNudeBook.com

Yes! A pleasant surprise, right...?!

I happen to be browsing by the Hoodsworld: The Beauty Of Men Of Color blog and I saw an advertisement on the side that said The Nude Book. I said, "Hmm... let me check this out" and I instantly was impressed with brutha Alex-Ade Ogundiran's photography. It took me about 5 minutes (if not less) before I decided to add another quality book to my collection around the Black male body which has an artistic attraction and integrity to it, and NOT just a book hi-lighting nudism to be lewd. There's so much trashy stuff out there that it just translates to soft porn. However, The Nude Book Vol. 1.0 avoids that and really adds some nice b&w and color photography to the Black male body expose landscape.

Trust me... a lot of the book is risque and I LOVE the play on the leave it to the imagination of the viewer portraits with hanging underwear and towels obscuring private parts and such in its exquisite art of the Black male body. However, because of my ideology around the Nubian Knights Network and what I will or will not publish, I can only share a select number of pics that I feel is appropriate. However, you an visit Alex's website to see more portrait pictures.

If you trust my word with regard to my previous talks about Black (non-nude) male calendars then trust my judgment here. A beautiful collection of work to say the least, but, again, more risque!

So... The Nude Book Vol. 1 .0 (90 pages) is available from Alex's website at TheNudeBook.com and the price is a low $19.99 plus $5.00 for shipping. You have the option of paying via PayPal or directly via your credit/debit card.

I placed the order on February 1st and I received the book today, February 3rd, 2010 via USPS Priority Mail in the flat rate cardboard type envelope. Just 3 days to get it! The service was FAST and EFFICIENT! That means a lot to me when I order from a merchant and decides whether I'll order from then again as well as tell friends and family and report about it on my blog here about my positive and negative experiences. In this case everything was a positive experience including some briefs email correspondences with Alex. And he gave me heads up that he's working on another book project for later this year! Qool! Qool!

One major thing I should mention is that in the lower left hand corner of the book by the bar code it has a suggested retail price of $49.99 U.S. / $59.99 CANADA. I also checked at Amazon.com and it is listed as available and IN STOCK at $49.99. So, I don't know if Alex is running a limited sale price or not via his website, but you are advised to take advantage of the great price for a great book via his website.

My only disappointment was that Alex also has a 2009-2010 11" x17" wall calendar for $14.99, but that he is out of stock on it and had to refund me. I told him to please let me know when he gets more published stock. (As an aside, since I'm a collector of Black male calendars, I'm not limited by the year in which they are published. I'll buy any calendar I see that I like regardless of year).

A few more pics below to share below... so, what are you waiting for?

Order da
Nude Book Vol. 1.0 by photographer Alex-Ade Ogundiran.

This Is One Of My Top Favorite Images In The Book.
LOVE This Brutha'z Swooshing Lox;
Also Because He's An ACTIVIST
Under The Black Entrepreneurs Theme

Click Da Pic To Enlarge

The "Black Artist As Activist" Exhibit Opening Reception Sunday, January 31st, 2010 4PM - 6PM Brooklyn, New York

Our Children’s Journey
by Kevin E. Cole

OPENING:
Sunday, January 31th, 2010
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
The art exhibit is on view through Sunday, March 28th, 2010

WHERE:
Corridor Gallery
334 Grand Avenue
(Between Gates and Greene Avenues)
Brooklyn, NY 11238
718.230.5002
GOOGLE MAP

ARTISTS: Regina Agu, Andrea Chung, Kevin E. Cole, Sheryl Renee Dobson, Khalid Kodi, Zoraida Lopez, Joanna Mcfarland, Jasmine Murrell, Shani Peters, Terrance Sanders, Malik Seneferu, Ademola Olugebefola, and Derick Cross, among others.

ABOUT: Working with a grant from the Nathan Cummings Foundation, The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College partnered with the Danny Simmons Corridor Gallery and the National Conference of Artists New York to bring forth a multitude of various voices and mediums from around the country to raise awareness of the ways in which Black artists use art as a tool of transformation and liberation for themselves and the larger global community. The exhibit at Corridor Gallery will feature artists who use various media including collage, painting, printmaking and photography to depict images that represent the artist as activist and art as an instrument for social change.

# # #

About The Center for Black Literature (CBL) at Medgar Evers College/CUNY

Founded in 2003, the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College was established to expand, broaden, and enrich the public’s knowledge and aesthetic appreciation of the value of black literature, to continue the tradition and legacy of the National Black Writers Conference, to serve as a voice, mecca, and resource for black writers, and to study the literature of people from the African Diaspora. As part of its mission, the Center also collaborates with educational, cultural and community-based organizations. It is the only Center devoted to this in the country and also serves as a vehicle for nurturing and cultivating the critical reading and writing habits of a cross-generation of readers and writers, particularly those who are in school, and for sponsoring programs which demonstrate the Center’s commitment to nurturing and supporting emerging writers.. Among its major programs are the National Black Writers Conference, the Re-Envisioning Our Lives through Literature High School Collaborative Project, the North Country Institute and Retreat for Writers of Color, the Writers on Writing Radio Program, and the Elder African American Writers Workshop.

About Corridor Gallery

Corridor Gallery (Clinton Hill, Brooklyn) is a core program of the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization founded in 1995 by brothers Russell, Danny and Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons. Corridor Gallery is dedicated to providing exhibition opportunities to the emerging artistic community including artists, curators and writers primarily living and working in Brooklyn and the surrounding areas. Since its establishment in 1996, the gallery has supported a unique constellation of artists and creative practices—experimental ventures in performance, visual art, and curatorial work and has exhibited the work of hundreds of non-commercially represented artists. The gallery serves the local community by hosting special events aimed at initiating a dialogue on matters relating to contemporary art. In addition, Corridor Gallery is also home to Rush Education Programs that expose and immerse disadvantaged urban youth in the study and practice of contemporary art. The exhibitions and educational programs of the galleries are sponsored in part by a grant from the New York State Council for the Arts and are free and open to the public. In 2008, the Gallery was awarded the Mayor’s Award for Arts and Culture from the department of Cultural Affairs for its pioneering programming.

About The National Conference of Artists – NY

The National Conference of Artists (NCA) was founded as The National Conference of Negro Artists at a gathering on March 28-29, 1959 in Dean Sage Hall of Atlanta University during the annual exhibition of Black art held by the famed artist and educator Hale Woodruff. The organization was later renamed the National Conference of Artists with chapters in many of the major Black cities, including Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Birmingham, Dallas, Los Angeles, Boston, Richmond and Rochester, NY. Through exhibitions and cultural programs, NCA's goal is to inform, train, and motivate those in the arts to make their talents a force for social change, to help provide employment opportunities, and to reach the general public in a way that will move them in a positive direction through various programs. The New York chapter of NCA was established in 2006.

Contact: Lea Byrd of LEABYRD PR at 917.319.5449 • leabyrd[at]gmail.com


UPDATE (TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND, 2010):

I went to the opening celebration of this Black art on Sunday and FOLKS... the place was freakin' packed wall-to-wall with just a sea of Black folks. It caught me completely off guard and considering the cold weather, too. But yo, we definitely showed up to support and it was great to see. The art pieces and art installations were FUCKING POWERFUL. I don't think anything has ever jarred me more in all my years of going to see Black art exhibitions than seeing the DARFUR DIRTY LAUNDRY art installation in particular. I have pictures of this installation below but the pics don't do the installation justice as you have to be at the art gallery to experience it for yourself.

The Black Artist As Activist Exhibit will continue to be on display the Black owned Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn, New York until March 28th, 2010!

WHERE:
Corridor Gallery
334 Grand Avenue
(Between Gates and Greene Avenues)
Brooklyn, NY 11238
718.230.5002
GOOGLE MAP

Check out the pictures I took of Sunday's opening day below. I apologize in advance for the lack of quality regarding the pictures. I didn't think to bring my good camera gear with me and all I had was my Palm Treo 700P camera phone and it takes crummy pictures with no flash to say the least.

PLEASE GO AND SUPPORT
THIS INCREDIBLE ART EVENT!

GET ON THEIR MAILING LIST!

AND LEAVE A DONATION BEFORE YOU LEAVE, TOO!

Click on any of the images to enlarge them...

The Art of Malik Seneferu

Artist Malik Seneferu Explaining To Onlookers
The Inspiration Behind His Exhibited Work
(About Haiti) That He Created in the Mid 1990s

The Art of Malik Seneferu (Website)

The Art of Malik Seneferu (Website)

The Director of Corridor Gallery Addressing The Black Family
And Explaining The Programs Of The Gallery
And Different Upcoming Events

Darfur's Dirty Laundry
Art Installation
(Painting Hung On The Wall)

Darfur's Dirty Laundry
Art Installation
(On The Floor)

YES,
This Is A Simulation Of Victims/Dead Bodies In Darfur

Because It Was A Packed House, It Was Interesting
How We Were All Being Careful Not To Step
On The Installation As People Either Looked On
Or Walked Around To See Other Art!
THIS WAS POWERFUL BEYOND WORDS!!

This Tribute To Sean Bell Was So Beautiful.
I Couldn't Help But Think How Somber This Installation Looked
In Comparison to Some Of The Other And More Edger Art Pieces

Sean Bell Was Gunned Down & Executed By
New York City Police Officers

The Faces of Sean Bell And His Wife Nicole Paultre Bell
SO BEAUTIFUL!!

The
"It's 10PM. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN ARE?",
The Bullet, And The Syringe Are Powerful Symbols
On This Clock Installation Art

A Crowded And Packed Corridor Gallery

I Never Got This Sistah's Name But She Is A Spoken Word Artist.
SHE WAS AWESOME!
I Was At A Documentary Film Shoot The Night Before
At A Barbershop In Greenpoint, Brooklyn
And She Was An Invited Guest.
It Was Nice To Bump Into Her Twice Within 24 Hours

A Bite Of My Apple Tree Play Was Perfomed

Malik Seneferu's Pan-African Fist Artwork