INSIDE THIS EDITION:
- FROM THEN TO NOW: HOW ARTISTS SHARE THEMES OF SLAVERY, RACISM, DIVERSITY, EQUALITY AND INCLUSION
- RPM Voices of RI presents LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING 20th Anniversary Concert – Sun, July 23 @ 4 PM
SPECIAL EDITION: CULTURAL EVENTS
From Then to Now: how artists share themes of slavery, racism, diversity, equality and inclusion
On June 6, 2023, Liz Crawford and Kajette Solomon led LLC members on an exploration of two pieces of art at the RISD Museum.
The Cultural Events Committee offered this museum visit designed to complement the themes of many LLC classes, webinars and events offered to members in the last two years. Information related to Black history, local history, diversity, inclusion and equity in every aspect of our lives have been emphasized. The RISD program invited LLC members to work with two museum educators to help us learn more about what the Museum is doing to address diversity and inclusion issues with curators and artists in a formal museum setting.
Liz Crawford (left) has been at RISD for 10 years. She has taught at Brown University, RISD, San Francisco Institute, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She has also worked with medical students at Brown.
Kajette Solomon (right) has a BA in Art History from Arcadia University and an MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History Theory and Criticism from State University of New York at Purchase College.
In one gallery Liz invited participants to look at the photograph, Queen Mary (the Queen) 2017 up close and from a distance. Then she asked everyone to write down questions they might have for the artist. These questions were to be used later in the presentation.
To incorporate visual thinking strategies, Liz asked the audience to address “What’s going on in the picture?”, “What do you see that makes you say that?” and “What more can you find?” After offering some historical context about the work, Liz revisited the questions the group had written. She also asked, “What is it that we will never know about the artist’s intention?” and she suggested participants share with one another whether or not the artist’s intentions matter.
In the Art and Design from 1900 to Now gallery, the group viewed a sculpture by RISD grad Rose B. Simpson, and they were asked to spend two minutes listing one-word observations that might suggest what the figure is presenting non-verbally. They then shared their responses with one another in a “turn-and-talk” format. The group’s discussion covered how they felt about the activity and what is difficult to translate in non-verbal communication. After sharing the historical context of the piece, Kajette asked if their perceptions of the piece had changed since they first saw it.
Thank you to Bob Kemp and Cathy Hurst for the wonderful photographs.
Congratulations to our intrepid leaders, Barbara Barnes and Celene Healy, Cultural Events Committee Co-Chairs.
