El Franco Lee II, DJ Screw in Heaven 2, 2016, acrylic on black canvas with cassette tape, 60 x 60 x 1 in.
Courtesy of the artist
A new show “exploring the undeniable impact that southern Black culture has had on the identity of the American South” is now on view at Crystal Bridges.
The show, called “The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse” opened last weekend, and includes work spanning 100 years, including visual art, material objets, sound, and music.
There are paintings, installations, drawings, sculptures, video pieces, mixed media pieces, and more in the new show, curated by Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: Valerie Cassel Oliver, VMFA’s Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.
Deborah Roberts, Let Them Be Children, 2018, acrylic, pastel, ink, and gouache on canvas, 46 1/2 x 141 3/4 x 2 3/8 in. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Endowment, 2019.
Courtesy of the artist
Artists featured in The Dirty South include Nari Ward, Paul Stephen Benjamin, Nick Cave, Kara Walker and Fahamu Pecou, and several others.
From the description of the show:
The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse, organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, examines the aesthetic and musical traditions of southern Black culture in the past century, influences now common throughout the American South and contemporary American art and culture.
In an immersive experience that engages multiple senses, The Dirty South spotlights the southern landscape through its musical heritage, spiritual complexity, and regional swagger. The exhibition features works of sculpture, paintings, works on paper, assemblage, textiles, and music as well as ephemera from music culture, including instruments, music videos, costumes, lyrics, and personal effects. Ultimately, The Dirty South creates an engaging opportunity to experience a deeper understanding of the African American South and its undeniable imprint on the history of American art.
The show officially opened on March 12, and is set to run through July 25.
Tickets are $12 for adults, and free for SNAP participants, Veterans, and kids under 18.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit crystalbridges.org.
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