Updates in Black Art brings you the latest news and developments in the art world and related culture
Floyd Hall. | Photo by Wesley Cummings
Appointments
Floyd Hall has been appointed as the executive director of Atlanta Contemporary, beginning Jan. 16. With a background as an Atlanta-based cultural producer and media strategist, Hall has worked with a variety of firms and organizations over the past 12 years. He has also been serving as the interim director of Emory University’s Science Gallery Atlanta since June 2022 and is a co-founder of the Canopy Atlanta, a journalism nonprofit. (1/8) | More
Awards & Honors
Sculptor Melvin Edwards is set to receive a lifetime achievement award from the International Sculpture Center on April 12. (1/11). | More
The Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Conn., announced the selection of painter Kimberly Klauss as its inaugural artist-in-residence. Funded by Art Bridges, the nine-month residency will provide her with the opportunity to respond to two works on loan to the museum from Art Bridges, “Collage X Landscape” by George Morrison and ‘DNA: Sepia V” by McArthur Binion, within the context of her own practice. Klauss, who has spent significant time in Japan and Germany, is known for her work in Munich. (12/27) | More
Magazines
The work of Derek Fordjour is featured on the cover of the Winter 2024 issue of Whitewall magazine. The issue includes a conversation with the artist about his recent exhibition at Petzel Gallery in New York, which showcased a range of interdisciplinary works across three galleries. Titled “Score” (Nov. 10-Dec. 22, 2023), the show featured paintings, sculptures, kinetic installations, and live weekly performances in collaboration with choreographer Sidra Bell and musician Hannah Mayree of the Black Banjo Reclamation Project. The exhibition explored various meanings of the term “Score,” referencing Fordjour’s distinctive painting process, competitive contests, and collaborative choreography. (12/18) | More
New York-based BOMB magazine, known for publishing conversations with and among artists since 1981, unveiled a new website, emphasizing its extensive archive and 43-year history. The magazine also announced a “refreshed” mission with a focus on authenticity, inclusion, and sustainability.
(1/12). | More
Grants
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) revealed 260 new grants, dedicating $33.8 million to support humanities projects across the nation. The grants, awarded in 11 categories, include funding for infrastructure and capacity building, digital humanities, fellowships, and faculty projects. Notably, 28 awards were granted in a new category: Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations, as part of NEH’s American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future initiative. This initiative aims to benefit small- and mid-sized cultural organizations. (1/9) | More
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts provided over $4 million in support to 50 arts organizations, museums, and university art galleries. Recipients include Afro Charities in Baltimore, Md.; ALMA | LEWIS, home to The Black Archive in Pittsburgh, Pa.; NXTHVN in New Haven, Conn.; The Kitchen in New York, N.Y.; Project for Empty Space in Newark, N.J.; and LAXART in Los Angeles, Calif. Grants also support new museum exhibitions, such as “Hayward Oubre: Structural Integrity” at the Birmingham Museum of Art and a five-decade survey of Suzanne Jackson, her first major museum retrospective, organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. (1/10) | More
Films
BlackStar Projects announced the dates for this year’s BlackStar Film Festival: Aug. 1-4, 2024. The 13th edition will be a hybrid in-person and online event, with screenings in downtown Philadelphia. The festival is currently open for film submissions, with rolling deadlines on Feb. 1 (early), March 1 (preferred), and April 1 (late). BlackStar Projects also welcomed Catherine Lee, a nonprofit administrator and fundraiser, as the senior director of development and operations. (1/12) | More
CT
FILMS | “Lift,” a heist film starring Kevin Hart and Gugu Mbatha-Raw debuted on Netflix Jan. 12. The action-packed opening scene is set in the art world. The focus is an NFT up for auction in Venice, Italy, and the anonymous, masked artist who created it. The work follows “Prelude (Babacar Mané),” a 2021 painting by Kehinde Wiley with bidding opening at $7 million! It sells, but it is unclear for how much. Wiley’s real-life auction record is just over $649,000. Hart’s HartBeat Productions has top billing on the film, which is directed by F. Gary Gray. | Video by Netflix
