Enjoy an interactive and informative tour of Fore with a knowledgeable museum educator. Fore is the highly anticipated fourth installment of the Studio Museum’s “F” series, which includes Freestyle (2001), Frequency (2005–06) and Flow (2008). Like its popular and critically acclaimed predecessors, Fore is a non-thematic group presentation reflecting a multitude of ideas, approaches and processes.

Celebrate the New Year with the Studio Museum and create your own flip book. Inspired by all of our performance artists in Fore, we will look at the stages of movement and create our own personal flipbook.

See the schedule for Target Free Sundays at the Studio Museum in Harlem for January 2013.

“Caribbean: Crossroads of the World” is a three-museum exhibition displaying the island region’s art and history.

The New York Times calls the event “the big art event of the summer”. It includes more than 500 works that explore Caribbean culture and politics via concurrent displays spanning the Studio Museum in Harlem, the El Museo del Barrio and the Queens Museum of Art.

Artists include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Renee Cox and Hank Willis Thomas to Isaac Mendes Belisario and Camille Pissarro.

Visitors can purchase a single “Passport to the Caribbean” at any of the three museums which will provide access to all venues.

The shows are running now at El Museo del Barrio and the Queens Museum of Art until Jan. 6, 2013, and at the Studio Museum in Harlem until Oct. 21, 2012.

Tickets to Uptown Fridays:
Studio Museum Members and Harlem Residents: $15.00 
Non-Members: $20.00

Tickets available for purchase at the door.

The Studio Museum in Harlem
144 West 125th Street
New York, NY 10027

Press Release:

NEW YORK, NY— The Studio Museum in Harlem is thrilled to announce its Summer 2012 season, a compelling mix of local and global perspectives on view from June 14 to October 21. Primary Sources: 2011-12 Artists in Residence: Njideka Akunyili, Meleko Mokgosi, Xaviera Simmons features new work by the latest participants in the Studio Museum’s renowned Artist-in-Residence program, while Illuminations: Expanding the Walls 2012 offers a glimpse at the exceptional work by teen participants in the Museum’s eight-month photography intensive. Visitors can also begin or continue their journey through the multi-venue exhibition Caribbean: Crossroads of the World, organized by El Museo del Barrio in conjunction with the Queens Museum of Art and The Studio Museum in Harlem. The Studio Museum’s galleries host two of six sections of Caribbean: Crossroads, offering an exciting opportunity to explore four centuries of the region’s diverse and impactful cultural history. Finally, Harlem Postcards Summer 2012 offers a new installment of the beloved series, with fresh takes on the iconic neighborhood by Yasmine Braithwaite, Zoe Crosher, Moyra Davey and Lauren Halsey.

Primary Sources
2011-12 Artists in Residence: Njideka Akunyili, Meleko Mokgosi and Xaviera Simmons

Primary Sources presents the work of Njideka Akunyili, Meleko Mokgosi and Xaviera Simmons, the 2011–12 artists in residence at The Studio Museum in Harlem. All three artists use appropriated source material and imagery, mediating and reinterpreting their initial contexts through painting and photography.

A primary source is original documentation of a specific historical moment, often used to inform later interpretations or analyses of that time period. For Akunyili, Mokgosi and Simmons, such material provides the starting point for artistic practices that are deeply invested in histories—recent and distant, personal and global—to make artworks situated in the immediate present.

In her vibrant, textured paintings, Njideka Akunyili (b. 1983) employs collage and acetone-transferred images to reflect the cultural overlap that occurs in her everyday life. Through this meticulous process, Akunyili creates scenes of domesticity and intimacy, incorporating photographs of herself, her American husband and both their families with found images from popular Nigerian fashion and lifestyle magazines. This deeply personal work speaks to larger issues of culturally fluidity and what it means to stay connected to one place while living in another.

Meleko Mokgosi (b. 1981) questions and rethinks established histories, including those of painting and the post-colonial landscape of southern Africa—particularly in his native Botswana. In this context, Mokgosi also utilizes the visual tools of cinema, including wide angle camera work, large-scale imagery and working within serial “chapters” or panels. He paints scenes with images sourced from wedding blogs, newspapers from Botswana, magazines, and photographs taken by the artist himself. Several paintings intentionally leave negative space interspersed with detailed figurative images. Through this process, Mokgosi alters traditional historical narratives and allows the viewer to question what has been added and what has been deliberately left out of the accounts he portrays, calling attention to the manufactured aspects of historical memory.

The work of Xaviera Simmons (b. 1974) includes photography, performance, installation, audio and video. An avid traveler, Simmons gathers and collects materials and imagery that directly inspire her art-making. She draws on multiple media to construct, deconstruct and reconstruct narratives of migration, using a wide variety of resources—from magazines and objects discovered at thrift stores across the country, to items found on the streets of Harlem. These materials echo the specific contexts from which they were sourced, layering national and global perspectives with the local, site-specific nature of being an artist in residence at the Studio Museum.

The Artist-in-Residence Program represents one of the founding initiatives of the Museum from its inception in 1968. Past participants in the program include Terry Adkins, Chakaia Booker, Renée Green, David Hammons, Kerry James Marshall, Julie Mehretu, Wangechi Mutu, Nadine Robinson, Alison Saar and Kehinde Wiley. Primary Sources, organized by Assistant Curator Lauren Haynes, maintains the Museum’s commitment to highlighting new artistic talent and voices, and continues the Museum’s core mission and vital tradition.

The Artist-in-Residence program is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency; Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation; Jerome Foundation; Robert Lehman Foundation; and New York Community Trust.

Caribbean: Crossroads of the World

The exhibition Caribbean: Crossroads of the World is the culmination of nearly a decade of collaborative research and scholarship organized by El Museo del Barrio in conjunction with the Queens Museum of Art and The Studio Museum in Harlem. Presenting work at the three museums and accompanied by an ambitious range of programs and events, Caribbean: Crossroads offers an unprecedented opportunity to explore the diverse and impactful cultural history of the Caribbean basin and its diaspora. More than 500 works of art spanning four centuries illuminate changing aesthetics and ideologies and provoke meaningful conversations about topics ranging from commerce and cultural hybridity to politics and pop culture.

Shades of History explores the significance of race and its relevance to the history and visual culture of the Caribbean, beginning with the pivotal moment of the Haitian Revolution in 1791. Race is analyzed as a trigger for discussions on human rights, social status, national identity, and beauty.

Land of the Outlaw addresses the dual images of the Caribbean as a utopian place of pleasure and a land of devi2 ance and illicit activity, and how they intertwine in myths and stereotypes (from pirates and zombies to dictators and drug smugglers) that are now part of global popular culture.

Caribbean: Crossroads of the World: Metlife Foundation Presenting Sponsor. Major support provided by The Reed Foundation and Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts; Bacardi USA; Institut Français; Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York; Mondriaan Fonds; Christie’s, Inc.; and The Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation.

Illuminations: Expanding the Walls 2012

Illuminations is this year’s installment of the Museum’s annual exhibition featuring the work of high school participants in the Expanding the Walls: Making Connections to Photography, History and Community program. Student photographs will be displayed along with work by quintessential Harlem photographer James VanDerZee, whose work they have studied and used as inspiration. The 2012 Expanding the Walls artists celebrate and critique contemporary culture and explore various definitions of self at a key moment in each of their lives. The group investigates the formal and conceptual possibilities of photography, drawing on a wide range of technical effects, investigating qualities of light and color, and using theatrical lighting and staging to manipulate the scenes they depict.

The works in the exhibition reflect the specific concerns and interests of each artist, including teen culture and social life, neighborhood and high school communities, the bonds of family, and the natural and urban environments that compose the landscape of New York. Many of the artists also emphasize themes of individuality and vulnerability as they transition into adulthood, making pictures that reveal honest interpretations of their everyday lives.

Expanding the Walls is made possible with support from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency; Colgate-Palmolive; Dedalus Foundation, Inc.; The Keith Haring Foundation, Inc.; Joy of Giving Something, Inc.; The David Rockefeller Fund; and Surdna Foundation.

Harlem Postcards Summer 2012

Represented, revered, and recognized by people around the world, Harlem is a continually expanding nexus of black culture, history and iconography. Venerable landmarks, such as the Abyssinian Baptist Church, the Apollo Theater, Hotel Theresa, Audubon Ballroom and 125th Street, remain popular emblems of important historic moments
and moods. The Studio Museum ongoing series, Harlem Postcards, invites contemporary artists of diverse backgrounds to reflect on Harlem as a site for artistic contemplation and production. Installed in the Museum lobby and available to visitors free of charge, Harlem Postcards present intimate views and fresh perspectives on this famous neighborhood. This season we feature images by Yasmine Braithwaite, Zoe Crosher, Moyra Davey and Lauren Halsey.

Upcoming Exhibitions
July–October 2012:
The Bearden Project offers a new iteration of an initiative in which artists were asked to create a work of art inspired
by Romare Bearden’s life and legacy on the occasion of the centennial of his birth. New works by contemporary artists join those displayed during Fall/Winter 2011–12 and Spring 2012 seasons.

November 8, 2012–March 10, 2013:An important facet of the Studio Museum’s mission is to include the work of emerging artists of African descent. The Museum’s signature “F” series of group exhibitions features a diverse group of up-and-coming artists in a non-thematic presentation. Opening in November 2012, the Studio Museum will present its newest show of the “F” series: Fore. This series, which includes Freestyle (2001), Frequency (2005-06) and Flow (2008), acts as an exceptional foundation for emerging artists of African descent, solidifying roots of burgeoning careers and serving as an avenue for critical dialogue and public acclaim.

November 30, 2012 will mark the 100th birthday of iconic artist and photojournalist Gordon Parks. This fall, the Studio Museum is honored to celebrate Parks’ photographic legacy with a comprehensive and moving exhibition, Gordon Parks: A Harlem Family 1967.

Related articles

• El Barrio Walking Tour this Saturday June 16th(harlemtrends.com)

  ---

• Sing Harlem Sing! Musical at the Dempsey Theater(harlemtrends.com)

  ---

TEDxHarlem is a creative conference that seeks to understand, celebrate and empower the informal methods of social innovation that grow up organically in the local Harlem community and beyond. Inspired by the concept of Living Labs, TEDxHarlem views cities as an untapped resource in the creation of new system solutions to wicked problems.

TEDxHarlem will connect some of the world’s most eclectic and innovative ideas with the Harlem community. The celebration is dedicated to those who have the courage to passionately breathe life into their ideas as well as those who are willing to listen and become part of a movement.

TEDx events are independently organized events, created in the spirit of TED’s mission, “ideas worth spreading.” The program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level.

At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx.  The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations).  Events include a screening of TEDTalks videos — or a combination of live presenters and TEDTalks videos — sparks deep conversation and connections.

TED began in 1984 as a gathering place for innovators and leaders in the fields of Technology, Entertainment and Design. 26 years later, TED has become a nexus for a global community of individuals who believe in the power of Ideas Worth Spreading.  TED.com currently has a library of over 600 amazing talks of such high quality that the site has become the platinum standard for innovation in digital storytelling.

If you are not familiar with TEDxHarlem, TEDx or TED, below are two short pieces worthy of your attention.

Piece 1 – TEDx

Barbara Askins is the President and CEO of the 125th Street Business Improvement District in New York City. She talks about the business of food and how it is changing the landscape in Harlem.

Piece 2 – TED

Thelma Golden, curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem, talks through three recent shows that explore how art examines and redefines culture. The “post-black” artists she works with are using their art to provoke a new dialogue about race and culture — and about the meaning of art itself.

TEDxHarlem is a creation of Living Labs Foundation, Inc. The Living Labs Foundation, Inc. views cities as an untapped resource in the creation of new solutions and innovation.  As such, we view Living Labs Foundation, Inc. as an innovation company for and in the public interest. A 501(c)3 social action enterprise, Living Labs Foundation, Inc. provides social innovation platforms for community growth.

For more information: TEDxHarlem.

Images: Lyle Ashton Harris/CRG Gallery

Lyle Ashton Harris: Self/Portrait assembles large-format Polaroid photographs of the artist’s friends, family and community; artists, art collectors and patrons; and the artist himself.   Shot over ten-years starting in 1998 includes faces of over 200 people.  They were shot in a studio outfitted for the large-format Polaroid camera in SoHo, Manhattan.  These amazing images are now on view at the Studio Museum in Harlem.

Lyle Ashton Harris was born in the Bronx and currently lives and works between New York and Accra, Ghana. He received a BA with Honors from Wesleyan University in Connecticut (1988) and an MA from the California Institute of the Arts (1990).   His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is regularly featured in periodicals and publications. It is also represented in the Studio Museum’s permanent collection, and was included in the Museum’s African Queen (2005) and Collected. Propositions on the Permanent Collection (2009) exhibitions, as well asPerforming MJ, a public performance in 2006.

Learn more

Lyle Ashton HarrisSelf/Portrait

Jul 14, 2011 - Oct 23, 2011

The Studio Museum In Harlem

This spring, the Whitney Museum of American Art presents More Than That: Films by Kevin Jerome Everson, on view through September 18, 2011.

Some of Everson’s films are constructed from appropriated news and film footage, uncovering forgotten details of African-American life in the 1960s and ’70s.

Everson observes and explores race, sexuality, and economic circumstances with a “poetic unflinching eye”.

Kevin Jerome Everson works in film, painting, sculpture, and photography. His films depict details in the lives of people living and working in similar American communities.  

Kevin Jerome Everson (b. 1965) received his MFA from Ohio University and a BFA from the University of Akron. He is currently an Associate Professor of Art at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. Everson has received fellowships from the Guggenheim, NEA, NEH, Ohio Arts Council, and the Virginia Museum, an American Academy Rome Prize, grants from Creative Capital and the Mid-Atlantic, residencies at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Yaddo, and MacDowell Colony, and numerous university fellowships.

Everson has made five features and over seventy short-form films. His photographs, paintings, sculptures, and films have been exhibited internationally at museums and art institutions including the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York   His films have also screened at various international festivals, including Sundance.

Learn more.

“Harlem Postcards, an ongoing project, invites contemporary artists of diverse backgrounds to reflect on Harlem as a site of cultural activity, political vitality, visual stimuli, artistic contemplation and creative production. Representing intimate and dynamic perspectives of Harlem, the images reflect each artist’s oeuvre with an idiosyncratic snapshot taken in, or representing, this historic locale. Each photograph has been reproduced as a limited-edition postcard available free to visitors.”

I’m definitely feelin’ the Harlem postcard below titled “Hands With a Heart” by Genesis Valencia.  Head on over to the Studio Museum in Harlem at 144 West 125th Street and have a look at the whole collection.