DISCUSSION BOUND
Free
Meeting each second Tuesday at 12pm, this monthly discussion is a place to exchange ideas about readings that relate to artworks and the art world, and to learn from and about each other. Pick up some tasty local fare at the Malaprop’s Café to make the most of your midday break! Books are available at Malaprop’s for a 10% discount. To add your name to our Discussion Bound mailing list, email Kristi McMillan, adult programs manager, or call 828.253.3227 x122.
FEBRUARY 12, Tuesday, 12pm
My Soul Has Grown Deep: Black Art from the American South by Cheryl Finley, Randall Griffey, Amelia Peck + Darryl Pinckney
My Soul Has Grown Deep considers the art-historical significance of contemporary black artists working throughout the southeastern United States. These paintings, drawings, mixed-media compositions, sculptures, and textiles include works ranging from the profound assemblages of Thornton Dial to the renowned quilts of Gee’s Bend. Nearly 60 remarkable examples are illustrated alongside insightful texts that situate them in the history of modernism and the context of African American experience in the 20th-century South. This study simultaneously considers these works on their own merits while also making connections to mainstream contemporary art. The authors illuminate shared artistic practices, including the novel use of found or salvaged materials, the artists’ interest in improvisational approaches across media, and a thoughtful consideration of the cultural and political history of the American South during and after the Civil Rights era. These diverse works tell the compelling stories of artists who overcame enormous obstacles to create distinctive and culturally resonant works of art.
Moderated by Kristi McMillan, adult programs manager.
https://www.facebook.com/events/257433678516003/