Hamilton, NY — A conference of nationally renowned experts on the art of people of African descent in the Americas will highlight a series of events showcasing African American culture, to take place at Colgate University in late October. Other events include two art exhibitions, the screening of an early work in African American cinema and a lecture on the mid-Atlantic slave trade. All are free and open to the public.
The conference, ‘Laying Claim: (Re)Considering Artists of African Descent in the Americas,’ brings together scholars, students and museum directors to discuss aspects of art made by African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans. Topics will include the variety of media used by the artists – including painting, sculpture and photography as well as the historical, social and cultural contexts in which the artists worked. The conference will be held in Golden Auditorium, Little Hall, on the Colgate campus in Hamilton from Oct. 25-27.
Two art exhibitions will he held in conjunction with the ‘Laying Claim’ conference. ‘Life Impressions: 20th Century African American Prints from the Metropolitan Museum of Art ‘ will hang in the Picker Art Gallery at Colgate through Nov. 4. The exhibit presents the African American experience and African American contributions to 20th century art. The works, by artists such as John Thomas Biggers, Calvin Burnett, Elizabeth Catlett, Hughie Lee-Smith and John Woodrow Wilson, illustrate their feelings about lynching, slavery and racism. They also portray work, family life, interracial relationships and escapes from the Depression through music and dance.
The ‘Six Contemporary Artists’ exhibit will be on display in the Clifford Gallery, in Colgate’s Little Hall, through Nov. 16. This exhibition presents the work of six women artists, many of African descent, to examine the diversity of work being done by women in the world of contemporary art. It will include a floor installation by Polly Apfelbaum, photography and sculpture by Daphne Fitzpatrick, sculpture by Nancy Shaver, drawing and painting by Amy Sillman, photo and text by Lorna Simpson and work on paper by Kara Walker.
‘Go Down Death,’ directed by and starring Spencer Williams, is among the handful of independent films made by black directors for black audiences that have been preserved. The film, made in 1941, is an important example of the genre, which typically reflects Christian themes, feature jazz and blues music and examine the urban vs. rural conflicts faced by blacks. Spencer Williams later played ‘Andy’ on the television series ‘Amos and Andy.’ ‘Go Down Death’ will be shown in Golden Auditorium in Little Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 7:00 p.m.
Jerome Handler, Senior Fellow, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy, will speak on ‘Survivors of the Middle Passage: Autobiographical Accounts by Enslaved Africans in British America,’ Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 4:00 p.m. The lecture will take place in the Persson Auditorium of Persson Hall. Handler will illustrate his talk with a slide presentation showing portraits of some enslaved Africans, as well as contemporary images of different aspects of the slave trade, such as life aboard slave ships.
For more information about the ‘Laying Claim’ conference, including a schedule and program, visit http://merz.colgate.edu/layingclaimconference or call 315-228-7590.
The Picker Art Gallery, venue of the ‘Life Impressions’ exhibition, is open from 10-5 daily while Colgate is in session. Call 315-2287634 or visit http://picker.colgate.edu.
The Clifford Gallery is open Monday-Friday 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 1:00-5:00 p.m. For more information, visit http://merz.colgate.edu/html/Gallery.html or call 315-228-7417.
‘Survivors of the Middle Passage’ is sponsored by Colgate’s Sociology and Africana & Latin American Studies departments. It is part of the ALANA Cultural Center’s ‘Freedom Fighters’ program.
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