Persevere and Resist: The Strong Black Women of Elizabeth Catlett
June 5 - August 29
Built around The Black Woman series (1946-1947), which was gifted to your collection at the Brooks in 2001, this exhibition re-examines the Black women in Elizabeth Catlett’s oeuvre through contemporary psychological frameworks such as the “StrongBlackWoman” trope. Inspired by new thinking from the fields of psychology; women’s, gender, and sexuality studies; and sociology —and fueled by the increased social unrest and calls for a racial reckoning in this country this year — this exhibition highlights the historic and current plights of Black women in America specifically.
Memphis Artists In Real Time
On view through July 10
How do artists navigate conflict in real time? For Memphis photojournalists Johnathan “Malik” Martin and Andrea Morales, the answer may seem, at first, simple. Their job is to take pictures that tell a story to be used in digital or print journalism. In these examples, viewers experience powerful stories about Memphis during “Safer at Home” and the various crises that ensued after the pandemic began in March through the presidential election of November 2020.
Power and Absence: Women in Europe, 1500 - 1680
Currently on view
This reimagining of the Schilling Gallery explores the representation of women in Europe from around 1500 to 1680, known as the Renaissance and Early Baroque period. Most of the works in this room have been made by men. Women are represented as untouchable ideals, threatening monsters, enterprising community leaders, ornamental accessories to power, and models of faith. Portraits of men, meanwhile, express their power, talents, or intellect.
Drawing Memory: Essence of Memphis
Victor Ekpuk, a Nigerian American artist, painted a mural for the new African art galleries in March 2017. His art is inspired by nsibidi, a sacred means of communication among male secret societies in southeastern Nigeria.
Carroll Cloar Gallery
In honor of Carroll Cloar and to commemorate the museum’s hundredth anniversary, the Brooks Museum created a gallery dedicated to his art.
Arts of Global Africa
On view through October 3
The arts of Africa are as varied as the continent itself, which encompasses over fifty independent countries and thousands of languages. This diversity is reflected in the exceptional works of art on view, most of which are on long-term loan from the Newark Museum’s extensive African art collection. Bringing together historic and contemporary works in a range of different media, the selection of works presents an expansive vision of Africa’s artistry.