Columbus Museum of Art - 'Family Pictures'
The Columbus Museum of Art (CMA) introduces Family Pictures, a powerful new exhibition opening this Friday, Feb. 16 that explores the ways in which black photographers and artists have portrayed a range of familial relationships.
“Family Pictures presents an opportunity for the CMA to tell a broader, richer, more vivid and inclusive story of the American experience,” says Nannette V. Maciejunes, executive director for the CMA.
The exhibition begins with Roy DeCarava and Langston Hughes’ 1955 groundbreaking book The Sweet Flypaper of Life and continues with photographic series, installations and videos by a group of artists spanning generations. Artists include John Edmonds, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Lyle Ashton Harris, Deana Lawson, Lorraine O’Grady, Gordon Parks, Sondra Perry, Ming Smight and Carrie Mae Weems.
Family Pictures contains images ranging from blood relatives to friends and neighbors to broader communities. Through these images, artists portray everyday stories, intimate moments and overarching political realities. The exhibit aims to not only capture the universal human condition but also the particular histories of race in the U.S.
“The artists of the exhibition employ various formal strategies and personal narratives to complicate artistic and mainstream representations while also challenging various constructions of family and community,” says Drew Sawyer, associate curator of photography.
Visitors can fully immerse themselves into the exhibition by listening to Collective Voices during their visit. The audio recordings by artists, curators, scholars, poets, civic leaders and visitors are available via mobile phone.
Tickets for Family Pictures are $20 for adults, $14 for seniors (60+) and students (18+), $11 for students (6-17) and free for CMA members and children 5 and under. CMA weekend hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and since general admission is free on Sundays, Family Pictures tickets are $6 on Sunday.
Family Pictures will be on display through May 20 at the Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215.
For more information call 614-221-6801 or visit www.columbusmuseum.org.
Laura Cole is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
