MONTCLAIR, NJ.- The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) announces the grand opening of its landmark exhibition, Century: 100 Years of Black Art at MAM. With over 70 works in various mediums by 59 ground breaking artists, Century is the largest and most comprehensive show of its kind at MAM, underscoring a longtime commitment since the 1940s to the curation and appreciation of artworks by Black artists. Curated by Adrienne L. Childs and nico w.okoro (see Curators’ bios), Century is complemented by a fully illustrated catalogue featuring multiple essays that offer insightful explorations of the rich historical and cultural context of Black art. The exhibition has been coordinated at MAM by Chief Curator Gail Stavitsky.

With focus on the depth, breadth, and variety of art by African Americans, Century explores art as a living, generative force in Black life, spanning generations. From the iconic lens of James Van Der Zee, capturing the Black Red Cross March, Harlem (1924), to Nanette Carter's contemporary abstraction Destabilizing #2 (2022), Century encapsulates a spectrum of powerful perspectives and diverse approaches within the realm of historic, modern, and contemporary Black art.

Century is organized around six major themes that highlight concerns, visions, and practices that emerge from this rich grouping of artists. Works by Dawoud Bey, Adger Cowans, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Gordon Parks, and others highlight the importance of Black Portraiture over the past hundred years and its central role in the project of crafting Black identities while subverting reductive, often racist, portrayals of Blackness. African Diasporic Consciousness brings together objects by Willie Cole, Melvin Edwards and others that work—both explicitly and implicitly—to transmit cultural values, practices, symbols, and philosophies that have persisted and thrived across vast distances from a shared homeland. Archival Memory considers the capacity of objects by Sanford Biggers, Tomashi Jackson, Todd Gray, Deborah Willis and others—constructed, found, or reimagined—to collectively document and preserve this consciousness.

Also considered are the languages of Abstraction—exemplified by the work of Alvin Loving, Howardena Pindell, and others—that have been meaningful tools for conceptualizing both personal and collective expressions best communicated by form and color. Black Mythologies explores how artists like Nick Cave, Lorna Simpson, and Saya Woolfalk use the power of myth and spiritual expression to access histories and memories, imagine possible futures, and mine the complex contours of Black life. Black Joy and Leisure celebrates the construction of unapologetically Black social spaces, where radical rest and unfettered leisure are expressed without inhibition by artists such as William Edmondson, Carmen Cartiness Johnson, and Faith Ringgold.

Century also provides visitors with opportunities to see how early photography–for instance Van Der Zee–informs the work of later photographers like Dawoud Bey and Deana Lawson. Van Der Zee’s work documenting “New Negro” identity in the 20s and 30s is additionally a foundation for the later work of mixed media artist Whitfield Lovell, for example. Viewers can also see how early Black practitioners of abstraction such as Beauford Delaney, Norman Lewis, and Sam Gilliam paved the way for 20th/21st century artists such as Julie Mehretu and Jack Whitten. Also featured in the show are works by Ben Jones and Janet Taylor Pickett, co-founders of MAM’s African American Cultural Committee (AACC).

Key Highlights of Century: 100 Years of Black Art at MAM include:

● Works by renowned artists such as Romare Bearden, Lois Mailou-Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Gordon Parks, Betye Saar, Lorna Simpson, Kara Walker, Charles White, Kehinde Wiley, Philemona Williamson, and Deborah Willis

● Thematic sections providing a nuanced exploration of the multifaceted experiences of Black Americans

● A diverse array of artistic media, ranging from paintings and sculptures to photographs, prints, videos, and mixed-media works

● Century emerges as a must-see exhibition for those seeking a profound understanding of Black art and its enduring contributions to American culture

● A fully illustrated, 142-page catalogue with essays by exhibition co-curators Adrienne L. Childs and nico w. okoro, as well as Camille Brown, and Antoinette D. Roberts.

About the Montclair Art Museum (MAM)

The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) boasts a renowned collection of American and Native American art that uniquely highlights art-making in the United States over the last 300 years. Works in MAM's Native American art collection span the period of ca. 1200 C.E. to the present day. The Vance Wall Art Education Center encompasses the Museum’s educational efforts, including award-winning Yard School of Art studio classes, lectures and talks, family events, tours, and the mobile MAM Art Truck.
MAM exhibitions and programs serve a wide public of all ages, from families and seniors to artists, educators, and scholars.

Montclair Art Museum
Century: 100 Years of Black Art at MAM
February 9th – June 23rd, 2024