In 2006, the Danforth Art Museum was gifted work by sculptor Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, known for work that expressed the African American identity. The importance of her work was a precursor to the Harlem Renaissance. This core collection provides an esprit de corps for the museum’s “Selfhood” exhibition that’s on view through June 8. It includes five artists dedicated to their visual narratives of identity within personal and cultural context.
Danforth Museum Director and Curator Jessica Roscio’s texts posted throughout the exhibit and on the Danforth website included the following message: “Self is personal but is also connected to history. We all have something to say about our identity — and this exhibition offers space for five artists to share their histories and have their voices heard. Each artist dedicates their work to a quest, to an emergence, family or tribal history.”
When asked how long it took to plan the exhibit, Roscio replied that it took three years to find her five artists, via portfolio reviews at Cambridge Arts, studio visits and among the artists juried into the Danforth annual exhibition.
The individual and distinct works by Alice Dillon, Scott Strong Hawk Foster, Kathryn Geismar, Lisa Tang Liu and Keith Morris Washington include self-portraits, family members and friends, and personal heroes. The works link identity to national, tribal or gender identity and affirm emotional dignity.
Wardrobe elements are keystones in all their works, whether elaborate traditional indigenous wear, gender affirming gear, cut-out appliques of boots or an apron, or a T-shirt with an emoji that becomes a tapestry background. All clothing is lovingly photographed, painted, drawn, stitched or altogether missing as in all the bare feet in Washington’s portraits.