CAAM Museum Notes - July-September 2016

NON PROFIT ORG US Postage Paid Permit No. 1619 Los Angeles, CA

public programs July – september 2016 Adult Programs

The California African American Museum offers dynamic opportunities for learning about exhibitions and the museum’s collection through gallery talks, lectures, performances, studio programs, and more. These programs serve a broad spectrum of audiences—from first-time visitors to longtime museum goers, from college students to seniors—and are designed to enhance your perception and spur your creativity.

Saturday, July 16, 2016 / 2:00 p.m.

Soul Line Dancing with J&J: Hip Hop Edition

In celebration of Oh Snap! West Coast Hip Hop Photography, join us to learn some of the most popular soul line dances with J&J Soulful Steps as you groove to Hip Hop-inspired sounds. The class is great for beginners and experienced line dancers alike. Dances include the Cali Bounce, the Gangster Slide, and more. RSVP at 213.744.2024.

Saturday, July 23, 2016 / 2:00 p.m.

Women of the L.A. ‘Undergrind’: Female Artists Breaking Hip Hop’s Plastic Ceiling

Ethnomusicologist Birgitta Johnson revisits the deafening absence of female hip-hop artists in mainstream popular music, as well as the efforts of skilled artists daring to have a voice in a commercial genre that currently lacks a significant chorus of female perspectives. Johnson will explore the myths about female hip-hop performers that have fostered a virtual gender lockout in mainstream hip-hop. She will also describe the response of female artists to being underrepresented, including how technology has empowered them to sidestep limitations and create alternative paths for artistic expression. RSVP at 213.744.2024.

Family & Children’s Programs

Sunday, July 24, 2016 / 2:00 p.m.

Mac Dre: Legend of the Bay (2015, 61 min.)

Museum teachers guide children through fun and informative hands-on projects in the museum’s courtyard.

This is a time for families and friends to drop in and spend a relaxing time creating art projects such as still life paintings, clay sculptures, and more. No experience is necessary, and all materials are supplied.

Inspired by the assemblages in Reflections on the Self: Selections from the Permanent Collection, artist June Edmonds leads participants in the creation of a body-like assemblage with found objects. Visitors are invited to bring their own trinkets and mementos to add to the piece. RSVP at 213.744.2024.

Saturday, July 30, 2016 / 2:00 p.m.

Discover Your Journey West

In A Family Treasure Found, an installation featured prominently in Reflections on the Self: Selections from the Permanent Collection, the artist Dominique Moody presents multilayered depictions of her parents, her siblings, and herself. Members of the California African American Genealogy Association (CAAGS) will guide visitors in researching their family tree and history. Participants should bring their family surnames and any other information regarding their lineage. RSVP at 213.744.2024.

Sunday, August 14, 2016 / 2:00 p.m.

Reimagining “Sir Nose Devoid a Funk”

Learn the basic techniques of sketching inspired by work in the exhibition Rhythm of Vision: The Artistry of Overton Loyd. Visitors will create futuristic superheroes using the classic Parliament Funkadelic album cover, Motor Booty Affair, as muse. RSVP at 213.744.2024.

Saturday, September 17, 2016 / 2:00 p.m.

Messages from the Grassroots

Participants will design their own magazine cover with a socially conscious message in the style of artist Milton Bowens. His work Time Magazine is currently on display in Reflections on the Self: Selections from the Permanent Collection. RSVP at 213.744.2024.

Todd Hawkins, President Zna Portlock Houston, Vice President Cornelious Burke Victor Griego Terri Holoman Rev. Cecil L. Murray Bari A. Williams

Join us as we hear from artists April Bey and Richard Wyatt, whose works are on view in Reflections on the Self: Selections from the Permanent Collection. A Los Angeles native, Richard Wyatt is best known for his public murals and his realistic paintings and drawings that celebrate prominent figures from his community and the nation at large. Originally from Nassau, Bahamas, April Bey lives in Los Angeles and creates work that explores contemporary pop culture, subcultures, feminism, race, and communication in the age of social media. RSVP at 213.744.2024.

Saturday, July 16, 2016 / 1:00 – 3:30 p.m Assembling a Figure

CAAM State Board of Directors

Sunday, August 7, 2016 / 2:00 p.m. in the Artist’s Voice

Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays / 1:00 – 3:30 p.m.

Crafts and Creation in the Courtyard

Friends, the Foundation of the California African American Museum 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, CA 90037 T 213.744.7432 . F 213.744.2050 www.caamuseum.org Open Tues–Sat 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission is FREE Parking $12 at 39th & Figueroa Streets. Metro: Expo Line to Exposition Park stop adjacent to USC & the Rose Garden.

Bay Area rapper Mac Dre began his career at eighteen and quickly became an influential force in early West Coast hip-hop. In 1992 he was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank robbery when his lyrics were used against him in court. He left prison with a new lease on life, founded an independent record company, and was murdered just as he began to emerge as a star. For the first time ever, his mother Wanda reveals the true experiences of a hip-hop legend. Parents are advised that the film contains strong language. RSVP at 213.744.2024.

Let your creativity soar at the California African American Museum! Explore a wide range of interactive programs designed for families with children of all ages. From arts and crafts workshops to dance classes and reading, families can discover the world of art together.

Museum Notes

CALIFORNIA AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM

July - September 2016

exhibitions

A message from george O. davis, executive director

Oh Snap! West Coast Hip Hop Photography May 11 – September 18, 2016

DJ Crazy Toones and WC throwing up the “W” for West Coast; Photo: Estevan Oriol

Oh Snap! West Coast Hip Hop Photography presents a focused selection of photographs that explore one of the most influential musical genres and cultural movements of the last quarter century: Hip Hop. Centering on the unique style developed on the West Coast of the United States, and particularly in California, this exhibition highlights the dynamic array of Hip Hop artists that gained national prominence in the 1990s, including Ice Cube, YoYo, Tupac, and E-40. Oh Snap! features more than forty works by photographers such as Michael Miller, author of West Coast Hip Hop: A History in Pictures (2011); creative industry professional Carl Posey; and many others. The first of its kind to be organized at CAAM, this exhibition pays homage to the distinct flavor, evolution, and influence of West Coast Hip Hop music. ​​

April Bey, She’s The Face of..., 2013. Epoxy resin on wood board. Promised gift of the artist.

Courtesy the artist; Photo: Gene Ogami.

Reflections on the Self

rhythm of vision:

Selections from the Permanent Collection

the artistry of Overton Loyd

I Hank Willis Thomas, Black Righteous Space, 2012. DVD (playlist and video installation), microphone, and mac-mini, approx.

60 min. Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York

Hank Willis Thomas: Black Righteous Space July 7 – September 18, 2016 CAAM is pleased to present the California premiere of Hank Willis Thomas’s video installation Black Righteous Space. This interactive work features a looping soundtrack that combines songs, speeches, and dialogue from over fifty noted black figures including Malcolm X, James Baldwin, and Richard Pryor. This soundtrack goes silent at random intervals, allowing visitors to approach a microphone and add their voices to the conversation.

The African American Journey West

May 11 – September 18, 2016

March 17 – September 18, 2016

permanent collection

This exhibition illustrates the breadth of mediums and approaches that artists have used to depict the human form. From life-like resemblance to more abstract gestures, the complexities of the human face and body have engaged generations of visual artists working in painting, printmaking, sculpture, and assemblage alike. The objects on display in this exhibition are drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, including generous gifts from private collectors and the artists themselves. Reflections on the Self begins with portraits of powerful historical figures such as Malcolm X, Angela Davis, and Mary McLeod Bethune. It continues with celebratory images of cultural icons—including Thelonious Monk and a New Orleans Grand Marshal—as well as references to black pride, past and present. In other works that explore spirituality and the metaphysical world, bodily forms appear idealized or fantastical. These scenes are laden with symbols that evoke Biblical stories, personal narratives, and tales of diaspora. The exhibition concludes with objects that reflect upon human relationships in both public and private contexts: a neighborhood stroll, a dance in a nightclub, piano and quilting lessons, an image of rebellion. In A Family Treasure Found, an installation by Dominique Moody, the artist delves into questions of familial bonds, presence, and absence through her multilayered depictions of her parents, her siblings, and herself.

Overton Loyd is a kind of Renaissance Man. He is by turns a visual and multimedia artist, illustrator, and designer, and is perhaps best known for his work as the creative director for George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. Loyd’s extensive body of work epitomizes the unique perspective of a multifaceted artist. His artistic journey commenced at age three when he discovered his passion for drawing. He has since become a prolific artist whose styles and mediums vary from pen sketches to high-resolution digital renderings.

Born in Detroit, Loyd is widely known for creating distinctive caricatures and characters. His most notable character, Sir Nose D’Voidoffunk, appears on the iconic 1978 album Motor Booty Affair, which has become synonymous with George Clinton and the Parliament culture. Rhythm of Vision introduces viewers to the vast scope of Loyd’s creativity through his use of diverse media, wide array of subject matter, and intriguing compositions.

This reprised exhibition chronicles the history of African Americans through artwork and historical artifacts that illustrate their long journey from the West Coast of Africa to present-day California.

Featured artists include, among others, Daphne Arthur, Richmond Barthé, Phoebe Beasley, Romare Bearden, April Bey, John Biggers, Milton Bowens, Elizabeth Catlett, Zeal Harris, Suzanne Jackson, Artis Lane, Dominique Moody, William Pajaud, Faith Ringgold, Betye Saar, Alison Saar, Lezley Saar, and Charles White.

Front cover: Charles White, Freedom Now, 1966-67 (detail). Oil on canvas. Collection of Friends, the Foundation of the California African American Museum. Gift of the California African American Museum Arts Circle

Overton Loyd, Hinged, 2005. Acrylic on canvas.

Collection of George and Michelle Evans; Photo: Gene Ogami

Now on view

f you haven’t been to CAAM recently, I encourage you to make certain that a visit is on your itinerary this summer. We’re free to the public, offer art-making workshops tailored for all ages, and have two fantastic new exhibitions now on view: Oh Snap! and Reflections on the Self.

When you do visit, you’ll notice that we’ve installed some stunning new visual elements that help define what this museum is about and what it offers. Naima Keith, who joined CAAM earlier this year as our Deputy Director of Exhibitions and Programs, worked with a designer to create five enormous floor-toceiling banners. They highlight the fact that CAAM is free to the public, they describe its mission and collections, and they honor several African American icons who have made significant contributions in the arenas of art, literature, and music. So as you approach the museum, you’ll be greeted by the image of world-class assemblage artist Betye Saar, and once you enter CAAM’s Courtyard, you’ll see portraits of Ella Fitzgerald, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, and visual artist John Outterbridge. These banners are breathtaking and serve to embellish the building beautifully and subtly. We are very proud of the way they look and we believe they will enhance your experience at CAAM. In May, Hillary Clinton came to CAAM for a campaign event, sponsored by Congresswomen Maxine Waters and Karen Bass, for invited local elected officials and community leaders. Los Angeles City Council President, Herb Wesson, was also in attendance along with former Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke. This event received national media coverage and required substantial coordination with the campaign’s Secret Service detail. We are thankful that the team managing the Secretary’s campaign for President thought of CAAM as the event’s venue. By the way, you may not be aware that CAAM’s Conference Center and Courtyard are available for bookings for private and special events. If you have an event on the horizon and are looking for a suitable venue, please consider CAAM. (For rental information and pricing, call 213.744.7535.)

We also hosted our annual Heads Are Turning, Children Are Learning literacy event in May, which attracted a wonderful gathering of nearly 300 kids and their families. This celebration of the written word is designed to encourage reading and make it fun. All the kids enjoyed a full day of art making, storytelling, and face painting, and it was wonderful to see them having such a great time.

On Friday, June 10th, CAAM hosted a public viewing of the memorial service and funeral for Muhammad Ali. The event received coverage on KABC-TV during that evening’s news broadcast.

If you are in town the morning of July 20th, we are holding a press event at CAAM to formally announce our new affiliation with the Smithsonian Institution. It’s scheduled for 10:00 a.m. We hope you’ll be able to stop by to learn more about what this means for CAAM. It’s all very exciting!

There are many great things in store for CAAM that I’ll share with you in future issues. In the meantime, enjoy the summer months and make sure you pay us a visit!

Using Metro, it’s easy to plan a visit to CAAM. As of May 20th Metro’s Expo Line, which you can take to all museums in Exposition Park, now travels to the beaches of Santa Monica. For more information and to plan a trip using Metro, please visit https://trips.metro.net/tm_pub_start.php.

We look forward to seeing you.

George O. Davis, Executive Director Donations to CAAM may be made online at www.caamuseum.org or mail contributions to Friends, the Foundation of the California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, CA 90037 Edo culture, Benin/Nigeria, Herald, 20th century. Cast brass.

Gift of the Scott Campbell Family; Photo: Gene Ogami

The California African American Museum is a State-supported agency, Edmund G. Brown Jr., Governor. CAAM partners with and is further supported by Friends, the Foundation of the California African American Museum. CAAM is located in Exposition Park at 600 State Drive in Los Angeles. CAAM is open Tuesday–Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m, and Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission is FREE. Parking at 39th and Figueroa Streets is $12 per vehicle. Tel 213.744.7432. Fax 213.744.2050. Email: info@caamuseum.org. Website: www.caamuseum.org. Facebook/Twitter@caaminla. Museum Notes is published quarterly by the California African American Museum.

Executive Editor, Denise L. McIver. Design, Susan Dworski | The Blue One.