SPOTLIGHT
THE NEW CLASSIC CAAM —
WORDS SHANA NYS DAMBROT PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CALIFORNIA AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM (CAAM)
With the 40th anniversary of its state charter this year, the California African American Museum (CAAM) is in the midst of an institutional reinvigoration, deepening its mission “to research, collect, preserve and interpret for public enrichment the history, art and culture of African Americans with an emphasis on California and the western United States,” with more verve, vitality, ambition and contagious enthusiasm than ever. In addition to critical and popular acclaim for recent landmark exhibitions such as the surveys for Mark Steven Greenfield and Overton Loyd and the Hard-Edged Abstraction survey curated by Mar Hollingsworth, there’s huge buzz surrounding last year’s appointment of Naima Keith as deputy director for exhibitions, a big part of the administration under new Director George O. Davis. 8