How to Review an Artistic Exhibition: Evaluating the “The Black Artist as Activist” show

by Jocelyn M. Goode

art by Malik Seneferu

Many of us have visited museums and galleries, stared hard at the art, and then walked away wondering what it was all about. FAIM Internet Magazine would like to give the readers some tips to help evaluate artwork and curatorial exhibitions. Reflecting on the recent “The Black Artist as Activist” opening held at Danny Simmons’ Corridor Gallery last Sunday in Brooklyn, we will walk through some critiquing criteria while reviewing the group show.

Questions to Ask
When approaching art and exhibitions from a critical perspective, it is important to have a set of questions in mind. For example:
What is the theme of the exhibition? How have the curators defined its meaning?
How do the pieces relate to each other and to the theme?
What information is available about the art and how accessible is it?
Are there artists’ statements to clue in viewers about the creative process or the meaning of each individual piece?
How does the overall presentation affect the experience of the art?
Does the art evoke an emotional response, positive or negative, or do you find yourself unaffected?

Strength Defined
Strong art connects with you, allowing you to see something in a new or different way. It draws you in, encouraging you to examine the details and question the process. The work may also demonstrate well-developed technical skills, meticulous craftsmanship and unique creativity. At the height of an artistic experience your emotions should be stimulated, whether you feel inspired, alarmed or something in between.

Strong exhibitions tell a story. Each piece displayed should form an invisible thread to the next one to weave a message for the viewer to discover and unravel. It is essential that curatorial shows also promote the artists. There should be clear indicators if the work is for sale and the art’s presentation should be as appealing as possible. Established show spaces such as museums and galleries have the common practice of promoting an exhibition on its website, with postcards, and by providing a exhibition list to viewers when they visit that detail the title, artist, medium, year and price of each piece in the show.

Attending an Opening
The opening of a show tends to be the highlight of an exhibition. The featured artists as well as many guests will turn out to support the unveiling of a new presentation. In many cities, this night happens on the first Thursday of the month. It is as great opportunity for the artists to interface directly with the audience, to promote themselves and ultimately to make sales on their work. A good curator will also coordinate an “artist talk” during the opening when the artists can speak directly to the guests about their work and process. Gallery-hopping is a term to describe the activity of bouncing from one opening to the next, sampling new work and wine along the way.

Bonuses to the art opening experience include light snacks and free wine, which usually loosens up the crowd and encourages them to mingle in the space for a while. Guestbooks help both the exhibition institution and the artists keep in contact with guests, so audience members should make a point to sign them! You can tell an opening is live when it starts to spill out into the streets and buzz of people’s voices is heard from blocks away.

Reviewing The Actual Experience
Given this criteria, how did the “The Black Artist as Activist” exhibition rate? Well, the theme of the show was detailed in decal letters on the wall outside the doors of the show. However, one guest commented, “It was so crowded, I didn’t even see it. I knew the show was about activism but I didn’t see the connection in all the art.” Inside the show’s pamphlet viewers could also find more information about the theme, which “brings together black artists who have used their art to highlight the ways in which we as a people have struggled and responded to the inequalities and transgressions in a society that has inadvertently condoned the violation of human and civil rights for many of its people.”

Much of the art did indeed represent an aspect of blackness and the black experience in America. However, some fell short in relating to activism. The following are details from some of the most poignant pieces in my opinion.

Kevin E. Cole, "Our Children's Journey", mixed media on paper, 2007

Derick Cross, "Perception #1", wood, paint, mixed media, 2009/2010

MLJ Johnson, "2 Face Mama", oil on masonite, 1978

Khalid Kodi, "Darfur Dirty Laundry", mixed media, 2009

Terrence Sanders, "They Knew", paint, mixed media, 2005

Ademola Olugebefola, "Reclamation site #2", mixed media, 1969

Shani Peters, "To Have and To Hold On", screenprint on dupioni silk, 2008

Kevin E. Cole, "The New Nooses", bronze, 2007

Kevin E. Cole’s nooses cast in bronze made a powerful statement about the chokehold of sports and incarceration.

Wilhelmina Obatola Grant, "It's 10pm", mixed media, 2000

Wilhemina Obatola Grant created a piece that mixed clock pieces with paraphanelia associated with activities common in black, ghetto life—from crack pipes to powerfists, bullets to beer caps.

It was nice to see young faces such as these teenagers paying stylistic homage to the early 90s.

During the two-hour opening, the relatively small gallery was filled to the brim with guests of all ages. People clamored in groups around the hors d’oeuvres and wine and clustered against the Corridor’s walls. It was difficult to get close to the art and even more difficult to get information about the installations, the artwork that was multi-dimensional and presented on the floor. While some artists did have the intent to sell their work, there were no prices listed.

Danny Simmons and Dr. Brenda M. Green

Co-curator Danny Simmons, eldest brother to Russell and Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons, addressed the crowd along with Dr. Brenda M. Greene, mother of Talib Kweli. They thanked the audience and made announcements about future events and gallery programs. Simmons invited the artists up to be formally acknowledged by the guests. Each one briefly made an introduction.

Malik Seneferu (far left) and Zoraida Lopez (next to Malik) were some of the featured artists.

Unfortunately, the artists were not given a chance to really speak on their work, a true drawback considering how much the pieces would have benefited from some explanations. Their moment was really upstaged when a long-winded Jamel Shabazz, a teaching artist for one of the galleries programs, spoke for over ten minutes about his life and artistic inspirations. He wasn’t even a featured artist in the show! Kudos to the artists who took the initiative to bring their own promotional material like Malik Seneferu, who flew all the way from San Francisco, CA to represent his work.

Overall, the “Black Artist as Activist” exhibition was a good concept but the execution of the show did not highlight and promote the artists to the best capacity. From the Corridor’s website, which makes no mention of the opening on its home or event pages to the lack of pricing information and the absence of an artist’s talk, the curators missed the mark on bringing together the visual story. Nonetheless, the overwhelming turnout proved that support was strong for the artists and subject. Hopefully, future shows will harness that energy in a more cohesive way.