This February, Montclair Art Museum (MAM) will present a landmark exhibition, “Century: 100 Years of Black Art at MAM,” celebrating MAM’s collection of works by Black artists. The opening of “Century” aligns with the beginning of Black History Month, adding another layer of cultural significance to the exhibition.
With over 70 works in various mediums by 59 groundbreaking artists, “Century” is the largest and most comprehensive show of its kind at MAM. Since the 1940s, the museum has committed itself to curating and celebrating the diverse artistry of Black creators, and “Century” stands as a testament to that enduring dedication.
MAM Chief Curator Gail Stavitsky notes that “for many years, the Montclair Art Museum has been committed to the development of a permanent collection of American art that reflects this country’s rich multicultural diversity. Initiated in 1973 with the acquisition of William Edmondson’s sculpture “Po’ch Ladies (ca. 1932-41), this endeavor has gathered momentum, resulting in a major collection of work by Black artists from the late nineteenth century to the present.”
“Century” is curated by Adrienne L. Childs and Nico w.okoro and complemented by a fully illustrated catalog featuring multiple essays that offer insightful explorations of the rich historical and cultural context of Black art. The exhibition has been coordinated at MAM by Chief Curator Gail Stavitsky.
“This exhibition celebrates Black art as a dynamic force that recognizes and represents a variety of lived experiences—a force that heals, activates memory, reveals and questions histories, illuminates the present moment, and serves as a source of pure pleasure.”
“Century” is organized around six major themes, each highlighting different concerns, visions, and practices that emerge from the rich grouping of artists:
- Black Portraiture explores the significance of Black identity and subverts reductive, often racist, portrayals of Blackness through works by artists such as Dawoud Bey, Adger Cowans, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Gordon Parks and others.
- African Diasporic Consciousness brings together objects by Willie Cole, Melvin Edwards, and other artists who work explicitly and implicitly to transmit cultural values, practices, symbols, and philosophies that have persisted and thrived across vast distances from a shared homeland.
- Archival Memory considers the capacity of objects by Sanford Biggers, Tomashi Jackson, Todd Gray, Deborah Willis and others—constructed, found, or reimagined—to collectively document and preserve this consciousness.
- Abstraction is also explored with works by Alvin Loving, Howardena Pindell, and others who have used form and color as tools for both personal and collective expressions.
- Black Mythologies showcases how artists like Nick Cave, Lorna Simpson and Saya Woolfalk use the power of myth and spiritual expression to access histories and memories, imagine possible futures, and mine the complex contours of Black life.
- Black Joy and Leisure celebrates the construction of unapologetically Black social spaces, where radical rest and unfettered leisure are expressed without inhibition by artists such as William Edmondson, Carmen Cartiness Johnson and Faith Ringgold.
Additionally, “Century” will showcase how early photography–for instance, Van Der Zee–informs the work of later photographers like Dawoud Bey and Deana Lawson. Also featured in the show are works by Ben Jones and Janet Taylor Pickett, co-founders of MAM’s African American Cultural Committee (AACC).
“Century: 100 Years of Black Art” will run from February 9–June 23, 2024. Get more information, as well as related events supporting the exhibition, at montclairartmuseum.org.