“For years, I had been absorbing and learning from the wisdom of these women,” said Professor John Cino, curator for the Museum of Contemporary Arts’ current exhibit, “Generations of Color.” “And I wanted to showcase both their collective and respective voices in show.”
“Generations of Color,” which will run until Feb. 27, features six Black women artists in celebration of recent triumphs in American politics. “This longtime cul- tural phenomenon has taken a prominent [step] forward in the nation’s psyche and political arena with the work of Stacey Abrams et al. and the inauguration of Kamala Harris as the Vice President of the U.S.,” according to Cino.
The works featured encompass and highlight the struggles and triumphs of Black culture, focusing both on individuals for their personal stories and en masse as a product of systemic racism.
In Ramona Candy’s series of portraits of Black women, of which there are four in this exhibit, she has one of Ann Cole Lowe, a prominent fashion designer of the 1950s whose ethnicity caused her to fall into the background despite such contributions as designing Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress.
“She was a go-to designer, but they did not advertise that she was Black,” said Cino.
Candy’s multimedia includes textural elements like rice paper to build up her portraits and demonstrates a depth of influence not allowed in the lifetimes of these women.
Moving into nonrepresentational art, a style of which Cino is fond as it was in vogue during his time as a young artist, are the works of Nanette Carter, whose “Cantilever” series is featured. In contrasting bold color swaths with intricate patterns, the pieces capture the tenuous and teetering standing that Black people have in the country as they try to balance their multiple facets into something acceptable and tangible to the public at large.
Cheryl McBride mixes technology and graphic design into her statements on systemic racism like in her piece, “1994,” where she juxtaposes two printouts of the 1994 crime bill: one in the colors of the Pan-African flag depicting the general population, and the other in the colors of the prison population that arose after the implementation of the law.
Haitian immigrant Marie St. Cyr introduces us to a world of bold and bright colors that are evocative of the blending of the interior and exterior of the Caribbean. In her piece, “Juju,” a young girl is holding a book of cool colors as sanctity while surrounded by the menacing oranges and reds.
Harper Bella, wanting to honor front-line workers who were not the traditional health care workers spotlighted by most, created a “Flower of Honor” for construction workers, cashiers, and retail workers to hold as they stood solemnly in their places of employment.
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