Working Towards the Sea Change, Now the Countdown Begins

CBx Vibe:Face the World” Nipsey Hussle

By Cheryl McGinnis

  • Emma Amos has gained a seat at the table with white mid-century artists
  • The Whitney Museum will mount a large scale exhibit for black artists

From historically black art museums and galleries to one of the most important museums for American contemporary art, Emma Amos has arrived and gained a seat at the table with the important male, white mid-century artists. It’s a huge achievement for the artist, for the public, for the museum and for those of us who have continually mounted exhibits of once underrepresented artists whose voices will now be apart of the American Art History.

Photo: “Fitting” Emma Amos
Photo: “Fitting” Emma Amos

Why This Matters: It has always been my hope that her work would break out of these confines someday. I wanted a greater audience to benefit from work like Emma’s. That day has come because in May, the Whitney Museum will mount an exhibit that will forever change the context of Emma’s work and on a larger scale black artists in general. Spilling Over Color: Painting Color in the 1960’s is a large group exhibit that explores the use of color in that decade with artists Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella, Miriam Shapiro and others.

Situational Awareness: What has motivated me in my career in the art world has been the belief that one day soon museums would be a place in which all people would feel welcomed to not only to enjoy art but to also see their experiences reflected. I first exhibited Emma Amos an African American women artist in 1996. She was primarily known as a woman artist working with fabrics, an African American artist who worked with Romere Bearden.

CBx Vibe:Face the World” Nipsey Hussle

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