A Black Perspective

A Black Perspective, a group exhibition that opened in New York earlier this year, was organized by ACA Galleries from it’s extensive inventory to showcase prominent  African American artists’ works created between 1945 and 2015.  From that larger group of artists in the New York show, this HMAAC exhibition focuses on four African American Masters: Faith Ringgold, Romare Bearden, Aminah Robinson and Richard Mayhew. Downstairs in the Guess-Lawson Gallery are multiple works by Faith Ringgold and Romare Bearden, along with Houston Master John Bigger’s Harvesters Ghana. A must see for appreciation of Master artists.

Over the course of six decades, American artist, author, and activist Faith Ringgold (b. 1930) has worked in a variety of media and modes—from story quilts and paintings to performance and children’s books—to depict the beauty and complexity of the African American experience and to challenge perceptions of African American identity and gender inequality “to tell my story, or, more to the point, my side of the story,” as an African American woman.

Recognized as one of the most creative and original visual artists of the twentieth century, Romare Bearden had a prolific and distinguished career. Although best known for his richly textured collages, that he experimented with many different mediums and artistic styles is evident from the pieces in this exhibition, as is his love for music and musicians that is shared with Faith Ringgold.

Combining traditional art materials with found objects and everyday materials such as buttons, cloth, leather, twigs, shells and music box workings, artist and MacArthur Genius grant winner Aminah Robinson created magical two and three dimensional works of art. A theme that permeates Aminah’s work is the commonalities that all people share regardless of the color of their skin, the clothes they wear, or the language they speak. Robinson visited many countries around the world and saw that in each one people were taking care of their families, socializing in the marketplaces, and working to make ends meet just as they do at home.

Richard Mayhew celebrated his 96th birthday this April, during a global pandemic. In between, he’s had more than 40 solo exhibitions, taught for nearly 30 years, and been a tireless arts advocate and activist. Though known for his landscape paintings, which are included in numerous museums’ permanent collections, he is also a skilled draftsman and portrait painter. But Mayhew always returns to the land. Nature is the center of gravity in his art.