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30 Americans

March 19, 2016 - August 28, 2016

Galleries 124, 151, 212, 232 & 233

Glenn Ligon, America, 2008, neon sign and paint. Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection. © Glenn Ligon30 Americans showcases art by many of the most important African-American artists of the last three decades. This provocative exhibition focuses on issues of racial, gender, and historical identity in contemporary culture while exploring the powerful influence of artistic legacy and community across generations. The works are drawn primarily from the Rubell Family Collection.

Free Admission Press Release

 

Due to the powerful subject matter, the Cincinnati Art Museum encourages adults to preview the exhibition before bringing children. Additionally, visitors are encouraged to take photos in 30 Americans provided that no flash, tripods, monopods, or selfie sticks are used. We encourage you to share your reflections on social media using the hashtag #CAM30.

 

As a complement to the 30 Americans exhibition, the Art Academy of Cincinnati and the DAAP Galleries, University of Cincinnati have collaborated on the presentation of 30 Americans Plus . . . The Region. This exhibition, in two parts, recognizes the wide range of visual expressions offered by African-American artists in our community. Featuring work in a wide range of media and materials, the perspectives of current practitioners will be accompanied by seminal figures from the past three decades. The work exhibited by these accomplished regional artists contributes to the conversation about African-American experiences and heritage, and the present state of the arts in the region. The exhibitions will open on June 8 at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and June 9 at the DAAP Galleries, University of Cincinnati.

 

The Forum for 30 Americans

May 21, 2016 - August 28, 2016

A community resource room to provide space for repose and reflection. Located in Gallery 125.

 

 

  

30 Americans Teacher Webinar

This webinar, led by co-curators Rehema Barber and Brian Sholis along with museum educator Mary Claire Angle, gives an overview of the exhibition 30 Americans at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Learn about the exhibition and how you can connect the artists and their work with the National Visual Arts Standards, launched in 2014.

 

 

30 Americans Artists, December 5, 2008. Left to right: Rashid Johnson, Nick Cave, Kalup Linzy, Jeff Sonhouse, Lorna Simpson, Carrie Mae Weems, Barkley L. Hendricks, Hank Willis Thomas (front row), Xaviera Simmons, Purvis Young, John Bankston, Nina Chanel Abney, Henry Taylor, Mickalene Thomas (front row), Kerry James Marshall, and Shinique Smith. Photo: Kwaku Alston. Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection

Black and white photograph of Johnson wearing a tweed suit surrounded by smoke

Rashid Johnson, The New Negro Escapist Social and Athletic Club (Thurgood), 2008, lambda print. Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection. © Rashid Johnson

Glenn Ligon's America, yellow neon sign that reads: America

Glenn Ligon, America, 2008, neon sign and paint. Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection. © Glenn Ligon


Lorna Simpson's Wigs, a series of images of wigs of varying shapes and sizes

Lorna Simpson, Wigs (Portfolio), 1994, waterless lithograph and felt. © Lorna Simpson

Mickalene Thomas' Baby I Am Ready Now, an African American woman sits on a floral print couch resting her head on her right hand, surrounded by several pillows of varying animal and floral prints.

Mickalene Thomas, Baby I Am Ready Now, 2007, acrylic, rhinestones, and enamel on wooden panel. Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection. © Mickalene Thomas

Kehinde Wiley's Sleep, a rectangular painting of an muscular African American man sleeping on a white, silk bead, only covered at the waist by a sheet. He he surrounded by densely packed green leaves with small red berries.

Kehinde Wiley, Sleep, 2008, oil on canvas, 132 x 300 in. (335.3 x 762 cm). Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection. © Kehinde Wiley

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This exhibition is generously supported by:

Fund Evaluation Group | LPK | The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. US Bank Foundation | Tom and Dee Stegman

 

Header Image: Glenn Ligon (American, b.1960), America, 2008, neon sign and paint. Courtesy of the Rubell Family Collection, Miami. © Glenn Ligon