In creating Blackalachia and living in North Carolina, Sumney encourages creatives who find themselves struggling to define their art on their own terms.
Colony Little
Colony Little is a Los Angeles–based writer and founder of Culture Shock Art. As a Bay Area native and long-term Southern California resident, she covers emerging contemporary art in California with a focus on Black artists. She is a 2016–2017 recipient of the Art Writing Workshop with the Arts Writers Grant Program and the International Art Critics Association. She is also a contributing writer for Arts.Black and Daily Serving. (@cultureshockart)
Posted inArt
For Inspiration, Betye Saar Turns to Her Doll Collection
Saar’s irreverent paintings of dolls from her collection celebrate the catharsis she found in play.
Posted inArt
Deborah Roberts’s Intricate and Thoughtful Depictions of Black Childhood
“There’s a lot here to unpack if you’re willing to do the work,” says Roberts.
Posted inFilm
Filmmakers Team Up With SF Public Defenders to Broadcast Stories of Injustice
Defender, which launched online this week, tells the stories that get buried in the news.
Posted inArt
Emma Amos and the Profound Role of Memory in Her Paintings
For Amos, who died in May due to complications related to Alzheimer’s, photographic preservation was integral to her paintings, suggesting its important function as a mnemonic device.
Posted inArt
Kennedi Carter’s Opulent Portraits of Black Southerners
In Flexing: New Realm, Carter combines visual references to European royalty and nobility with contemporary Black aesthetics.
Posted inArt
How a Vital Art Education Program for People With Alzheimer’s Successfully Moved Online
The Nasher’s Reflections programming has pivoted online so participants can continue to have rich conversations about art. The museum created an updated template of virtual engagement to share with other institutions.
Posted inArt
The Central American Diaspora and Stories of Coming of Age
Artists reflect on migration, memory, and the cultural bonds that unite the first- and second-generation children of Central American immigrants who have fled civil wars, violence, and natural disasters.
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The Vibrant Artistry and Camaraderie of Lowrider Culture
¡Viva Viclas! at CAM Raleigh is a lively and vibrant introduction to lowrider culture that provides a vitally important space for broader conversations about art and inclusion.
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Betye Saar’s Never-Before-Seen Sketchbooks Offer Deep Insights
The sketchbooks reveal how Saar’s practice has evolved over time, and how time itself is a major thread in her work.
Posted inArt
David Hammons Returns to LA With Wicked Tricks and Subtle Jabs
Imagining his first impression of the city he once called home, I suspect Hammons would have said: “You’ve let yourself go.” Conversely, he could have easily said, “I see you haven’t changed.”
Posted inArt
Architect Philip Freelon’s Legacy of Community Engagement and Inclusion
The architect, whose design influence is found among major museums specifically dedicated to Black culture in the United States, passed away at the age of 66.