Art News

An inside look at events and happenings in the contemporary art world.

Delita Martin, New Beginnings (detail), 2017, mixed media. Collection of Sheila C. Johnson. Photo by Joshua Asante.

Delita Martin at NMWA
The work of multifaceted artist Delita Martin is currently on view at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. Featuring seven monumental works, Delita Martin: Calling Down the Spirits explores themes of interconnections between past and present generations with the objective of creating new iconography for African Americans based on African tradition, personal recollections and physical materials. Martin’s signature creations of large-scale prints—onto which she draws, sews, collages and paints—will be on view through April 19.

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Mary Buckman, Late Bloomer, stone, ed. 1 of 1, 15 x 19 x 13"

California sculpture
Sparks Gallery in San Diego, California, collaborates with the National Sculpture Society to host the Contemporary California Sculpture show. Organized in a smaller capacity than in previous years, the show will still feature high-quality, contemporary sculpture from some of the top artists working in the SoCal and greater San Francisco area, including Mark Edward Adams, Cynthia Siegel, Ann Geiler, Ruth Green and others. The show will be on view through March 29.

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Lesley Dill, Rise, 2006-2007, laminated fabric, hand-dyed cotton, paper, metal, silk and organza with cotton. Gift of Lesley Dill, 2015.6.

The F Word
Continuing the outpouring of support for the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the U.S., the Hunter Museum of American Art’s The F Word: We Mean Female! celebrates many of the incredible works in its collection by women artists. The show, which begins May 22, includes a range of artworks with a mix of subjects, styles and media. Larger installation pieces will also be spotlighted, many of which are rarely on view.

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Amy Sherald, Precious jewels by the sea, 2019, oil on canvas, 120 x 108 x 2½". © Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo by Joseph Hyde.

Major acquisition
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art has announced new acquisitions to its permanent collection, all by contemporary female artists including Amy Sherald, Marie Watt, Lorraine O’Grady and Dyani White Hawk. The acquisitions highlight the museum’s commitment to an inclusive collection. The works include Precious jewels by the sea, 2019, by Sherald; Watt’s Companion Species (Speech Bubble), 2019; Untitled (Mlle Bourgeoise Noire), 1980-83 and 2009, by O’Grady; and She Gives (Quiet Strength V), 2019, by White Hawk.

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Will Wilson, K’ómoks Imperial Stormtrooper (Andy Everson), Citizen of the K’ómoks First Nation, 2017, from the series Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange: dzidzelalič (Seattle), inkjet print, 50 x 40". © Will Wilson. Photo courtesy the artist.

Continuous Fire
Àbadakone | Continuous Fire | Feu continuel is the second exhibition in the National Gallery of Canada’s series of presentations of contemporary international Indigenous art. The exhibition features works by more than 70 artists identifying with almost 40 Indigenous nations, ethnicities and tribal affiliations from 16 countries. Including all manner of media from two-dimensional art to performance art to video, the show builds on themes of continuity, activation and relatedness. The exhibition is on view through April 5.

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Richard Yarde (after Gjon Mili), Savoy: Leon & Willa Mae, 1989, watercolor on paper. The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection. © Richard Yarde 1989.

Teen-curated show
Black Histories, Black Futures marks the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s first ever teen-curated exhibition. The show, which will remain on view through June 2021, came together through a new partnership with local youth empowerment organizations Becoming a Man (BAM), The BASE and the Bloomberg Arts Internship Boston program. Black Histories, Black Futures features nearly 50 powerful paintings and works on paper from the 20th century, all created by black artists. —