Photo: The Met
Join visual artists and scholars as they reflect on the lasting impact of African-American artist Robert Colescott’s groundbreaking work and the power that artists have in reinterpreting dominant historical narratives, specifically those that have excluded Black bodies and identities.
This conversation is presented on the occasion of a special installation displaying Colescott’s iconic painting—George Washington Carver Crossing the Delaware: Page from an American History Textbook (1975)—on loan from the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art to The Met through spring 2023. The installation—Crossings—explores ongoing resonances between past and present artistic expressions through modern and contemporary responses to Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware (1851). An unavoidable highlight of The Met’s American Wing, Letuze’s painting continues to spark debates about political ideas and responses from contemporary artists including Kara Walker, Jacob Lawrence, and Kent Monkman.
This program is presented in collaboration with the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, slated to open in Los Angeles in 2025.
Featuring:
Sandra Jackson-Dumont, Director and CEO, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Los Angeles
Sylvia Yount, Lawrence A. Fleischman Curator in
Charge of the American Wing, The Met
Rashid Johnson, artist
Lowery Stokes Sims, curator and art historian
Moderated by Akili Tommasino, Associate Curator, Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, The Met
When:
Thursday, February 23, 6 – 7 pm
Where:
Please use the Museum’s main entrance at 82nd Street and Fifth Avenue.
The event will take place at The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at The Met Fifth Avenue.
RSVP:
Click here to RSVP: https://engage.metmuseum.org/events/education/met-speaks/free-talks/fy23/american-crossings-the-complex-legacy-of-robert-colescott/?promocode=&utm_campaign=2023_0209_Crossings&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Press
Black History Month at The Met:
The Met celebrates the rich culture and history of African Americans through art, digital content, and more. Further information on The Met’s Black History Month events and highlights can be found here: https://www.metmuseum.org/cultural-heritage-months-and-holidays/black-history-month?promocode=&utm_campaign=2023_0209_Crossings&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Press
Events include:
Date Night (every Friday and Saturday 5 – 9 pm; varying live music and gallery chats)
Discussion and Digital Premiere: Matthew Evan Taylor’s Life Returns (Feb. 14, 6 – 8 pm)
Teen Fridays, Ages 1518 (Feb. 17, 4:30 – 6:30 pm)
Art Trek—Black is Beautiful (Feb. 18, 11 am – 12 pm and 2 – 3 pm)
For more information, please contact [email protected]
