How to Include African American Art in a European Art Setting
Including diverse artistic expressions, such as those of African American artists, in traditional European art settings enriches everyone's understanding. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, including reinterpreting existing collections, acquiring new pieces to reflect your region's African American community and offering public programs focused on African American culture. These avenues give viewers new ways to access existing art, and the institution builds diverse audiences that can attract new collections and innovative programs.
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Instructions
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Meet with board members and others who are knowledgeable and willing to help the organization incorporate African American art and culture. This may include area artists, historians, teachers and church leaders. Discuss the project's goals and ask for input from the local/regional community about what types of art the organization could present. Set priorities, such as using existing collections vs. new acquisitions, and budget targeted projects.
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Develop a research plan. Utilize existing staff and resources to prepare a research plan to guide the organization through this process. Include a budget, timeline and staff allocations. Hire a researcher, if necessary, who is knowledgeable in art history and African-American history in particular.
Review collection material to identify existing pieces that may warrant additional research and reinterpretation. Consult digital resources available through the National Archives, Library of Congress, as well as university libraries and local collections. For example, you can access The Timeline of African American History online through the Library of Congress, Daniel P. Murray Collection. This resource provides an overview of African American history and selected art movements and artists.
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Reinterpret existing collections as appropriate. This could involve rewriting exhibit labels and other printed materials, or adding audio or video components that incorporate the African American perspective. The Detroit Institute of Arts collection is a good example. The museum's collection includes African art and a wide variety of African American art ranging from 19th-century paintings and Works Progress Administration and Civil Rights-era pieces to contemporary works. Thus, African and African American art are readily incorporated in exhibits and public programs.
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Do a gallery walk-through as part of your research. Look for opportunities to augment existing displays. For example, if your exhibits are organized by media -- paintings, photography, sculpture -- look for areas where you can add selected African American pieces. Don't forget to look in existing collections first; there may be pieces that include African American subject matter that have been overlooked. Or, maybe a donor collected pieces in locations with an African American population. This collection may include works of art relevant to your new themes. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo. incorporated African American photographers in its seminal review of photography by including a photograph of the renowned Abolitionist John Brown taken by Augustus Washington, an early daguerreotypist.
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Present multimedia elements when possible to give visitors alternative ways to understand and relate to the art. Try incorporating jazz or gospel music to interpret a particular era or topic, such as Community, Family or Spirituality. Particularly for contemporary art, video clips of an artist or a collector/curator discussing a piece of art can be meaningful additions to an exhibit.
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Develop public programs that involve the community and relate to the new exhibits. Artist talks and demonstrations that involve active learning are usually well received. Music, dance and theater are other avenues to explore for public programs. African American culture has a strong tradition of storytelling. Invite a storyteller to present traditional tales; school groups might enjoy creating a new story based on a particular artwork, or a specific media.
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Survey visitors and other supporters for their reaction to the new interpretive approach; invite interested visitors to participate in ongoing research and future endeavors. This may open new doors for more multicultural experiences.
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Tips & Warnings
Involving the African-American community is vital to successfully completing this initiative.
Hiring a knowledgeable researcher gives the organization credibility and will save money in the long run, as you will avoid making inauthentic acquisitions or erroneous statements in printed materials. The researcher should prepare a written summary that identifies how to utilize existing collections and potential acquisitions.
Review the plan and adjust priorities as necessary. Begin new acquisitions as budget, time and resources allow.
