Hank Willis Thomas
Smokin’ Joe – “You think you can get me to eat my flapjacks without my Blue Bonnet®? Try it!”
From the series Unbranded, 1978/2006
Lambda print
Courtesy the artist and Charles Guice Contemporary
The Museum of the African Diaspora presents a selection of works from the 19th and 20th centuries that will highlight African American history, as well as the history of photography itself.
Double Exposure will include historical photographs, albums, and cased images from the collection, as well as contemporary art that incorporate historical photographic imagery. The exhibition will present two predominant subject threads—popular culture and historical images of African Americans and the reality of black life as depicted by African Americans themselves. The photo based artworks in the exhibition comment on slavery, the civil rights conflicts of the twentieth century, and contemporary explorations of family, identity, and history.
The contemporary section of Double Exposure will feature late twentieth-century photography, photo-collage, and mixed media. This portion of the show demonstrates the range of artistic possibilities in photography and showcases the strong influence of historical and family photographs on contemporary African American art. Among the techniques represented will be traditional silver prints, Polaroid, and digital prints as well as photographs on linen, wood and felt.
This exhibition was organized by The Amistad Center for Art & Culture, Inc., Hartford, Connecticut. This traveling exhibition is sponsored by Aetna.
June Events and Programs
Sunday, June 1, 2008
3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Booksigning and Discussion
Daughters of Men: Portraits of African-American Women and Their Fathers
Author Rachel Vessel
From actress Sanaa Lathan to Georgia State Supreme Court chief justice Leah Ward Sears, many African-American women attribute much of their success to having a positive father figure
In Daughters of Men, author Rachel Vassel has compiled dozens of stunning photographs and compelling personal essays about African-American women and their fathers. Whether it's a father who mentors his daughter's artistic eye by taking her to cultural events or one who unwaveringly supports a risky career move, the fathers in this book each had his own unique and successful style of parenting. The first book to showcase the importance of the black father's impact on the accomplishments of his daughter, Daughters of Men provides an intimate look at black fatherhood and the many ways fathers have a lasting impact on their daughters' lives.
Friday, June 20, 2008
7 pm to midnight
Public Opening and Party
Double Exposure: African Americans Before and Behind the Camera
Live music, food and beverages
$20 in advance $25 at the door
June 22, 2008
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Double Exposure: Artists Panel led By Carla Williams
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm MoAD Salon
In conjunction with Double Exposure: African Americans Before and Behind the Camera join us for a dialogue in-the-round with a selection of local artists whose works are included in the exhibition. The focus of the discussion will be on technology, both its impact as a tool of creation as well as its use as a tool of self-promotion, publication, and mass communication. The Bay Area is home to leading technological companies, so it is fitting that the artists whose work is featured here will address the impact that technology has had on their work.
Reception immediately following conversation.
Seats are limited. You must RSVP for admittance to program.
MoAD Members $10 General Admission $15
June 28, 2008 MoAD Family Day
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm MoAD Education Center
Join us in part I of our Family Day programming for our exhibition, Double Exposure: African Americans Before and Behind the Camera. Come to the 3rd Floor Education Center to learn about cyanotypes, an early photographic process, and create a one-of-a-kind piece of art.
About the Museum of the African Diaspora
The only major museum of its kind, MoAD is committed to exhibiting works by modern and contemporary artists of African descent that interpret MoAD’s core themes of Origins, Movement, Adaptation and Transformation throughout the African Diaspora. A global organization located in San Francisco, MoAD explores the universal connection of humankind to Africa through its interpretive exhibitions and public programs. Since opening in December 2005, MoAD has hosted a series of exhibitions curated by the museum or organized by other institutions, attracting more than 75,000 visitors.
MoAD
685 Mission Street/Third
San Francisco, CA 94105
For further information logon to www.moadsf.org or call 415.358.7200
