Black Art Saturday

It's surprising how many middle-school children come to school with wet coughs, clammy skin,  and feverish eyes.  Despite all efforts to dodge their projectile germs, by the time they come to my desk assuring me that "they feel much better, " I have already begun to feel sweaty and chilly at the same time.  Nevertheless, Saturday was one of those rare fall days not to be missed.  The temperature was  in the mid 60's, but the sun made it feel much warmer.  I lured Chloe away from the television and out of the house with promises of empanadas from La Sonrisa at The Highline.  Our first stop was the new Hudson Yard Station at 34th Street and 11th Avenue.  We rode the escalator up and down looking at the mosaics by Xenobia Bailey.    

Artist Xenobia Bailey

Next, we walked the length of The Highline to The Whitney Museum to see the Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist exhibit.  My first exposure to Motley's work was seeing his painting "The Octoroon Girl" used as cover art for Nella Larsen's novel Passing. 

Octoroon Girl

When the elevator opened onto the 8th Floor it was thrilling to see the purple and brown walls filled with vibrant painting of African-Americans.  Chloe noticed that Motley's portraits were realistic looking, while the other paintings looked more like "animation." His use of blue and green tones to highlight the diversity of African-American skin tones was beautiful and unexpected.  His paintings were inspired by locations as diverse as Chicago, Paris, and Mexico.  

Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist is on view at The Whitney Museum of American Art until January 17th.

The New Whitney

It didn't make sense to walk The High Line without visiting the new location of The Whitney Museum, so James and I bit the bullet and paid the $22.00 dollar admissions fee (unfortunately The Whitney does not have a teacher's discount or a IDNYC membership). We decided to take the stairs and were greeted with Felix Gonzalez-Torres's "Untitled (America)."

On the 5th floor, we encountered Fred Wilson's "Guarded View," which features mannequins dressed in the uniforms of museum guards from four New York City institutions.  The description of the exhibit mentions the fact that sometimes the guards are the only black people in the museum.  Seeing this definitely made me more conscious of the delicate balance these guards have to maintain; they must be authoritative yet non-confrontational.  They have to interact with people who may not be used to being told where they cannot be and what they cannot do by a black person.

Looking down the corridor of the museum it looked as if the real guards were an extension of the exhibit. 

The Whitney is home to work by other African-American artists such as William H. Johnson, Jean Michel Basquiat, Romare Bearden, Glenn Ligon, and Kara Walker. The space is bright and airy, and there is plenty of outdoor space which prevented it from feeling too crowded. 

Untitled (Negro Sunshine) by Glenn Ligon

One of the best parts of the day was having drinks in the sun at The Studio Cafe on the 8th floor. The view was amazing and it was a great spot for people watching.  On top of that the cocktails were pretty tasty!  We are so lucky to live in New York!