black art

David Drake: Greenville County Museum of Art

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David Drake was an enslaved potter in the 19th century whose incredible craftsmanship and literacy while enslaved rose him to fame upon discovery of his pots in the twenty-first century. Born in the Americas, Dave worked as a turner in pottery manufacturing facilities in South Carolina’s Edgefield District. Although dangerous for slaves to learn to read and write, Dave was literate and expressed his literacy inside his pots. His most famous inscription notes, “I wonder where is all my relation/friendship to all-and, every nation”. Dave’s pots can be found in the collections of many institutions.

On my trip to Greenville, SC I had the honor of viewing his pots at the Greenville County Museum of Art. Below find my shots of the installation that is a part of their permanent collection.

David Drake exhibition with the illustrations of Brian Collier at Greenville County Museum of Art. Photo by Erin K. Hylton 2016.
David Drake exhibition with the illustrations of Brian Collier at Greenville County Museum of Art. Photo by Erin K. Hylton 2016.
David Drake exhibition with the illustrations of Brian Collier at Greenville County Museum of Art. Photo by Erin K. Hylton 2016.
David Drake pottery at at Greenville County Museum of Art. Photo by Erin K. Hylton 2016.
David Drake pottery at Greenville County Museum of Art. Photo by Erin K. Hylton 2016.
David Drake pottery at Greenville County Museum of Art. Photo by Erin K. Hylton 2016.

Stanley Whitney: Dance the Orange

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Dance the Orange  is the first solo Museum exhibition for Stanley Whitney in New York. His colorful abstractions gained attention in the mid-1990s and continue to amaze audiences with blocks of color amidst horizontal strips on a sharply square canvas. His work is influenced by inspirations he receives from the everyday, such as jazz, poetry and literature. The influence of jazz, poetry and literature can be seen within the title of the works in the main gallery space, such as My Name is Peaches from a line in a song by Nina Simone.  His newest works, in the alcove space, show his continued mastery of color with a new fluidity in the placement of the blocks of color, with some not even touching each other in line. Through October 25th, Dance the Orange is a must see show during the Summer months at The Studio Museum in Harlem.

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Stanley Whitney “Untitled” 2013 Oil on linen; Stanley Whitney “Untitled” 2015 Oil on linen; Stanley Whitney “Untitled” 2008 Oil on linen; Stanley Whitney “Untitled” 2013 Oil on linen;Stanley Whitney “Untitled” 2013 Oil on linen; Stanley Whitney “Untitled” 2012 Oil on linen; Stanley Whitney “Untitled” 2010 Oil on linen; Photo by Erin K. Hylton 2015.

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Stanley Whitney “Untitled” 2015 Photo by Erin K. Hylton 2015.

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Stanley Whitney “Untitled” 2015 Photo by Erin K. Hylton 2015.

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Stanley Whitney “Hearts and Brains” 2012 Oil on linen; Stanley Whitney “Elephant Memory” 2014 Oil on linen; Stanley Whitney “My Name is Peaches” 2015 Oil on linen. Photo by Erin K. Hylton 2015.

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Stanley Whitney “Hearts and Brains” 2012 Oil on linen Photo by Erin K. Hylton 2015.

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Stanley Whitney “Elephant Memory” 2014 Oil on linen Photo by Erin K. Hylton 2015.

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Stanley Whitney “My Name is Peaches” 2015 Oil on linen Photo by Erin K. Hylton 2015.

Current Exhibitions at The Studio Museum in Harlem

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Current Exhibitions at The Studio Museum in Harlem

Visit The Studio Museum in Harlem for the last weeks of the Fall/Winter 2013-14 season! Come see The Shadows Took Shape, Radical Presence: Black Performance in Contemporary Art,  and Harlem Postcards: Fall/Winter 2013-14 before it ends on March 9, 2014.

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Photo Caption: Jamal Cyrus “Texas Fried Tenor (Learning to Work the Saxophone)” 2012 Tenor saxophone, flour, water, egg, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, foam adhesive (Photo by Erin Hylton)