An exhibition from the Rubell Family Collection.
"As the show evolved, we decided to call it 30 Americans. 'Americans,' rather than 'African Americans' or 'Black Americans,' because nationality is a statement of fact, while racial identity is a question each artist answers in his or her own way, or not at all. And the number 30 because we acknowledge...that this show does not include everyone who could be in it."
30 Americans is the first major exhibition at Joslyn to survey the work of contemporary African Americans artists. Drawn from the Miami-based
Rubell Family Collection, this exhibition features paintings, works on paper, sculptures, installations, and videos created over the past
three decades. Since 1964, Mera and Donald Rubell have built one of the world’s largest privately-owned, yet publicly-accessible collections
of contemporary art. 30 Americans was first staged in 2008 at the Rubell’s warehouse in Miami and has traveled to museums throughout the
United States, with each venue given the opportunity to curate a unique exhibition from the collection’s extensive holdings.
What's pictured: (above) Kehinde Wiley (b. 1977, Los Angeles, CA), Sleep, 2008, oil on canvas, 132 x 300 in.; (below) Nina Chanel Abney (b. 1982, Chicago, IL), Class of 2007, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 114 x 183 in.; Both courtesy of the Rubell Family Collection, Miami. Photos by Chi Lam.
30 Americans explores the evolving roles
of black subjects in art since the 1970s
and highlights some of the most pressing
social and political issues facing our
country today, including ongoing narratives
of racial inequality; the construction of
racial, gender, and sexual identity; and
the pernicious underpinnings and effects
of stereotyping. Many of the artists in
this exhibition interrogate how African
Americans are represented, politicized, and
contested in the arts, media, and popular
culture. Driven by the exclusion of black
subjects in art throughout much of history,
Barkley L. Hendricks dedicated his career
to creating a space for black bodies in
painting. Kerry James Marshall, Kehinde
Wiley, and Mickalene Thomas have embraced
this mission, celebrating and glorifying
black subjects through pictorial traditions
including genre painting and portraiture.
Connecting the major themes in 30 Americans
is a broader consideration of the power
dynamics and imbalances that perpetuate
racially-motivated discrimination and
oppression. Recent paintings by Henry Taylor
and Nina Chanel Abney call attention to the
high rates of imprisonment of African
Americans, while installations by Kara Walker
and Gary Simmons from the 1990s confront
the terrifying history of violence against
black bodies in the United States, a reality
that continues to resonate sharply. In directly
engaging these topics, 30 Americans offers
a challenging—and at times disconcerting—
account of race in the United States, and
explores how our shared history as Americans
continues to shape the ways we interact and
engage with our fellow citizens today.
The final painting
Nina Chanel Abney completed as a graduate student,
Class of 2007
explores the disproportionately low number of students of color in art schools and the
inverse reality of incarceration rates in America, where blacks are five times more likely to
be imprisoned than whites. In an effort to speak directly to her fellow students, Abney
“filtered them through [her] vision,” switching their races and dressing them in prison
jumpsuits, while recasting herself in a position of power as a correctional officer. When
the painting was unveiled, Abney’s classmates responded with mixed shock, anger, and
amusement as they saw themselves directly implicated in an uncomfortable conversation
about race and discrimination.
Kehinde Wiley’s elaborate and grand canvases call attention to the absence of black
bodies in the history of painting. Flowers are a recurring motif in his work, suspending
sitters in time and space and
countering the stereotype
that black masculinity is
threatening, a pressing
concern for Wiley, who has
noted that his only model for
portraits of black men when
he began painting were
mug shots. Modeled after
German artist Hans Holbein the Younger’s painting
The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb,
1520–1522,
Sleep (pictured at the top of the page) is one of several canvases featuring prone bodies that Wiley created to
elevate his subjects to the realm of heroism.
Working across media,
Xaviera Simmons engages a rigorous practice driven
by research and writing. In this self-portrait, Simmons employs blackface, a
performative trope dating to the mid-nineteenth century that reinforces
negative stereotypes about people of color. Influenced by theater, the artist often
emphasizes the performance involved in producing her work. Building on the
history of photographs that portray people of color and women as “types,” for
this photograph Simmons assumes the roles of subject, photographer, stylist,
make-up artist, and set designer, placing the power to write her story in her own
black, female hands.
Nick Cave started making Soundsuits during the
devastating 1992 Los Angeles riots. Composed
of found materials and scaled to the artist’s body,
this early work was Cave’s attempt to provide
black bodies in America with protective armor.
As he continued to make the suits, he embraced
their ability to obscure race, gender, and class,
and encourage unbiased interactions. The artist
pairs the extravagant floral armature in this work
with leggings featuring a psychedelic print that
recalls the 1960s hippie subculture, when the
flower became a symbol of peaceful resistance.
A recurring theme in Cave’s work, the power of
protest is central to the many performances he
has staged that bring the Soundsuits to life.
Wangechi Mutu emigrated from Kenya to the United States as a young adult, an experience that sparked her enduring interest in how
women of color navigate the world. Translated from French, the title of this 2007 collage is “No, I regret nothing.” Here, a contorted form with
vaguely human characteristics appears to burst with energy or exertion. Mutu created this work at a time when she was having problems
traveling due to her citizenship status. Despite such issues and the ongoing struggle with self-identity that accompanies migration, Mutu
asserts that leaving Kenya opened the door for her to “resolve the invisibility” of black women worldwide.
What's pictured: (above right) Xaviera Simmons (b. 1974, New York, NY), One Day and Back Then (Standing), 2007, Chromira c-print,
30 x 40 in.; (above left) Wangechi Mutu (b. 1972, Nairobi, Kenya), Non je ne regrette rien, 2007, ink, acrylic, glitter, cloth, paper
collage, plastic, plant material, and mixed media on Mylar, 54 1/2 x 92 1/2 in.; Both courtesy of the Rubell
Family Collection, Miami. Photos by Chi Lam.
Artists in the Exhibition
Nina Chanel Abney (b. 1982, Chicago, IL); John Bankston (b. 1963,
Benton Harbor, Ml); Jean-Michel Basquiat (b. 1960, Brooklyn, NY; d.
1988, New York, NY); Mark Bradford (b. 1961, Los Angeles, CA); Nick Cave
(b. 1959, Jefferson City, MO); Robert Colescott (b. 1925, Oakland, CA;
d. 2009, Tucson, AZ); Noah Davis (b. 1983, Seattle, WA; d. 2015, Los
Angeles, CA); Leonardo Drew (b. 1961, Tallahassee, FL); Renée Green (b.
1959, Cleveland, OH); David Hammons (b. 1943, Springfield, IL); Barkley
L. Hendricks (b. 1945, Philadelphia, PA; d. 2017, New London, CT);
Rashid Johnson (b. 1977, Chicago, IL); Glenn Ligon (b. 1960, Bronx, NY);
Kalup Linzy (b. 1977, Stuckey, FL); Kerry James Marshall (b. 1955,
Birmingham, AL); Rodney McMillian (b. 1969, Columbia, SC); Wangechi Mutu
(b. 1972, Nairobi, Kenya); Pope.L (b. 1955, Newark, NJ); Rozeal (b.
1966, Washington, D.C.); Gary Simmons (b. 1964, New York, NY); Xaviera
Simmons (b. 1974, New York, NY); Lorna Simpson (b. 1960, Brooklyn, NY);
Shinique Smith (b. 1971, Baltimore, MD); Henry Taylor (b. 1958, Oxnard,
CA); Hank Willis Thomas (b. 1976, Plainfield, NJ); Mickalene Thomas (b.
1971, Camden, NJ); Kara Walker (b. 1969, Stockton, CA); Carrie Mae Weems
(b. 1953, Portland, OR); Kehinde Wiley (b. 1977, Los Angeles, CA);
Purvis Young (b. 1943, Miami, FL; d. 2010, Miami, FL).
We wish to acknowledge, with gratitude, the 30 Americans Community Advisory Council, a group of individuals who volunteered time and talent to guide and shape exhibition programming and maximize the long-term impact of the exhibition for the Museum and the community at large.
|
Precious McKesson, Community Advocate
Teresa Negron, Owner, Negron Consulting
Ashlei Spivey, Associate Program Officer, Peter Kiewit Foundation
Richard Webb, Chief Executive Officer, 100 Black Men of Omaha
Felicia Webster, Creative, Poet, Educator
Gwyn Williams, Program Director, Collective for Youth
|
Luper Akough, Vice President, Urban League of Nebraska Young Professionals
Ayanna Boykins, Education Director, Anti-Defamation League
Arvin Frazier III, Executive Director, College Possible Omaha
Janice Garnett, Educational Leadership, University of Nebraska Omaha
Suzanna George, Administrative Assistant, Inclusive Communities
Mark LeFlore, Manager, Administrative Services, Douglas County Youth Center |
Hours, Tickets, & Tours
30 Americans is open during all regular Museum hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm; late 'til 8 pm on Thursday. Closed Mondays and major holidays.
30 Americans is a ticketed exhibition:
General public adults: $10
(Thursday evening pricing, 4-8 pm: $5 for general public adults)
$5 for college students with a valid ID (tickets for those with a UNMC student ID are free)
Youth ages 17 and younger: Free
Joslyn Members: Free (Not a member?
Click here to join now!
Free First Weekends: 30 Americans exhibition tickets are free to all the first weekend of each month (February 2–3, March 2–3,
April 6–7, May 4–5; 10 am–4 pm daily). FINAL WEEKEND UPDATE! Joslyn is extending its hour Saturday, May 4. Come see the 30 Americans exhibition for free from 10 am until 8 pm on Saturday, May 4 (the Museum's Memorial Building will close at 4 pm as usual). A cash bar will be available in the Conagra Brands Atrium from 5 to 8 pm.
All visitors, including members, must obtain a ticket for entrance to the exhibition (no reservations necessary).
Programs with visits to the exhibition will be priced accordingly for general public adults. Docent-guided tours of the exhibition are offered on select days. Check the calendar of events for exact tour dates.
30 Americans ticket pricing applies.
What's pictured: Nick Cave (b. 1959, Jefferson City, MO), Untitled, 2008, fabric,
fiberglass, and metal, 102 x 36 x 28 in., Courtesy of the Rubell
Family Collection, Miami. Photo by Chi Lam.
Mobile 30 Americans
Joining Jack Becker, Executive Director and
CEO, and Karin Campbell, Phil Willson Curator
of Contemporary Art, on the
30 Americans
audio tour are guests Suzanna George, Ashlei
Spivey, Felicia Webster, and Gwyn Williams.
These community members each selected
two works in the exhibition and share their
impressions of and reactions to them. Free Wi-Fi is available in all Joslyn galleries. Bring your web-enabled mobile device or borrow one of ours to access the dual language
30 Americans mobile tour. Presented by Joslyn and OnCell. Call (402) 881-3601 to access the tour in English; (402) 972-4031 for the Spanish language tour. Tour access information also available on site and on the Museum's
mobile tour page.
Exhibition-Related Events & Programs
Friday, February 1; 5:30–8 pm
Monday, February 4; 12–3 pm
February–March
In partnership with Joslyn, Film Streams' winter repertory series, This is America, features ten films that complement the spectrum of experiences reflected in 30 Americans.
The series is curated by culture writer Ira Madison III, host of Crooked Media podcast
Keep It!, which garners over one million downloads a month. Madison is a television writer (most recently for Netflix's Daybreak) and has been included on The Advocate’s 50 Most Influential LGBTQs In Media and The Root's 100 Most Influential African Americans lists. His work has appeared in GQ, Vulture, Mr. Porter, among others.
Saturday, February 9 at Film Streams' Ruth Sokolof Theater @ 3 pm
This is America Repertory Film Series Kick-off
Thursday, February 28 @ 6:30 pm
Thursday, March 7 @ 6:30 pm
Thursday, March 28 @ 6:30 pm
Friday, April 12 @ 8 am
CreativeMornings: Inclusion
Many regularly scheduled programs will feature 30 Americans-inspired themes. Check these listings for details: