February is African American History Month, a time to focus with intention on Black Americans and their history, highlighting contributions that have frequently been unspoken or underscored by others who dominated the historical narrative.
This week we’re focusing on Black artists and some of the resources available to you through the Durham Tech Library’s collections to highlight Black history and accomplishments. Keep reading for books, streaming video, and some options to go see Black art up close (and for free).
The Main Campus Library has a collection of books about art and artists in the N section of the downstairs stacks.
(N 6538 .B53 P64 2021)
(N 6538 .N5 F27 2005)
(N 6538 .N5 B65 2004)
Check out our ART 114/115 LibGuide for resources on Finding Images online and Art in NC, which includes some of our excellent local art spaces and museums.
Available streaming through Durham Tech’s Films on Demand database, the documentary Black Is the Color by Jacques Goldstein “tells the story of how African American artists took back their image, from the abolition of slavery to the present day” and is presented in a chronological format, tracing Black art through the decades.
Also available streaming through the Films on Demand database, HBO’s documentary Black Art: In the Absence of Light “shines a light on [the groundbreaking Two Centuries of Black American Art exhibition curated by the late African American artist and scholar David Driskell in 1976 and its] extraordinary impact on generations of African American artists who have staked a claim on their rightful place within the 21st-century art world.”
To watch these documentaries at home, log in with your Durham Tech username and password (same as for Self-Service or Sakai).
The North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh has both indoor and outdoor exhibitions that are free and open to the public, including works by portraitist Kehinde Wiley (who painted President Obama’s portrait) and mixed-media contemporary artists Stacey Lynn Waddell, Mickalene Thomas, and Hank Willis Thomas, among others.
The Nasher Museum at Duke currently has free admission for everyone and also has work by Kehinde Wiley (in the European collection as a nod to his reimagining of the postures of the old masters of European portraiture) and an upcoming exhibit highlighting art that approaches ecological concerns from a cultural perspective.
The NCCU Art Museum in Durham has been closed for renovation, but plans to reopen in February 2023. Their collections are also available to browse for free. Stop in and see their over 1300 permanent pieces or browse their website for past exhibitions.
And if you’re planning a trip to Washington, D.C., be sure to explore the free Smithsonian museums.
Titus Kaphar creates art that critically engages with American history and how Black Americans are ignored from the historical narrative. His TED talks explore the role art can have in bringing these omissions back to light and facilitate conversations.
