The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) has welcomed two new exhibits that will be on display at the Museum for the fall and winter seasons: “Vision & Spirit: African American Art | Works from the Bank of America Collection” and “Black Healthcare Studies: Black Students Breaking Barriers in Medicine.”
“Vision & Spirit,” which has been loaned through the Bank of America Art in our Communities program, is a collection of nearly 100 paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, and mixed media works by 48 renowned African American artists born in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Curated in partnership with the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, artists in the exhibition include Henry Clay Anderson, Chelle Barbour, Romare Bearden, Dawoud Bey, Willie Cole, Murry DePillars, Jacob Lawrence, Whitfield Lovell, Gordon Parks, Faith Ringgold, Jamel Shabazz, and James VanDerZee.
The exhibition, which spans two gallery spaces, focuses on these talented individuals’ strength and spirit as creative forces whose work continues to shape our understanding of the world. “Vision & Spirit” will be on display until February 19, 2023.
“Black Healthcare Studies” explores the adverse history and barriers faced by Black students pursuing careers in healthcare. Artist Doriana Diaz uses mixed media and collaged compositions to transform everyday objects and archival materials into afro-futuristic depictions of Black figures in healthcare.
Diaz draws inspiration from afro-feminist caretaking and activism histories, historical research, and personal testimonials from Janita Matoke, an incoming student at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine who holds a master’s degree in public health at Thomas Jefferson University.
Diaz’s artistry and Matoke’s scholarship converge for an interdisciplinary analysis of systemic racism faced by Black healthcare students and the unique culture and tools through which they transcend these hardships. “Black Healthcare Studies” is on display until November 27, 2022, in the Museum’s Jack T. Franklin Auditorium.
In addition to “Vision & Spirit,” also currently on display is the Museum’s permanent exhibition “Audacious Freedom: African Americans in Philadelphia 1776 – 1876” presented by PECO. This exhibition recounts the stories of and contributions made by people of African descent in Philadelphia during the tumultuous century following our nation’s founding. Additional support for AAMP’s exhibits and programming is provided by PNC Arts Alive and PECO.
To learn more about the current exhibitions at the African American Museum in Philadelphia and to purchase admission and/or membership to AAMP, visit: www.aampmuseum.org/.
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