Artist Howardena Pindell Returns to Spelman College Aug. 25 for Solo Exhibition
ATLANTA (August 6, 2015) – In November 1971, Spelman College hosted the first public exhibition of the paintings and drawings of Howardena Pindell. Since then, Pindell has become a pioneering artist, writer, curator and teacher. Some 44 years later, the artist returns with Howardena Pindell, a solo exhibition of her intricately layered mixed-media paintings and works on paper, on view at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art from Aug. 25 to Dec. 5, 2015.
Autobiography has been a compelling and guiding theme throughout Pindell’s extensive career. Howardena Pindell, an original exhibition curated by Andrea Barnwell Brownlee, Ph.D., director of the Museum, and Anne Collins Smith, curator of collections for the Museum, will spotlight Pindell’s dynamic works from 1974–1986 and explore how she blends her abstract formal sensibilities, personal memory and activism through the lens of life history.
“Howardena Pindell’s work, which mirrors her life and experiences, is astute, attuned and richly textured,” explained Smith. “This special exhibition honors the Museum’s mission and commitment to presenting work that is informed, innovative and relevant.”
The exhibition, featuring early works on paper, monumental paintings, her seminal video Free, White and 21 (1980), and important works from the Autobiography series, represents the breadth of Pindell’s portfolio.
Pindell is known for her oblong and unstretched canvases that are often torn apart and stitched back together. Her detailed experimentation with hole-punched circles, hand-written numeration and personal postcards create atmospheric work that considers the relationship between chaos and logic, time and repetition, and force and movement. As a result, the painstaking compositions of her paintings reimagine the medium and its process. This exhibition celebrates a creative risk-taker, a seasoned traveler and an advocate for equality.
An influential figure in the art world for over 40 years, Pindell has remained committed to expanding opportunities for women artists of color. She has been fiercely devoted to life and career, art, activism and advocacy. In the foreword to The Heart of the Question: The Writings and Paintings of Howardena Pindell, she explained, “I sustain myself through sheer tenacity, as the art world does not want artists of color to be full participants. I work because it’s my life’s work. I have no other choice.”
Pindell was associate curator of prints and illustrated books at the Museum of Modern Art and the co-founder of A.I.R. Gallery in Brooklyn. In The Heart of the Question: The Writings and Paintings of Howardena Pindell (1997), a collection of her seminal essays, she applies cultural studies to the art world and also details her keen assessments of aesthetics, gender and race in art institutions around the world, and many social concerns.
A professor in the art department at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, Pindell continues to teach graduate and undergraduate drawing, painting and seminar courses. She is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship and a Painters and Sculptors Grant from the Joan Mitchell Foundation. She holds two honorary doctorates, one from the Massachusetts College of Art and another from Parsons School of Design. She is represented by Garth Greenan Gallery.
On Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, at 6:30 p.m., the Museum will host An Evening with Howardena Pindell and Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell. Dr. Campbell, president of Spelman College, has made an indelible imprint on the cultural life of New York City and beyond as an innovative leader in education and the arts. The event will be a landmark conversation between two pioneering creative public intellectuals on visual art and the art world, autobiography and the creative process.
Howardena Pindell is made possible by the Wish Foundation and the LUBO Fund. Additional support is provided by the Fulton County Commissioners under the guidance of Fulton County Arts & Culture.
SIGNATURE EXHIBITION PROGRAMS
The Art of Journaling: Using Your Journal as a Canvas for Self Expression through the Appreciation of Art
Sunday, September 13, 2015
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Journals are written reflections that offer perspective on your experiences and observations. This art form is deeply personal and can be used as a tool to for personal growth. Led by Jonetta Moyo and Althea Lawton-Thompson, The Art of Journaling retreat will use creative visualization, expressive art activities, writing, gentle movement, and the brilliant works of Howardena Pindell to guide participants through a journey of self expression.
The Art of Journaling is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Please call 404-270-5607 or email museum@spelman.edu to reserve a space.
Yoga in the Museum
Mondays, September 14 - November 30, 2015
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Enjoy a yoga class surrounded by works of art and engage in a practice that focuses on balance, focus and strength.
Yoga in the Museum is free and open to beginner and experienced yogis. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Yoga in the Museum is organized in partnership with the Spelman College Wellness Center.
An Evening with Howardena Pindell and Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell
Thursday, September 24, 2015
6:30 p.m.
Join us for a landmark conversation between two pioneering creative public intellectuals on visual art and the art world, autobiography and the creative process. Howardena Pindell is a world-renowned artist, writer, curator, and professor with a career that has spanned more than 40 years. Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, president of Spelman College, has made an indelible imprint on the cultural life of New York City and beyond as an innovative leader in education and the arts.
An Evening with Howardena Pindell and Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell is organized in collaboration with the Spelman College Department of Art & Art History and the National Black Arts Festival.
Community Day
Saturday, September 26, 2015
1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
A fun-filled exploration of Howardena Pindell for participants of all ages that includes make-and-take workshops, interactive tours, giveaways from local cultural institutions and more.
On Being Black: A Conversation
Saturday, October 17, 2015
11 a.m.
Kirsten Pai Buick, PhD, associate professor of art history at The University of New Mexico, will moderate a conversation with select artists featured in the exhibition, On Being Black. Organized by the Arnika Dawkins Gallery, On Being Black explores issues of race, colorism and racial identity.
On Being Black: A Conversation is organized in partnership with Atlanta Celebrates Photography.
Welcome Home Reception
Friday, October 23, 2015
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Join alumnae from Spelman College and Morehouse College for a special welcome home reception including interactive tours of the featured exhibition Howardena Pindell, music and more.
The welcome home reception is organized in partnership with the Spelman College Office of Alumnae Affairs.
BLACK BOX
BLACK BOX is a site for play, dialogue, and creative risk taking that encourages artists of all disciplines to engage with others connected to their subject matter.
Each program affords the opportunity for a cultural producer to share in-progress works on the art and culture of the African Diaspora in front of a live audience for feedback, engagement and encouragement. It also provides a space for arts enthusiasts to view compelling work from some of the most exciting and thought-provoking artists working today.
Andrea O’Neal
Thursday, November 19, 2015
6:30 p.m.
White Collar Black Body
On July 2, 1964, the hard-fought battles of the Civil Rights Movement garnered legislation to desegregate America's workplaces. White Collar Black Body seeks to examine the myriad ways in which Black workers are shaping - and being shaped by - the politics of Corporate America. This multi-media project aims to bring voice to the complex web of sociological, psychological, and economic dynamics experienced by Black professionals. Deploying mediums such as creative writing, visual and performance art and audio narrative, White Collar Black Body provides a space to unpack and affirm layers of Black identity and ultimately dissect the heart of what it means to be Black at work in 21st century America.
To learn more about the exhibition and additional programs, visit museum.spelman.edu or call 404-270-5607. All events are free and open to the public.
TO SCHEDULE A GROUP TOUR
To schedule a group tour of Howardena Pindell, please contact the Museum at museum@spelman.edu or 404-270-5607.
INTERACT WITH THE MUSEUM
To interact with the Museum and its community, share perspective on the College’s art collection, and receive the latest Museum news and exclusives, follow the Museum on facebook.com/spelmanmuseum and twitter.com/spelmanmuseum. Museum visitors are encouraged to check in on foursquare.
ADDRESS
The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art is located in the Atlanta University Center on the Spelman College campus on the first floor of the Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D. Academic Center at 350 Spelman Lane, S.W., Atlanta, Ga. 30314.
For visitors using GPS navigation systems, the following address leads to the front entrance of Spelman College: 440 Westview Drive, S.W., Atlanta, Ga. 30310.
HOURS
The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Museum is closed Sundays, Mondays, major holidays and official College breaks.
About Spelman College Museum of Fine Art
In “Six Reasons to Love Atlanta,” CNN.com praised the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art for its “fantastically curated exhibitions” that focus on art by and about women of the African Diaspora. Since the Museum opened in 1996, it has established an impressive track record for organizing first-rate, mission-specific, art exhibitions that expand art offerings in Atlanta and the southeast region. It has garnered a reputation for organizing exhibitions that merit national and international attention. Milestones include being selected as the first institution from the United States that jointly (along with the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston) represented the United States at the 2012 Havana Biennial in Havana, Cuba. The Museum is poised to continue its trajectory of pursuing ambitious relevant projects that have a lasting impact.
Audrey Arthur
Spelman College Office of Communications
(404) 270-5892 office
aarthur3@spelman.edu
About Spelman College
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a highly selective, liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in the education of women of African descent. Located in Atlanta, Ga., the College’s picturesque campus is home to 2,100 students. Outstanding alumnae include Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman, Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer, Former Acting Surgeon General and Spelman’s first alumna President Audrey Forbes Manley, Harvard University professor Evelynn Hammonds, author Pearl Cleage and actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson. For more information, visit www.spelman.edu.
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