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☆ An artist reckons with the dangerous power of advertising and iconography
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Abigail Glasgow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The artist Hank Willis Thomas is pointing to one of the images: of two well-dressed, neatly coiffed men standing atop a cliff. "She's Somewhat of a Drag," a 1959 advertisement Thomas repurposed in his series "Unbranded: A Century of White Women." Across his work, Thomas reframes iconic and mundane imagery to connect viewers to historical moments of resistance and reshape our understanding of who counts in society. Here, a pro-football player appears to face off with an enslaved cotton picker, in Thomas' work "From Cain't See in the Mornin' Til Cain't See at Night." His body of work work reflects the observation — and, perhaps, a warning — that we have moved toward “existing in a society of branded consciousness."

Persons: Hank Willis Thomas, Thomas, Aaron Wessling, Jordan, “, Thomas ’, Drummond, —, ” Thomas, mascara, Jordan Schnitzer, ” Schnitzer, ” Thomas ’, Thomas reframes, Barack Obama, ”, “ I’ve, doesn’t Organizations: CNN, Art, White, White Women, Family, Cotton, Corporate America, Civil Rights, American Express Locations: ”, Oregon, United States, Gorée

☆ A Harlem Institution Reimagines How Americans Interact With the African Continent
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Dionne Searcey | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Situated on an East Harlem street corner overlooking Central Park, the Center has welcomed billionaires Bill Gates and Mo Ibrahim talking about the future of African business as well as the actress Lupita Nyong’o reading from her children’s book on colorism. Hank Willis Thomas’s Afro Pick installation was situated on its plaza. The Center has hosted African presidents and prizewinning authors — and a sweaty crowd breaking into a dance party. “There are places where your behavior has to be precious,” said Iweala, speaking about his vision. But that would require significant new fund-raising and a bump in staffing, which now stands at 11 full-time positions and four part-time.

☆ How representation of Black artists in galleries, museums is changing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"There's a lot more support for Black artists that kind of came out of George Floyd's murder and institutions realizing that they need to do more," Peterson said. Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty ImagesThe market for work by Black American artists grew by nearly 400% between 2008 and 2021, according to a recent report from art market website ArtNet. Acquisitions of work by Black American artists peaked in 2015, two years after the start of the Black Lives Matter movement. "My impression is there are vastly increased number of solo shows and group shows dedicated to Black artists in London, in Paris, in New York, across the United States," Elliott said. Works from established artists like Kerry James Marshall that depict Black figures are influencing the work of new artists and creating a lineage, Elliott noted.

Just a few years ago, the conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas had no idea he would be instrumental in commemorating the lives of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. It really has been my mission over the past several years.”Workers stand beneath "The Embrace" sculpture in Boston Common, waiting for concrete to be poured, on Dec. 14, 2022. John Tlumacki / Boston Globe via Getty Images fileAiming to both inspire visitors and honor the Kings’ legacy, Thomas’ work will be revealed Friday at Boston Common, America’s oldest city park, in downtown Boston. Bettmann ArchiveKing dedicated his life to the civil rights movement, fighting for racial equality and economic justice. A man reaches to touch a detail of the 20-foot-high bronze sculpture "The Embrace," a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, in the Boston Common on Jan. 10, 2023, in Boston.

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