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What's Showing Winter


(captions)

     photo by Jarvis Grant
"Head of a Young Man" by James A. Porter, part of the exhibition at Howard University Gallery of Art.

     photo by Jarvis Grant
"Storm Over Jos (Nigeria) by James A. Porter (Collection of Dorothy Porter Wesley) at Howard University Gallery of Art. 

"The Art of Archibald Motley, Jr." at the Corcoran Gallery of Art

"Mending Socks" (1924) by Archibald Motley Jr. 


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...had such a profound effect on African-American art history that has not been equaled.
     As a graduate of Howard University, James Porter won many grants and awards that allowed him to study in Europe and travel throughout the African diaspora. But, when he had gathered so much worldly knowledge, he brought it back from whence he came and returned to Howard University as director of the art department and the Howard University Gallery of Art, the first major gallery established at a Black institution in the United States.
     In homage to the man who gave so much to the study of African-American art, current gallery director Tritobia Benjamin lovingly organized the exhaustive show which fills all three rooms of the spacious gallery. Through his handling of subjects from Africa, the Caribbean and daily life in the African-American community, to his detailed portraits of college officials and historical figures, the importance of James A. Porter as painter and scholar can finally be brought to the attention of the general public. 

"James A. Porter, Artist and Art Historian: The Memory of a Legacy" is on view at Howard University Gallery of Art through Jan. 3, 1993. Call (202) 806-7070 for gallery hours or more information.


The Art of Archibald Motley Jr.

     While "The Art of Archibald Motley, Jr." on view at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, is an important exhibition to see, it is also very unsettling. The works in this traveling exhibition, organized by the Chicago Historical Society, are important to understanding the culture of Bronzeville in the 20s and 30s, it is also a window into the mind of a Black man who was uncomfortable with his race. 
     The exhibition, the first retrospective of Motley's work, features 72 of the artist's works, ranging from portraits of his family, self and associates to the lively depictions of life among African Americans in Chicago. The unsettling part comes when you look closely at these vibrantly colored paintings of folks having a good time. In them, you see stereotypical depictions that smack of self-hatred. It was only in his latter years of painting that he came to some kind of peace with who he was as a Black man.
     "The Art of Archibald Motley Jr." is on view at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 17th and New York Ace., NW, through Jan. 3, 1993. Films on the artist and his times run continuously in the exhibitions screening room. The Corcoran is open Tues. through Sun., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thurs. evenings until 9 p.m. Suggested admission to the museum is $3 for adults. Call (2020 [[(202)]] 638-3211 for more information.

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