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.
Author Archives: 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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
Ernie Barnes’s Iconic Chronicle of His Southern Roots and Sports
Best known for his painting “The Sugar Shack,” Barnes focused on what he knew, capturing the seminal moments of his life growing up in North Carolina and as a football player.
How Photography and Jazz Merged to Forge the “Black Is Beautiful” Movement
Kwame Brathwaite’s photographs fused the two mediums to push the boundaries of beauty, transforming how we define Blackness.
The Studio Museum Conceives Its Future in a Traveling Exhibition
Black Refractions: Highlights from the Studio Museum in Harlem first brings highlights from the iconic New York institution’s collection to the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco.
Barry Jenkins and Kahlil Joseph Reimagine Roy DeCarava’s Admiring Vision of Harlem
Director Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk and video artist Kahlil Joseph’s “Fly Paper” transmute the aesthetics and storytelling of photographer Roy DeCarava’s 1950s portraits of Harlem.