CAAM Museum Notes - July-September 2015

Saturday, July 18, 2015, 1pm - 4pm | community celebration Bring the entire family as we celebrate the birthday of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. The day will include storytelling, South African music, an art workshop, and a screening of a documentary film based upon Mandela’s life and many accomplishments. RSVP to 213.744.2024.

Thursday, July 23, 2015, Screenings at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm August Wilson the Ground I Stand On (PBS, 2015, 60 min.)

August Wilson (1945 – 2005) was an award-winning American playwright whose work illuminated the joys and struggles of the African-American experience in the United States during the 20th century. This is the first documentary about the Tonyand Pulitzer-winning playwright and includes interviews with stage luminaries. RSVP to 213.744.2024.

Sunday, July 26, 2015, 2pm | literary readings The Community Writers Group Readings After a year of fellowship and workshops, the group will share personal narratives from their newly published book, Snapshots: Personal Narratives of the Community Writers Group, a culmination of efforts of a multi-generational writers’ group. Writers will read and expound upon stories that consist of poignant, often funny narratives that offer portraits of memorable characters in the authors’ lives. RSVP to 213.744.2024.

Sunday, September 20, 2015, 2pm - 4pm | children’s art workshop Short Story Pictures Come create your very own short story through photography. This workshop is inspired by the Coloring Independently exhibit film stills. All supplies are provided for this free workshop. RSVP to 213.744.2024.

day, please make sure to say, “hello.”

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Saturday, September 26, 2015, 1pm - 3:30pm | art workshop Participants are invited to create their own glass and wire-hanging sculptures.

Workshop will be guided by artist Charla Puryear whose work appears in the CAAM exhibition Hard Edged. RSVP to 213.744.2024.

Sunday, September 27th, 2015, 2pm – 4pm | curatorial & artist walkthrough Join us for a walkthrough of the CAAM exhibition Metaphors with visual artist Charles Dickson and CAAM’s Visual Arts Curator Vida L. Brown. RSVP to 213.744.2024.

George O. Davis, Interim Executive Director

Blossom, Charles Dickson, 1988.

High impact styrene plastic urethane foamcore.

Collection of the artist

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 The California African American Museum is a State-supported agency, Jerry Brown, 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 10am – 5pm, and Sundays 11am - 5pm. Admission is FREE. Parking at 39th and Figueroa Streets is $10 per vehicle. Tel 213.744.7432. Fax 213.744.2050. Email: info@caamuseum.org. Facebook/twitter@caaminla.

Website: www.caamuseum.org. Museum Notes is published quarterly by the California African American Museum. Interim Executive Editor, Denise L. McIver. Design, Susan Dworski | The Blue One.

Zna Portlock Houston Rev. Cecil L. Murray Joseph C. Phillips Paul F. Roye Vera B. Stewart Dr. Francille Rusan Wilson

Sunday, September 20 and 27, 2015, 1:00pm | educators’ event A Tour for Teachers of CAAM’s Permanent Exhibit: The African American Journey West Elementary, middle, high school, home-school teachers and college professors are invited to participate in a special “educators tour” of CAAM’s The African American Journey West exhibition displaying artworks and historical artifacts from our Permanent Collection that illustrate the journey of African Americans from the West Coast of Africa to present day California. RSVP to 213.744.2024.

Skill to do comes of doing; knowledge comes by eyes always open, and working hands; and there is no knowledge that is not power.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1870

Thursday, July 16, 2015, Screenings at 12pm and 3pm FRONTLINE: The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela (PBS, 2011, 120 min.)

This documentary presents the story of the man behind the myth probing Mandela’s character, leadership and life through intimate recollections with friends. RSVP to 213.744.2024.

Sunday, September 13, 2015, Galleries open at 11am, Programming bgins at 1 pm | TARGET SUNDAYS AT CAAM A Musical Education In the spirit of the Back to School season, this event brings together young and old to celebrate life lessons via music. Music is the one true universal language that teaches us in so many different ways. Come check out awesome artists who use music as a tool to teach and enlighten.

David A. Ford Eric Lawrence Frazier Kimberly Freeman Todd Hawkins Asa Heath Raphael Henderson

Thursday, July 9, 2015, 7pm – 9pm | comedy set LA’s Ladies of Comedy Los Angeles’s ladies of comedy—Kimrie Davis, Yvonne Orji, Daheli’ Hall and Ayana Hampton, among others—will bring their side-splitting humor to CAAM for an evening of fun and laughter. RSVP to 213.744.2024.

Sunday, August 30, 2015, 11am – 6pm | film screenings & panel discussions 5th Annual Shorts at CAAM Showcase Independent filmmakers, working in the short film format, and representing a wide array of genres; narrative, documentary, web-series, or music videos will be screened from 11am until 4pm, along with ‘talkbacks’ with directors, writers, actors, and producers following. Attend relevant industry panel discussions from 4pm until 6pm. To submit a short film for consideration or to request additional information, please contact ewoodson@caamuseum.org. RSVP to 213.744.2024.

Susan Cole Hill, President Renee C. Bizer, Vice President Dr. Monet L. Daniels, Secretary Ellis Gordon Jr., Treasurer Keith A. Drake Shawn Farrar

Thursday, July 9, 2015, Screenings at 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, (PBS, 2013, 50 min.)

Episode #2: The Cotton Economy and Slavery Many stakeholders benefited from the cotton economy—plantation owners in the South, banks in the North, shipping merchants, and the textile industry in Great Britain. This documentary depicts how cotton transformed and prospered the United States. RSVP to 213.744.2024.

Saturday, August 29, 2015, 12pm – 2pm | artists’ reception & discussion with guest speaker rick griffin Artists’ Reception featuring the artists who contributed works to the Shared Otherness exhibition in CAAM’s Courtyard.

Following the reception stay for a free-flowing discussion with special guest Rick Griffin starting at 2pm. Come for all or part.

RSVP to 213.744.2024.

Friends, the Foundation of the California African American Museum Board

Saturday, July 4, 2015, Galleries open at 11am, Programming begins at 5pm | TARGET SUNDAYS AT CAAM Join host Jeffrey Anderson Gunther and many friends to celebrate the Best of the Best of 10 Years of Target Sundays at CAAM. This program celebrates the freedom, independence, and fun of summer, followed by a fireworks display in Exposition Park at dusk. Featured exhibition Looking Back in Front of Me: Selected Works of Mark Steven Greenfield, 1974-2014.

Saturday, August 15, 2015 2015, 1pm – 2pm | exhibition walkthrough Explore the intricacies of Hard Edged: Geometrical Abstraction and Beyond (on view through April 16, 2016) with CAAM’s Visual Arts Curator Mar Hollingsworth, and meet some of the artists represented in this show. RSVP to 213.744.2024.

Though we may not have met in person (and I sincerely hope that we will have the opportunity to do so in the future), I’m no stranger to the California African American Museum (CAAM). In some ways, I feel as though I’ve come back “home.”

Years ago, I had the pleasure of serving on CAAM’s State Board of Directors. I was appointed by then Governor Pete Wilson. Eventually, the appointment was extended under Governor Gray Davis. While the State Board continues its search for a permanent Executive Director, I was asked by Todd Hawkins, CAAM’s State Board President and the Natural Resources Agency, to serve as Interim Executive Director.

My focus has been on the fundamentals (staff development, marketing, infrastructure improvement, and maintaining our critical relationships with elected officials and the broader arts community).

I’ve been blessed to visit many of the great museums and world heritage sites. I believe it’s vitally important—if cultural institutions are to maintain sustainability for the future —that we work diligently to challenge ourselves, and make a commitment to evolve. It is especially critical for art institutions – no matter their size or budget—to envision, design and create meaningful exhibitions, and develop engaging programming that “speak to” and are relevant to both our younger and older constituencies. CAAM never wants to be an institution where “one-size-fits-all”.

With this in mind, we’ve opened four new exhibitions Flash Tag, Light Catchers, Shared Otherness, and The African American Journey West over the past several months. In August, CAAM will inaugurate Hard Edged, a comprehensive and expansive exhibition focusing on the works of 30-plus African American artists with strong ties to Los Angeles whose practice is grounded in the visual vernacular of abstract art. To say this is an ambitious exhibition is truly an understatement.

We also are making a stronger and a more concerted effort to develop educational programs to be more aligned with the Common Core Standards of our local school district. I thank our Education Department for taking the lead on this initiative.

CAAM is very fortunate to have funding from the State, but we also need support from the greater community if we are to offer quality exhibitions and continue to provide our diverse city with free public programs. So, if you haven’t become a member yet, we encourage you to join. It’s easy enough to join —just click on this link: http://www.caamuseum.org/web_pages/memberships.htm.

I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that although we are based in Exposition Park, CAAM is a State of California museum. We plan to expand our outreach and our footprint throughout California with traveling exhibitions. At the same time, we encourage visitors to make CAAM a part of their itineraries.

This is a great institution that provides both tangible and intangible benefits to our community and beyond.

Join us as we embark upon a new chapter. And if you see me milling about our galleries on any given

CALIFORNIA AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM

Todd Hawkins, President Zna Portlock Houston, Vice President Kimberly Freeman Eric Lawrence Frazier Rev. Cecil L. Murray Joseph C. Phillips Dr. Francille Rusan Wilson

Thursday, July 2, 2015, Screenings at 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates (PBS, 2013, 50 min.)

Episode #1: The Black Atlantic (1500 – 1800) The Black Atlantic explores the global experiences that created the African American people. Beginning a full century before the first documented slaves arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, the episode portrays the earliest Africans, both slave and free, who arrived on the North American shores. Soon afterwards, the TransAtlantic slave trade would become a vast empire connecting three continents. RSVP to 213.744.2024.

Sunday, August 9, 2015, Galleries open at 11am, Program begins at dusk | TARGET SUNDAYS AT CAAM CAAM Summer Cinema CAAM’s “Summer Cinema Special” will feature a free public screening of the Academy Award© nominated film Selma at dusk. This film is being shown in conjunction with the CAAM exhibitions The 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965: A Photographic Remembrance from the Spider Martin Civil Rights Collection and Shared Otherness—both now on view.

Dear Friends and Members,

CAAM State Board of Directors

Thursdays in July are Family Film Days at CAAM Bring the whole family to view educational and entertaining documentary films followed by facilitated discussions and lessons provided by CAAM’s Gallery Educators.

Thursday, July 30, 2015, 12pm and 3pm Freedom Summer, Mississippi. 1964 : American Experience (PBS 2014, 120 min) Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Stanley Nelson, Freedom Summer highlights an overlooked but essential element of the civil rights movement: the patient and long-term efforts by both outside activists and local citizens in Mississippi to organize communities, even in the face of intimidation, physical violence, and death. RSVP to 213.744.2024.

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 am–5 pm, Sun 11 am-5 pm. Admission is FREE Parking $10 at 39th & Figueroa Streets. Metro: Expo Line to Exposition Park stop adjacent to USC & the Rose Garden.

Summer Crafts and Creation in the CAAM Courtyard July & August, 1pm - 4pm During the months of July and August, come relax in the CAAM Courtyard and create an art project. Art-making activities are scheduled for every Wednesday (Passport Activity), Friday (draw and/or paint a still life), and Sunday (make an “Ancestral” fan, bring a copy of a picture of a cherished family member) from 1pm until 4pm. Appropriate for children ages seven and up.

All materials provided.

Museum Notes

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

programs

A message from george O. davis, interim executive director

July - September 2015

caam courtyard series: shared otherness May 28 – September 6, 2015

The California African American Museum (CAAM) and the USC Gayle Garner Roski School of Art and Design are pleased to present Shared Otherness, an exhibition featuring the work of USC Roski students. This is the second such collaboration between USC Roski and CAAM as part of the CAAM Courtyard Series. This mixed-media exhibition references the community to which both USC and CAAM belong. The works include a mix of conceptual and concrete ideas which address the immediate geographical context in which both organizations reside while also contributing their voices to larger national and international dialogues. Through Shared Otherness, USC students seek to meet the diversity and ever-present changes around them with an exhibition equally as dynamic and multi-faceted. The students are led by the collaborative efforts of Sherin Guirguis, Assistant Professor of Art at the USC Roski School of Art and Design; Vida L. Brown, Visual Arts Curator of CAAM; and Ed Garcia, Exhibition Supervisor of CAAM.

coloring independently

ryman arts

1940s African American Film Stills from the collection of the California african american museum

June 12 - July 18, 2015

August 27, 2015 – February 29, 2016

Ryman Arts is a student artwork exhibition which features the finest drawings and paintings created this year by high school aged students. Ryman Arts is one of the nation’s top youth arts program, which offers professional studio art instruction along with college and career guidance to artistic high school youth who are serious about developing a future career in art.

Almost all Ryman graduates go on to college, many alumni work in the creative industries, and all are poised for personal success. Students accepted into the program choose to attend weekend classes on the campus of California State University, Fullerton, or Otis College of Art & Design in Los Angeles. This vibrant community of culturally diverse teens represent over 150 neighborhoods across Southern California.

This exhibition features a selection of more than 80 film stills and related photographs from the museum’s unique collection surrounding African American films from the 1940s, a time of limited character roles and access to the mainstream movie industry. Typically referred to as “Race Films/Movies,” these independent productions were created with a Black cast and for an African American audience. Come explore the distinct images and stories we told more than 65 years ago as a part of the broader African American filmmaking tradition. Among the films selected are Beware (1946) showcasing music pioneer Louis Jordan, The Betrayal (1948) directed and written by Oscar Micheaux, and I Ain’t Gonna Open That Door (1949) starring Stepin Fetchit.

Louis Jordan with admirers, Beware, 1946 Collection of the California African American Museum

Special Evening Panel Discussion: Finding Beauty Through Struggle

A Photographic Remembrance from the Spider Martin Civil Rights Collection

Now on view

caam courtyard series:

August 17, 2015 - April 24, 2016 This exhibition explores “hard-edgedness” among more than 30 artists with close ties to Los Angeles who have used, and continue to use, geometry and different levels of abstraction in their work. These artists create in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, collage, photography, video and installation to address such issues as feminism, identity, colonialism, family relations, and social justice. They have explored the realm of abstraction with very different approaches, from perceptual to conceptual, from formal to boundary-crossing, yet they all share a clear sense of composition, unity of form, bold shapes and, often, intense or solid color choices. The exhibition draws widely from local sources, including CAAM’s Permanent Collection, private collectors, galleries, and the artists themselves. Some of the artists represented include David Hammons, Noah Purifoy, John T. Riddle, April Bey, Lavialle Campbell, Castillo, June Edmonds, Kathie Foley-Meyer, Kori Newkirk, Duane Paul, and Karl Pétion, among others.

Heat Wave: This Is For Real, Holly Tempo, 2012. Acrylic, spray paint and aluminum leaf on canvas. Courtesy of the artist Cover: The Sound of One Hand Clapping, 1988, Noah Purifoy. Mixed media assemblage CAAM Foundation Purchase, with funds provided by the City of Los Angeles, Cultural Affairs Department. Courtesy of the Noah Purifoy Foundation

Charles Dickson is a prolific artist who is widely known as a public artist with the ability to create studio works ranging from assemblage, functional art and sculptures using various materials such as wood, found objects, metal, and glass. During the creative process Dickson imagines the raw materials before him being transformed into images, elements and shapes that will represent and symbolize the essence of the concept he envisions. Through this rendering process a metaphor will emerge illustrating how he seeks to convey and represent his views about a particular subject. In this exhibition, Dickson creates five “metaphors” in the form of sculptures consisting of various mediums to transform the space, tell a story, and engage the viewer with his whimsical visual designs.

11th annual Children Are Learning, Heads Are Turning a grand success

CAAM congratulates its Program Manager of Education Elise Woodson and Event Manager, Babe Evans, for once again pulling out all the stops to make CAAM’s 11th annual Children Are Learning, Heads Are Turning—which celebrates National Children’s Book Week and childhood literacy—such a success! On Saturday, May 23, 2015 CAAM’s Courtyard was filled with more than 200 kids and adults who participated in arts-and-crafts workshops, a writing workshop, and face-painting. As a special ‘bonus’ young attendees were given free books to take home.

We look forward to presenting this free public program again next year.

The 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

September 24, 2015 - April 10, 2016

geometrical abstraction and beyond

“My feet is tired, but my soul is rested” (A woman asleep after the first day of marching), 1965. Spider Martin Civil Rights Collection

Untitled, Kate Medina, 2015

metaphors

Hard edged

On the evening of April 22nd 2015 CAAM, in collaboration with The Broad Stage at Santa Monica College, co-presented a special panel discussion which featured MacArthur ‘Genius’ Anna Deavere Smith, visual artist Mark Steven Greenfield, and art activists/educators, J. Cheryl Bookout and Joe Hernandez-Kolski. The discussion, entitled Finding Beauty Through Struggle, examined the resiliency of the human spirit and how adversity can give rise to creativity. The evening’s moderator was LA Times correspondent Sandy Banks. CAAM’s Interim Executive Director George O. Davis delivered opening remarks. Nearly 300 audience members filled CAAM’s Courtyard, and while waiting for the panel to begin they filtered through CAAM’s galleries which were kept open for the event to view our current exhibitions. We’d like to thank all the executive and programming staff at The Broad Stage and its Board of Directors for working with us to make this a memorable evening for all! Special thanks to CAAM’s staffers who helped immeasurably in the set-up of the facilities.

flash tag

March 26, 2015 - August 2, 2015I

Eric Cre8 Walker, 2015 Digital Image

FLASH TAG is a creative engagement project that invited “graffiti” artists, more specifically four crews comprised of well-known and highly respected street artists, to transform and populate the walls of an empty gallery. However, the artists were given the challenge of rendering their art concepts with brushes rather than aerosol paints. The featured artists are known for their past participation in programs and exhibitions at The Getty, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and various Los Angeles area schools. From March 26-29, 2015, visitors viewed the artists in action and watched the creative process unfold. In addition, CAAM and the artists used social media to market and advertise the project and their artworks.

After the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, segregation became illegal; but many tactics still existed to intimidate and suppress the Black vote throughout the South. By early 1965, Selma, Alabama became the next battleground in the struggle for equality. CAAM presents a mini photography exhibit recounting the three historic marches led by Dr. King, from Selma to Montgomery. These marches, beginning with “Bloody Sunday” on March 7, 1965, were instrumental in the final defeat of Jim Crow practices at the ballot box, making voter suppression illegal. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voters Right Act into law on August 6, 1965, with Dr. King looking on. The exhibition also includes the personal journey of Elise Woodson, CAAM’s Program Manager of Education who traveled throughout the South last April, when she visited historic places, met iconic figures of the modern Civil Rights Movement, and marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

These are always well-attended public events, and it is wonderful to see kids (and adults) making art, experiencing the live performances, and checking out the wares and excellent deals offered by our vendors… oh, and let’s not forget the food—always delicious. Our May and June free TARGET events were indeed special. Once more, we’d like to say Thank You to Target Corporation for their continued support of these monthly events.

In Memoriam…

The African American Journey West permanent collection

Now on view

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.

Metaphors, Charles Dickson, 2015. Digital Image.

Collection of the artist

TARGET SUNDAYS AT CAAM continue to be crowd pleasers

photo: Walter McBride www.broadwayworld.com

Jean Pongsai, 2015. Digital Image

caam in the community

Herald, 2oth century, Edo culture, Benin. Cast brass.

Gift of The Scott Campbell Family photo: CAAM

exhibitions

The California African American Museum, its staff, its State Board of Directors, and Friends, the Foundation of the California African American Museum, would like to extend our collective condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues on the recent passing of California Science Center board member Edna Anderson-Owens (August 5, 1938—June 13, 2015), and painter, printmaker, and art curator of Golden State Mutual Life Insurance, William Etienne Pajaud (August 3, 1925—June 16, 2015).

Our hearts are joined together in grief, but we also celebrate their lives, their contributions to the greater Los Angeles community, and their legacies which will remain though they are no longer with us.

Most of all, we are grateful to them for their meaningful support of CAAM throughout the years. They will be sorely missed.