Jazz.Covers.politics: Album Art in
an age of activism
exhibition Organized by
the Romare Bearden Foundation
On view
April 11 - August 23, 2013
program event: June 6, 2013
Conversation with pianist/ composer Randy Weston and Scholar/ curator, Robert O'Meally about Jazz. covers.
6:00 pm-8:00 pm
RSVP by May 3, exhibitions@nathancummings.org
Robert O'Meally is the Zora Neale Hurston Professor of English and Comparative Literature, and founder and former director of the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University. Along with Diedra Harris-Kelley and C. Daniel Dawson, he has curated this exhibition and a series of shows for Jazz at Lincoln Center (NYC). He has written extensively on jazz, Ralph Ellison, Billie Holiday and Romare Bearden. O'Meally will lead the program with an overview of the exhibition and conversation with Randy Weston.
Pianist/composer Randy Weston has had a long engagement with the music and musicians of Africa. Though Weston cites Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Art Tatum, and of course, Duke Ellington as his other piano heroes, it was Monk who had the greatest impact. "He was the most original I ever heard," Weston remembers. "He played like they must have played in Egypt 5000 years ago." Several of Weston's album covers are featured in the exhibition's "Black to Africa" section. He remains always on the case with
titles such as Afrika Uhuru, Khepera, Ancient Future.
(Bille Holiday, The Original Recordings- Artwork by Romare Bearden)
at the Nathan Cummings Foundation
475 10th Avenue, 14th Floor
New York, NY 10018
To View: exhibits@nathancummings.org
___________
purchase the new Bearden "the
Block" vinyl tote, online
from the romare Bearden
foundation Here
vinyl bag: 19.95 (plus tax)
To purchase online go here
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Photos from Jazz.Covers.politics
Opening Reception, April 11
Below: Co-Directors of the Romare Bearden Foundation Diedra & Johanne
Below: Brandee Younger, Imani Uzuri and Courtney Brayn are the Brayn/younger/uzuri trio supplying the evening's vibes.
On view At:
The Nathan Cummings Foundation
475 10th Avenue, 14th Floor
New York, NY 10018
Viewing Hours
10:00am-4:00pm, Monday through Friday, by appointment only
Please email exhibits@nathancummings.org
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Read about Bearden in Memphis...
Work by famous artist Romare Bearden has special place in home and heart
By Fredric Koeppel
Scroll down to Read other Recent PRESS...
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Check out the New Bearden Apps
As part of the traveling exhibit
"Romare Bearden:A Black Odyssey"
Download FREE at Itunes store
centennial Tribute website...
Check out the latest artists picks...
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NewLY released dvD...
Bearden Plays Bearden
(feature-documentary- 60 minutes)
Directed by Nelson Breen
This Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary, narrated by James Earl Jones, is the culmination of a unique three year collaboration between Romare Bearden, the greatest African-American artist of his generation, and the filmmaker. Rarely has a film delved so deeply into the soul of an artist, discovering not only what inspired his work, but what drove him to be an artist in the first place. A special director's cut will premiere at TIFF with never-before-seen footage featuring Alvin Ailey, James Baldwin and Ntozake Shange.
Now available: Bearden Plays bearden
Screened at Teaneck International Film Festival with
Panel discussion: director Nelson Breen, Frank Stewart, Billie Allen Henderson and Adger Cowans
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"Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey"
at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis,Tennessee
February 5, 2013 - April 28, 2013
A Smithsonian Institution Traveling service exhibition (sites)
for more information: HERE
Circe Turns a Companion of Odysseus into Swine
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HOT off the Press!
Art and Antiques Magazine features Bearden on its OCTober issue click here to read
Bearden-mania
in ARTnews
posted 7/19/2012 Summer 2012 issue
A concise article by artist/writer Gail Gregg on the many exhibitions, programs and performances organized to celebrate the centennial of Bearden's birthday (September 2, 1911).
Includes the US postal service's launch of 4 commemorative stamps, exhibitions at the Schomburg, The Mint Museum, the Studio Museum in Harlem, DC Moore Gallery...
Read about the spectacular opening parties in Charlotte for the Southern Recollections tour, and about the traveling show of prints organized by the Bearden Foundation, and upcoming highlights still to come. read more here:
http://www.artnews.com/2012/07/19/beardenmania/
Read other Recent PRESS...
- New York Times-
- Harlem World Magazine-
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Artist's pick their favorite
Beardens
Check out our Centennial Website
BEARDEN 100 section www.beardencentennial.org
Check for the latest ones just
added for September!!
____________________
Now showing...
From Process to Print:
The Graphic Work of
Romare Bearden
tHROUGH jANUARY 6, 2013
The Hyde Collection
Glen Falls, New York
The Train, Etching
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A Writer's Celebration of Romare Bearden
at the 92 St Y ended
For more information and tickets: CLICK HERE
with
Elizabeth Alexander, Kim Bridgford,
Stanley Crouch, Kwame Dawes, Sarah Lewis, Russell Goings, Khalil Gibran Muhammad, John Edgar Wideman and others
92Y
1395 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10128
212.415.5500
and Exhibition on view:
The Paper of Truth: Works from the collection of Russell Goings and Evelyn Boulware
ended
at: Milton J. Weill Art Galery
the 92 Street Y
1395 Lexington Avenue, New York
____________________
CLOSED
at the Studio Museum of Harlem
The third and final group of works from The Bearden Project will be on view at the Studio Museum in Harlem August 16 to October 21, 2012. The entire project can be seen on the frequently-updated exhibition site, thebeardenproject.studiomuseum.org
The Bearden Project brings together work by contemporary artists who have all been influenced by this twentieth-century master.
The artists in The Bearden Project work in a wide range of media and are at different stages in their careers, but each was given the task of creating a work of art inspired by Bearden’s life and legacy. Visit the site to learn more about the artists: thebeardenproject
In the spirit of Bearden’s ongoing impact on the art world, The Bearden Project will continue to grow. More artworks will be added through the fall/winter 2011–12 exhibition season.
The Studio Museum in Harlem
144 West 125th Street
New York, NY 10025
____________________
CLOSED
Bearden at Bowie art exhibition
Thu 09/20/2012 - Wed 10/31/2012
Opening Reception
Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012, 6-8 p.m.
Recital Hall, BSU Fine and Performing Arts Center
Guest speaker: Diedra Harris-Kelley, Bearden's niece and co-director of the Bearden Foundation
Light refreshments will be served after a short program.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. Starting on Thursday, Sept. 20, gallery hours are:
Monday, 12-4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Wednesday, 12-7 p.m.
Thursday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday, 2-7 p.m.
For more information: 301 860-3719
Special events scheduled during the exhibit include:
"Bearden and the Art of Collecting" Panel Discussion
Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012, 6-8 p.m.Recital Hall, BSU Fine
and Performing Arts Center
Opening remarks:
Dorothe Rohan Dow, Bearden's sister-in-law
Panelists include:
Dr. Leslie King-Hammond, director of the Center for Race and Culture, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore
Dr. Michelle Wilkinson, director of Collections and Exhibitions, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, Baltimore
Juanita Hardy, local art collector and board member, Brandywine Workshop, Philadelphia
Wisson West, owner, Gallery Serengeti, Capitol Heights, Md.
Dr. Dianne Whitfield-Locke, local art collector and lender to the "Bearden at Bowie" exhibit
Recital Hall, BSU Fine and Performing Arts Center
For more information: 301 860-3719
Exhibition at Morgan State University Radio Station Gallery:
Reception on OCTOBER 26, 2012 CLOSED
WEAA
1700 E. Coldspring Lane
Baltimore, MD 21251
Phone: 443 885-3564
____________________
Closed
Thanks to all who came out the last chance to see Southern Recollections its final stop
On August 19 some 300 people joined members of the Bearden Foundation and family to take a final look at the show everyone's been talking about.
read the review in the NYTimes
Special guest artist Willie Cole
spoke about not hearing about Bearden as a young student and then recently learning about all the similarities in their life and work, including both attending Boston University.
Artist Willie Cole with Co-Directors Johanne Bryant-Reid and Diedra Harris-Kelley
Southern
Recollections
Newark Museum of Art
May 23-August 19, 2012
image: Mecklenburg Co.: Sunset Limited by Romare Bearden
This major exhibition originated at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC then traveled to the Tampa Museum of Art.
http://www.newarkmuseum.org/romarebearden.html
PasT Events:
A musical Tribute to
Bearden
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From Process to Print:
The Graphic Work of
Romare Bearden
Opened MAY 18 at the
The Price Tower Arts Center,
Bartlesville, Oklahoma
____________________
2012
Cinque Artist Program
presented
What Happens Next?
Artist archives, papers, legacies
with the Hatch-Billops Collection
February 28
____________________
Art, Travel and the Cuban Biennial
A conversation with the artist
Ben Jones
March 20
____________________
Two fun Gatherings with great artists!!
If you missed these first two programs please join
our EMAIL list here
____________________
Cinque Artist Program
In the spirit and legacy of the Cinque Gallery, founded by artists Romare Bearden, Norman Lewis and Ernest, Crichlow, the Cinque Artists Program aims to continue the idea of artists gathering to exchange information, advice and resources from their experiences.
The conversations are always interactive and informative.
The Foundation offers these programs Free and open to the public, thanks in part to:
The New York Department
of Cultural Affairs.
____________________
Macy's Celebrates
Black History Month with the
legacy of Romare Bearden
Events in: New York, Chicago,San Francisco,
Los Angeles,Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Atlanta Aventura, Charlotte,
New Orleans and Houston!
Thanks to all of our supporters and Bearden enthusiasts for joining us! We had an overwhelming response and beautiful displays. check out a few pictures below, more to come:
New York City -Susan Taylor (Essence Magazine)
Aventura, Florida
Co-Director Johanne Bryant-Reid in Florida
Washington DC
Los Angeles
www.macys.com/celebrate
____________________
Blues Suite, by Romare Bearden featured in
Paris Blues Revisited exhibition at Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC
* ENDED*
We hosted a panel discussion on Saturday January 21st at Jazz at Lincoln Center
with the exhibition curators; Edie Shaw, daughter of Sam Shaw; and Paul Devlin, writer and contributor to Albert Murray and the Aesthetic Imagination of a Nation, recently published on University of Alabama Press.
Jazz at Lincoln Center, Time Warner Center, Columbus Circle, 5th Floor 2:00-4:00 p.m.
_______________________________________________________________
ENDED
Romare Bearden: The Soul OF BlaCKNESS Blacknes
A Centennial Tribute
Through January 7, 2012
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
515 Malcolm X Boulevard
New York, NY 10037-1801
(212) 491-2200
New US Postage Stamps
Stock up on all four new Bearden
Forever Stamps
Thanks to all who joined us for
the official unveiling ceremony at
the Schomburg Center for Research on Black Culture
featuring...
Ronald A Stroman, Deputy Postmaster General, United States Postal Service
Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem
Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
E.T. Williams, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Romare Bearden Foundation
Rashelle Parker, Manager, Marketing, New York District, United States Postal Service
and musical tribute by pianist, Courtney Bryan.
Check out the article by Walter Rutledgein Harlem World Magazine HERE
**** New Centennial website *****
www.beardencentennial.org
We've developed a new website to capture all the wonderful events happening in New York and beyond. Please visit for all the latest exhibitions, celebrations and writings.
Also check out the the Bearden 100 feature where artists weigh in on their favorite Bearden works.
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Happy Birthday Bearden!
Grandmother Cattie, Great Grandparents Rosa and H.B. Kennedy
SEPTEMBER 2, 2011
100 years of a legacy
So we took the party down to
Charlotte, North Carolina, the artist's hometown and place of inspiration.
"An Artist Remembers His Birthplace"
exhibit at the Jerald Melberg Gallery; exhibition openings at the Mint Museum; the Harvey B. Gantt Center for Art and Culture; Imaginon Children's Library;
The Symphony performed songs co written byBearden; and Charlotte broke ground on
the new Romare Bearden park!
for more information www.charlottecultureguide.com
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Evening of Art and Jazz
Spring Fundraiser
Was held APRIL 11, 2011...
We wish to thank all of our
supporters for coming out
and celebrating with us. You
made for a very special evening!
Top Left: Vocalist Somi and the band; Top right: Pianist Randy Weston; Center left: Lorna Harris, Toni Faye, Joan Sandler, Howard Dodson dancing to Randy Weston's trio; Co-Director, Johanne Bryant-Reid and Chairman, E.T. Williams; Bottom : Artists David Driskell, Carrie Mae Weems and Frank Stewart with Co-Director Diedra Harris-Kelley, and guests Sheri Bronfman, Lorna Harris and Danielle Amato-Milligan.
Our gratitude goes out to the performers, our sponsors and auction participants. We could not have done this all without you.
The event was co-hosted by artists Emma Amos, David Driskell, Frank Stewart and Carrie Mae Weems, featuring a silent auction of their works.
and
musical tributes by pianist composer Randy Weston with Alex Blake on bass and Neil Clarke on percussion;
Vocalist Somi and her band.
and the sounds of W.Myles Reilly on keyboard
events planning by:
MVJ Consulting-201-227-8427
centennial@beardenfoundation.org
We thank our sponsors
And our Benefit Committee:
Peg Alston
Valerie Lancaster Beal
Mary Schmidt Campbell
Vivian Davidson Hewitt
Loida Nicolas Lewis
DC Moore Gallery
halley harrisburg
Michael Rosenfeld
Arden B. Shelton
Merton Simpson
David Taylor
Artists and Travel
lThe Foundation presented a panel as part of our Cinque Artist Panel series on Wednesday, December 15th at the Dwyer Center.
Panelists Helen Ramsaran, sculptor, educator
Camille A. Brewer, fiber artist, art consultant, appraiser
Alisha Wormsley, collage artist, photographer, educator
The Cinque Artist Program of the Bearden Foundation is designed to assist artist with solid career building skills that enhance their opportunities for representation, exhibition and critical review.
Our popular Artist and Travel panel aims to present practicing artists in the field to offer information, advice and resources on travel nationally and abroad. Practical and anecdotal information will be exchanged and discussion encouraged to share what personal and professional impact of travel on their life, art and art practices.
Check back here for Series 2011...
info@beardenfoundation.org
The Romare Bearden Foundation has moved to Harlem
The Romare Bearden Foundation has relocated to Harlem, where Bearden lived, worked and found creative inspiration.
Our office is located on the second floor of the historic Theresa Towers at 2090 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard at 125th Street.
We continue to realize our mission of preserving, perpetuating and making publicly accessible Bearden's extraordinary legacy. Here are the projects and programs we're currently working on:
- School Partnership Our partnership with a new Harlem middle school, Global Technology Preparatory, presents a semester long program with our teaching artist in the classroom. The Spring '09 collaboration resulted in a one day exhibition/auction of student work at the Essie Green Galleries (Convent Ave, Harlem) on June 5, 2010; and a small animated film funded by the Tribeca Film Institute. This Fall our teacher leads the charge to beautify the school with a new mural.
- Our traveling exhibition From Process to Print: Graphic Works by Romare Bearden began its 3 year national tour at Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Maine on October 1. It has since exhibited at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore and Chicago Cultural Center and the Austin Museum of Art. For more on this tour click HERE.
- The 124 page, full color exhibition catalogue accompanying the exhibition was published by Pomegranate Communications.
- In March, 2010 the major symposium, Romare Bearden in the Public Realm, was presented at the August Wilson Center for African American Art in Pittsburgh, where Bearden spent some formative years. Over 22 scholars and artist convened to discuss Pittsburgh's influence on Bearden and the works that fall outside the studio. This included his cartoons, murals and printmaking.
Sign up on our e-mail list and we’ll keep you informed about our progress, and our activities and programs HERE.
BEARDEN IN THE CARIBBEAN
RUBY BUTE GALLERY
Romare Bearden’s posters and watercolors will now be on display and for purchase at the Ruby Bute Gallery in St. Martin.
“Romare Bearden, the great American artist, spent much of the last two decades of his life on the Caribbean island of St. Martin. For Bearden, the experience was vital…” Art will go where energy is”, He often said. “I find a great deal of energy in the Caribbean”.
-Excerpt from Caribbean Dimensions by Sally and Richard (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006)
In the 1980’s there was the Nanette Bearden Gallery on Front Street, St. Maarten. Since closing there has not been any representation of Bearden on the island. We are pleased that the Ruby Bute Gallery will be featuring Romare in her gallery.
Ruby Bute, Artist, author, poet, was born on the island of Aruba to St. Maarten parents. She has lived in St. Maarten since 1976 and has been actively involved in cultural activities on the island and abroad.
Ms. Bute began her art career in 1982 with an exhibit at St. Maarten’s Annual Arts and Crafts exhibit. She has exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum in Holland and her paintings grace the Juliana Airport and many restaurants and businesses on St. Maarten
RUBY BUTE GALLERY
LA BATTERIE
RUE FRIARS BAY
ST. MARTIN, 97150
CELL: 599-523-2337 + CELL: 599-580-5533
rubybute@hotmail.com
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NEW PUBLICATION!!!From the 2007 Symposium in Chicago comes the book of essays...
Bearden in the Modernist Tradition
Introduction by Pamela Ford. Text by Robert O'Meally, Kobena Mercer, et al.
ISBN: 978-0-615-20291-4 US Price: $30.00
Pbk, 8 x 11 in. / 134 pgs /26 color / 9 b&w
This book is based on the 2007 Bearden Symposium held at Columbia College in Chicago. This volume examines Bearden's relationship to Modernism, Postmodernism and the avant-garde, through his wide ranging interests and associations with artists, intellectuals and musicians of his era--including Duke Ellington, Ralph Ellinton and Staurt Davis. With essays by Kobena Mercer, Robert G. O'Meally, Dawoud Bey, Geoffrey Jacques, Courtney Martin, Paul D. Miller, Amy Mooney, Kymberly Pinder, Greg Foster-Rice, Rael Jero Salley, Helen Shannon, and others.
Distributed by D.A.P. / Distributor Art Publishers
Romare Bearden in The Classroom – NEW VISUAL ARTS CURRICULUM AVAILABLE!!!
‘Produced by the Romare Bearden Foundation, the content rich curriculum, Romare Bearden in the Classroom, includes lesson plans, an annotated teacher’s guide, art reproductions/posters, a CD-ROM and historical timeline. All lessons are aligned with the NYC Blueprint for the Arts and the NEA curriculum standards.
To purchase the Romare Bearden in The Classroom Visual Arts Curriculum click HERE
National Symposium Series
March 2010
PITTSBURGH Symposium
In retrospect
The two-day symposium was held on March 26 & 27 at the brand new August Wilson Center for African American Culture in downtown Pittsburgh (www.augustwilsoncenter.org)
This year's symposium examined how Bearden merged the message and medium of his art, especially in the form of political cartoons, public art commissions and prints, enabling him to reach and communicate artistically and socially outside of the studio and with a broader public.
The artist's strongly defined social and political consciousness was shaped by his early childhood experiences in the southern United States, Harlem and Pittsburgh. His commitment to social causes is evident by his involvement as a social activist and by a lifelong commitment to the causes of artists of African descent.
Pittsburgh became a later home to Bearden's maternal grandmother and features large in many of his iconic works. In turn his work was the inspiration for Pittsburgh's own August Wilson. The playwright's Piano Lesson was directly drawn from Bearden's painting of the same name.
The symposium featured a musical performance by the Alton Merrell Trio with Alton Merrell on Piano, Dwanye Dolphin on Bass, James Johnson, III on Drums.
2010 Symposium Panels and Participants
Keynote address by Dr. Mary Schmidt-Campbell, Dean, Tisch School of the Arts, NYU
Bearden in Posterity
- Bridget Cooks, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine
- David Driskell, Artist and Scholar, Driskell Center, MD
- Jerald Melberg, Jerald Melberg Gallery, NC
- Moderator Jacqueline Francis, Ph.D., California College of the Arts
Bearden and the Performing Arts
- Walter Rutledge, Choreographer and Associate Artistic Director of the Nanette Bearden Contemporary Dance Theatre, NY
- Sandra Shannon, Ph.D., Howard University, DC
- Harry Elam, Ph.D., Stanford University, CA
- Moderator Kimberly C. Ellis Dr. Goddess, Ph.D. & performer, PA
Pittsburgh Memories
- Laurence Glasco, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
- John M. Brewer, Trolley Station Oral History Museum, PA
- Kymberly N. Pinder, Ph.D., School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Moderator Joe Trotter, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University, PA
A CONVERSATION with John Edgar Wideman writer, Brown University, RI
with Jacqueline Francis, Ph.D., California College of the Arts
Art in the Service of Politics
- Robert G. O'Meally, Ph.D., Columbia University, NY
- Amy Kirschke, Ph.D., University North Carolina-Wilmington
- Stacy I. Morgan, Ph.D., University of Alabama
- Moderator Kirk Savage, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
The Medium Is the Message
- Camara Dia Holloway, Ph.D., University of Delaware
- Carol Brown, Founding President of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
- Nikki Greene, Ph.D., Swarthmore College
- Moderator Richard Purcell, PhD., Carnegie-Mellon University
Printmaking as Practice
- Kathy Caraccio, Artist and Master Printer, NY
- Mary Lee Corlett, National Gallery of Art, DC
- Joseph Kleineman and Maureen Turci, JK Fine Art Editions, NJ
- Moderator Pamela Ford, Artist and former Program Director of the Romare Bearden Foundation
This program was made possible by The Heinz Endowments.
The Heinz Endowments support efforts to make southwestern Pennsylvania a premier place to live and work, a center for learning and educational excellence, and a region that embraces diversity and inclusion.
ANNUAL ROMARE BEARDEN SOUTHERN SENSIBILITY TRIBUTE GALA - September 25, 2008
The Romare Bearden Southern Sensibility Tribute Gala, will be held on September 25, 2008, at the exquisite new Espace on West 42nd Street and 11th Avenue. The theme this year will focus on the impact of the South, it’s people and culture, on Bearden’s art and life. Bank of America will be one of our honorees.
Our annual galas celebrate Bearden’s extraordinary life, art and legacy as well as gain support for our mission and raise awareness about our programs. Proceeds from the event support the Foundation’s efforts to create arts and educational opportunities for young people and to inspire them with examples from Bearden’s own life and work. As well proceeds support programs that nurture the artistic and professional development of talented, aspiring young African American artists and scholars. Together these goals, along with preserving and perpetuating Bearden’s rich artistic and intellectual legacy, ensure that he continues to have an impact on this and future generations.
CHICAGO SYMPOSIUM - IN RETROSPECT
The well attended symposium, Romare Bearden in the Modernist Tradition, which was funded by the Terra Foundation for American Art, was held on April 20 – 21, 2007, at Columbia College Chicago at the Film Row Cinema Theater. The symposium, part of the Bearden National Symposium series, launched in 1998 as a legacy program of the Foundation, encourages and supports new scholarship on Bearden in association with colleges and universities across the country.
Cultural theorist and critic Kobena Mercer PhD open the symposium on Friday, April 20th with a key note address titled Romare Bearden’s Modernism: Critical Dialogues in the Diaspora Imagination. Dr. Mercer is Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Visual Culture and Media at Middlesex University in London. He is also the author of Romare Bearden: African American Modernism at Mid-Century in Art History and Romare Bearden, 1964 Collage as Kunstwollen.
On Saturday, April 21st a full day of presentations included scholarly papers and conversations between Bearden’s colleagues and friends that were based on the key themes like: Bearden’s practice in relation to early modernism and the artists and artistic movements that influenced him; the interchange between Bearden and his peers in several disciplines; Bearden’s influence on subsequent generations of artists as a towering figure in African American art and his far-reaching influence in the African Diaspora; and Bearden’s use of photography, photostat and other technology through the lens of post-modernist discourse and practice.
Presenters included:
- Emma Amos, Artist, Professor of Art, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey,
- Dawoud Bey, Artist, Professor of Photography, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- Allen Edmunds Master printmaker and President of Brandywine Workshop, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Melvin Edwards, Artist, Professor of Art, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (Retired)
- Diedra Harris-Kelley, Artist, Program Associate, Romare Bearden Foundation
- Geoffrey Jacques, Ph.D., Poet and Critic, Faculty of English Department, Lehman College, City University of New York, Bronx, New York
- Greg Foster Rice, Ph.D., Art History, Assistant Professor, Art History, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- Courtney Martin, Ph.D. candidate, Art History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
- Paul D. Miller/DJ Spooky, Conceptual artist, writer, and musician.
- Amy Mooney, Ph.D., Professor, Art History, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- Robert O'Meally, Zora Neale Hurston Professor of American Literature and Director of the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University New York, New York
- Kym Pinder, Associate Professor of Art History and Director of the Master of Arts in Art History program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- Raél Jero Salley, Ph.D. candidate, The University of Chicago, The Committee on the History of Culture. Adjunct Faculty, Columbia College Chicago and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- Helen Shannon, Ph.D., Art History, Director of Museum Education, University of the Arts, Philadelphia
- William T. Williams, Artist, Professor of Art, Brooklyn College, City University of New York
A publication based on this Symposium is now available: Bearden and the Modernist Tradition to purchase: info@beardenfoundation.org
Romare Bearden in the Classroom
Romare Bearden in the Classroom, the Foundation’s new and comprehensive curriculum was made possible with funding from JP Morgan Chase and the Ford Foundation. It includes a series of 4 color lesson plans, an educator’s guide, a CD Rom of color reproductions and 5 posters. The curriculum is being distributed locally and nationally through educators’ workshops.
Educators who would like to attend a workshop or host one in their institution should contact us at info@beardenfoundation.org
Educators' Workshop
The first national educators’ workshop took place on Wednesday, April 25th at the Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago. Sponsored by the Terra Foundation for American Art and was presented in cooperation with the Chicago Public Schools and the Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago who hosted the workshop for sixty five educators. They represented Chicago Public Schools and several museums and community arts organizations. The day long workshop began with a greeting from the museum’s Director James Cuno and key note address by Director of Education Bob Eskridge. An introduction to the curriculum by Education Specialist and the curriculum’s author Rise Wilson included ways to integrate its content into existing lesson plans and segments of the film The Art of Romare Bearden. The participants were given a rare opportunity to view two Bearden prints in the museum’s print study room which was followed by a tour of works, similar to those that inspired Bearden, by the museum’s education staff. The final presentation by art historian Kymberly N. Pinder, Ph.D. Romare Bearden and August Wilson: History Lessons, examined the unspoken dialogue between Wilson and Bearden’s work. The latter underscored the scope of the artist’s influence and his appeal for artists in several disciplines.
Cinque Artists Program (CAP)
Through the newly established Cinque Artists Program (CAP), the Foundation continues the legacy of Cinque Gallery, an important venue for African American artists that was co-founded by Bearden, Ernest Crichlow and Norman Lewis in 1969, and that closed permanently in 2004. As the program is developed over the next several years, CAP will assist artists at various stages by supporting them artistically and in their career and professional development through scholarships, workshops, opportunities for networking with artists and arts professionals and stipend for travel.
The program was formally launched on Thursday, March 29 with a reception at the Foundation that honored Cinque’s former director, Ruth Jett.
Two components of CAP have been launched: the Romare Bearden Scholarship at the Harlem School of the Arts and Artists Professional Development Workshops.
The Romare Bearden Scholarship at the Harlem School of the Arts
As part of it's new Cinque Artists Program, in September 2006 the Foundation launched a scholarship program at the Harlem School of the Arts. The Romare Bearden Visual Arts Scholarship at the Harlem School of the Arts is awarded to talented African American high school students enrolled in the school's visual arts program. Two scholarship recipients were selected from among the school's College Prep Program enrollees. To be selected for the program students must demonstrate financial need, a sincere interest and passion for the visual arts and a strong aspiration to continue their educational pursuits in art schools and colleges. The annual support includes tuition, registration and materials fees.
To be considered all applicants must meet the following criteria:
- be of African descent
- be enrolled in High school
- be between 15-17 years
- have a B+ average or above in school
- be interested in pursuing a career in visual arts
- establish financial need (based on Princeton Scholarship Review criteria)
- be enrolled in the Harlem School of the Arts College Prep Program
For more information contact the Harlem School of the Arts at 212.926.4100 or info@harlemschoolofthearts.org
The Romare Bearden Visual Arts Scholarship at the Harlem School of the Arts has been made possible with support from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Estate of Nanette Bearden.
Artist Professional Development Workshops
(Fall 2007)
The Workshops bring together experts in the field to assist artists at all experience levels and stages in their career to enhance their career-building skills and opportunities for representation, exhibition and critical review. In the fall of 2007, the Foundation will offer the workshops in three general subject areas: artistic development, career management and financial management. Artistic development provides a forum to discuss the creative process and to view their art practice within a professional context at the end of their formal education. Career management assist artists navigate the gallery and museum system. Financial management provide information about the business side of being an artist, finding money for their work from grants and fellowships, protecting intellectual property, managing the money from sales and employment, preparing for retirement, etc.
For more information on the Fall workshop schedule, call: 212-924-0455. Workshops are free but reservations will be required
Phase I of Website Upgrade Project Completed!
With significant funding from the AT&T Foundation, the Romare Bearden Foundation has undertaken an extensive revision and upgrade of its website. The result is a visually arresting, content-rich, more easily navigable site that offers comprehensive information about Romare Beardens art and life and about the Foundations mission of preserving and perpetuating his legacy. The project involved updating and adding new content and sections, including a great Education Resources section and a comprehensive Timeline of Beardens life and accomplishments. Thanks to DesignPolice and fluency, the two firms that worked on the web design. Special acknowledgement to the Foundations team that worked on content and editing: Grace Stanislaus, Executive Director and Ronald Jackson, Board member and multimedia specialist, worked closely with Ellie Tweedy who volunteered an extraordinary amount of time editing the site and ensuring the accuracy of its content.