Left: Kellie Jones (photo courtesy John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation), right: Kimberly Drew (photo by Lyndsy Welgos)
We may not often think of art historians as doing trailblazing work, but Kellie Jones proves that they can — just ask the MacArthur Foundation, which awarded her a fellowship (aka a “genius grant”) in 2016. Curator of such crucial exhibitions as Energy/Experimentation: Black Artists and Abstraction, 1964–1980 (2006) and Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles, 1960–1980 (2011), Jones is known for bringing countless artists of the African diaspora into the predominantly white art historical canon. Last fall, she told the Hyperallergic podcast about the roots of her work in her art education growing up: “I asked myself, ‘why are all the people of color very ancient?’ They’re Egyptians, they’re Aztecs, but after that you don’t see people, and I thought this was wrong.” On Tuesday night, Jones will join Kimberly Drew, founder of the blog Black Contemporary Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s social media manager, for a conversation at the Brooklyn Historical Society, where she’ll discuss her art historical career and her activism.
When: Tuesday, February 7, 7–9pm ($10)
Where: Brooklyn Historical Society (128 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn)
More info here.
