Ronald & Donald, The Oldest
Claude Lawrence
Marvels of My Own Inventiveness will feature an immersive viewing of 22 paintings by five contemporary Black artists in the American Folk Art Museum collection: Leonard Daley, Claude Lawrence, J.B. Murray, Mary T. Smith, and Purvis Young. By positioning these artists in conversation with one another, the exhibition will explore the artistic self-expression of Black makers working in and around abstraction.
The exhibition’s title is drawn from a passage by literary critic and Black feminist scholar Hortense Spillers, whose groundbreaking 1987 essay Mama’s Baby, Papa’s Maybe: An American Grammar Book includes the statement: “in order for me to speak a truer word concerning myself, I must strip down through layers of attenuated meanings, made an excess in time, over time, assigned by a particular historical order, and there await whatever marvels of my own inventiveness.”
Reflecting on this sentiment, the exhibition interprets “inventiveness” as a metaphor for the creative process and painterly decision-making. Through this interpretive lens, the exhibition will respond to works by each of the five artists by prioritizing a unique experiential encounter of close looking and contemplation. The show will feature paintings on view for the first time at AFAM, and include both large-scale and smaller works on paper, canvas, wood, and metal.
The exhibition is curated by Brooke Wyatt, Luce Assistant Curator at the American Folk Art Museum (AFAM), and Sadé Ayorinde, Warren Family Assistant Curator.
To access a free audio guide for this exhibition, download our digital guide on Bloomberg Connects.
For more information, please email publicrelations@folkartmuseum.org.
The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to enrich public discourse by promoting innovative scholarship, cultivating new leaders, and fostering international understanding. A leader in art funding since 1982, the Luce Foundation’s American Art Program supports innovative museum projects nationwide that advance art-centered conversations that celebrate creativity, explore difference, and seek common ground. Learn more at http://www.hluce.org.
- The Wall Street Journal
Claude Lawrence (b. 1944), Ronald & Donald, The Oldest, Sag Harbor, New York, 2004. Acrylic on paper, 23 1/4 x 29 1/8 in. American Folk Art Museum, gift of Auldlyn Higgins Williams and E. T. Williams, Jr., in honor of Charles N. Adkins, American Folk Art Museum Trustee, 2015.19.5
Mary T. Smith (c. 1904–1995), Untitled (WTE WƧH), Hazlehurst, Mississippi c. 1975–1989 Paint on wood. American Folk Art Museum, gift of Harriet G. Finkelstein, 2018.24.2.
Leonard Daley (1930–2006), Untitled
St. Catherine Parish, Jamaica c. 1990s, Paint and glitter on wood, 42 1/2 x 45 1/2 in.
American Folk Art Museum, gift of Maurice C. and Patricia L. Thompson, 2003.20.11.
The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to enrich public discourse by promoting innovative scholarship, cultivating new leaders, and fostering international understanding. A leader in art funding since 1982, the Luce Foundation’s American Art Program supports innovative museum projects nationwide that advance art-centered conversations that celebrate creativity, explore difference, and seek common ground. Learn more at http://www.hluce.org.