The Aperture Foundation is offering a stunning traveling exhibition on the work of Kwame Brathwaite (b. 1938), the first show dedicated to Brathwaite's remarkable career. A Renaissance man of the 1950s and 1960s, Kwame Brathwaite - a photographer born in Brooklyn, raised in the Bronx and lived as a young professional in Harlem - was deeply interested in Black economic liberation and freedom. After learning of Emmett Till's horrific murder, and seeing his open casket published in Jet magazine, Brathwaite and his brother Elombe, vowed to use art as a vehicle for social change. Together they founded the African Jazz-Art Society & Studios (AJASS) - a collective of artists and other creatives who supported the work of Miles Davis, Abbey Lincoln, Max Roach, among others. They also promoted a message of economic empowerment through their campaign of "Think Black, Buy Black." By the 1960s, Brathwaite sought to address the white conception of beauty and coined the term "Black is Beautiful," which he promoted through his photographs. His modeling troupe, Grandassa Models, often served as his primary subjects during this period, and they produced annual fashion shows at the Apollo Theater.

Today, Brathwaite resides in New York City and is married to a former Grandassa Model, Sikolo Brathwaite. Brathwaite says of his work of the 1950s and '60s, "It was a time when people were protesting injustices related to race, class, and human rights around the globe. I focused on perfecting my craft so that I could use my gift to inspire thought, relay ideas, and tell stories of our struggle, our work, our liberation."

Number of Works: 42 framed works. Blue Note record albums featuring Brathwaite’s photographs and garments will also travel with the exhibition. Also included are high resolution files of historical AJASS and Grandassa posters to be printed by the Exhibitor for exhibition display.
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Organized by: the Aperture Foundation, New York and the artist's son, Kwame S. Brathwaite

Availability: into 2022
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Prospectus: https://bit.ly/KBrathwaite_ApertureFdn

Additional resources: 
Kwame Brathwaite's website
Artsy: Kwame Brathwaite's Photographic Vision of a Black Female Utopia
The Guardian: Black is Beautiful: Celebrating the Significance of Kwame Brathwaite

All photographs below attributed to artist, Kwame Braithwaite:

JOHN BUCK: PRINTS & SCULPTURES FROM THE JORDAN D. SCHNITZER FAMILY FOUNDATION

In light of the COVID-19 crisis and its lasting financial impact on the art world, I thought it would be refreshing to post an available traveling exhibition that is very affordable: it's free. That's correct; this is not a typo. The Jordan D. Schnitzer Family Foundation, in collaboration with the Hallie Ford Art Museum, are graciously offering a beautiful show by the masterful John Buck, an American printmaker and sculptor (who also happens to be married to the equally talented Deborah Butterfield) available at no additional cost, outside of shipping and insurance. Don't miss out on this exquisite show and opportunity!

Number of works: 31 prints & 8 sculptures; also includes section panels & didactics. A catalogue is also available for purchase

Space requirements: 2,600 square feet & 300 linear feet

Organized by: Jordan D. Schnitzer Family Foundation & the Hallie Ford Art Museum

Booking period: flexible within 12 weeks

Availability: May 2021 & onward

Participation fee: no fee. The host venue is responsible for prorated shipping & insurance. 

Prospectus: https://bit.ly/JohnBuck 
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The Louisiana State University Museum of Art has organized a very interesting and timely traveling exhibition by the outstanding Carrie Mae Weems. Carrie Mae Weems: The Usual Suspects includes recent photographic and video works questioning stereotypes that associate black bodies with criminality. Themes of police brutality and judicial inaction are addressed through portraiture and video. Blocks of color obscuring faces point to the constructed nature of our notions of race and how these imagined concepts obscure humanity—with very real and deadly outcomes. 

Number of Works & Size: 9 works (includes 5 diptychs, 2 installations of 5+ panels, and video projection). Minimum size: 150 linear feet

Organized by: Louisiana State University Museum of Art

Booking Period: 10–12 weeks

Availability: January 2019–December 2022
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Participation Fee: $10,000

Prospectus: http://bit.ly/CarrieMaeWeems_LSU 

Images (below): installation shots of Carrie Mae Weems: The Usual Suspects; courtesy of LSU Museum of Art.