Persevere & Resist: The Strong Black Women of Elizabeth Catlett
June 5, 2021 - August 29, 2021
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.
Mona Hatoum: Misbah
June 26, 2021 - January 9, 2022
Hatoum is one of the best-known contemporary artists in the world, but her work has never been shown in Tennessee. Patrons will enter this special room to see a lantern that is spinning and casting images reminiscent of Arabic designs. As they look closer, they will notice soldiers at war. What they might have thought were stars are actually wartime explosions. The work juxtaposes a beautiful atmosphere with a sobering depiction of war
On Christopher Street: Transgender Portraits by Mark Seliger
September 18, 2021 – January 9, 2022
Mark Seliger, a well-known photographer, has captured striking portraits of some of the transgender residents of New York City’s famed Christopher Street. This will be the first time this body of work will be shown in a museum, and it is the first transgender-focused art exhibition the Brooks has ever organized.
Andy Warhol: Silver Clouds
Created in 1966, Warhol’s Silver Clouds consists of a room full of floating metallic balloons. The balloons are inflated with a proprietary mixture of air and pure helium, enabling them to float mesmerizingly in the space between the floor and the ceiling. Presented by nexAir and sponsored by Debi and Galen Havner