AMBER ROBLES-GORDON’s art + justice “Talking Sticks” workshop at Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture

Click HERE to sign up for this exciting “Talking Sticks” workshop with AMBER ROBLES-GORDON at the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).

art + justice with Amber Robles-Gordon

When Friday, October 20, 2017, 7:30 – 9:50pm Details art + justice is a platform for adults to explore the intersection of tactile art-making, thoughtful reflection, and personal enrichment. Through artist-led guided projects audiences unlock their creative potential within themselves, while also enjoying the opportunity to exchange ideas with community towards social justice. art + justice is a hands-on maker space that stimulates creative agency, while providing the mental and emotional space to work through complicated issues around race, gender, identity, and social cohesion. Through art + justice the museum provides a rare creative outlet where audiences can interact with professional artists, experience expert techniques in a variety of art practices, and explore motivations for creating art. Art projects are designed to accommodate all skill levels. Audiences can take home their creations. This program amplifies an important pillar of the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s  mission to explore and share how American values such as resilience, optimism, and agency are reflected in the African American community’s past, present, and future. art + justice embraces the therapeutic power of creativity to improve well-being, increase positive emotions and endorphins, and invigorate restorative energy towards personal and social peace and wellness. Artist + Art Project: Washington, DC textile and mixed media artist, Amber Robles-Gordon leads a beginner’s-level art lesson creating “Talking Sticks” – a symbol used in many indigenous cultures to designate the authority to speak within a group setting. This symbolic art-making lesson reflects on the long history of community activism with the African American community and beyond and encourages dialogue while providing space for personal reflection and introspection. Light refreshments will be served, included in the ticket price of the event. Event Location Heritage Hall, African American History and Culture Webcast www.ustream.tv… Get Tickets www.etix.com… Accessibility Wheelchair accessible

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Click HERE to view available artwork by AMBER ROBLES-GORDON.

Morton Fine Art celebrates the historic grand opening of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture with KESHA BRUCE’s (Re)calling & (Re)telling photography

Inspired by family mythologies and personal experiences, KESHA BRUCE‘s photography series (Re)calling and (Re)telling creates open narratives addressing aspects of African American history and experience through memory and storytelling. The complete 14 piece series of (Re)calling and (Re)telling is in the permanent collection of the new Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Please click HERE to view available artwork by KESHA BRUCE.

EXHIBITION LOCATION

Morton Fine Art (MFA)

1781 Florida Ave NW (at 18th & U Sts)
Washington, DC 20009

HOURS

Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 6pm

Sunday 12pm-5pm

About (Re)calling & (Re)telling

Kesha Bruce uses photography as a means to explore new ways of conceptualizing cultural and ethnic identities and histories. Inspired by a collection of old and damaged negatives given to her by her grandfather, (Re)calling and (Re)telling is essentially the next step in the progression of those ideas.

Each photograph in (Re)calling and (Re)telling begins with a single large-format negative. Once a print has been made from the negative, fragments of maps, drawings, or other found imagery are manually manipulated directly in front of the camera lens, on a delicately lit three-dimensional set, in order to arrive at a final image. Each image in the series is composed and created “in camera” without the aid of photo-editing software.

(Re)calling and (Re)telling is part history, part personal mythology, and part homage. Each image contains narratives and histories, both real and invented, that give voice to individuals who remain marginalized by the commonly accepted meta-narratives within Western culture.

That They Might Be Lovely      That They Might Be Lovely, 12″x9″, archival pigment print, edition of 15 That They Might Be Lovely was created by combining three images: The first, a Slave Map, dating from 1857, illustrating slave populations by state and county; a daguerreotype portrait of a slave woman named Delia, taken by Louis Agassiz in 1850; and a photograph of three lovely, smiling women, taken by my grandfather, nearly one hundred years later. In Delia’s portrait, I saw not just a portrait of a slave, but a portrait of a woman who refused to be shamed by history. Much like the ancient limestone busts of Nefertiti, her profile reveals dignity and strength. In the narrative I’ve created, the three young, beautiful, women, posing happily in a field, represent Delia’s private imaginings. They are her dream, her wish, and her hope for the future. –KeshaBruce And Then I Shall Be Free      And Then I Shall Be Free, 12″x9″, archival pigment print, edition of 15 My grandfather seemed to have picked up photography as a hobby during the period from 1950-1955 while he was a soldier during the Korean War.  He never spoke to me about his photographs until I too began studying photography at University.  Then, one day, without explanation, he gave me his entire collection of negatives. And Then I Shall Be Free combines an archival photograph taken of a slave plantation with an inset self-portrait of my grandfather in uniform. For my grandfather, being a soldier represented the possibility of a better life, and ultimately freedom. –Kesha Bruce Begotten      Begotten, 12″x9″, archival pigment print, edition of 15   While religion has never been the subject of my work, my religious upbringing has definitely had a significant influence on my work. The idea for this image came from an archival photo of slave children on a plantation. This particular photograph of the children brought to mind a biblical verse that had always fascinated me. The first chapter of the book of Matthew traces the genealogy of Christ. The chapter begins: “Abraham begot Isaac, and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers…” and continues on for another 16 verses, in this same manner, until we reach the birth of Jesus Christ. I used a simplified shape of a house and the words from the passage as a foreground to reframe the original image. –Kesha Bruce Nobody Knows Her People      Nobody Knows Her People, 12″x9″ archival pigment print, edition of 15 “Nobody Knows Her People” is a phrase I once overheard one of my family members use to explain why nobody really knew much about my grandfather’s mother.  Much later, I learned that she was orphaned as a young child and was taken in and raised by another family, eventually taking their last name. The primary image I’ve incorporated into Nobody Knows Her Peoplewas a very popular abolitionist propaganda drawing that was widely circulated in many different versions and printed in many different publications.  I was always struck by the simplicity and the power of this drawing and it immediately came to mind once I’d decided I wanted to create a narrative about history, disconnection, and loss. –Kesha Bruce About National Museum of African American History & Culture     The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts. Nearly 100,000 individuals have become charter members of the museum. When the NMAAHC opens on September 24, 2016, it will be the 19th and newest museum of the Smithsonian Institution. There are four pillars upon which the NMAAHC stands: It provides an opportunity for those who are interested in African American culture to explore and revel in this history through interactive exhibitions; It helps all Americans see how their stories, their histories, and their cultures are shaped and informed by global influences; It explores what it means to be an American and share how American values like resiliency, optimism, and spirituality are reflected in African American history and culture; and It serves as a place of collaboration that reaches beyond Washington to engage new audiences and to collaborate with the myriad of museums and educational institutions that have explored and preserved this important history well before this museum was created. The NMAAHC is a public institution open to all, where anyone is welcome to participate, collaborate, and learn more about African American history and culture. In the words of Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the NMAAHC, “there are few things as powerful and as important as a people, as a nation that is steeped in its history.”

Morton Fine Art  National Museum of African American History & Culture Contact Information (202) 628-2787 mortonfineart@gmail.com www.mortonfineart.com

KESHA BRUCE’s (Re)calling & (Re)telling on view at The Smithsonian National Museum of American History

KESHA BRUCE, That They Might Be Lovely, 2008, Hand-signed and numbered Archival Pigment Print.

 

Photographs from (Re)calling & (Re)telling are
currently on view at The Smithsonian National
Museum of American History as a part of
Through the African American Lens.

The exhibition features some of the more than 33,000
artifacts that have been collected by the Smithsonian’s
National Museum of African American History and
Culture (NMAAHC) since its creation in 2003.

Through the African American Lens is the NMAAHC’s
8th exhibition and is on display at the Smithsonian’s
National Museum of American History until
NMAAHC opens to the public on September 24, 2016.

Covering topics such as education, military service,
popular culture, religion, sports, and visual arts, the
exhibition demonstrates how the African American
story is quintessentially an American one of
determination, faith, perseverance, pride, and resilience.

Through the African American Lens
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Washington, D.C.

 

Contact Morton Fine Art for available artwork by KESHA BRUCE.

Morton Fine Art

1781 Florida Ave NW

Washington, DC 20009

(202) 628-2787

http://www.mortonfineart.com

mortonfineart@gmail.com