On Tuesday Dec 19, at 11.30 a.m. Joseph Gallivan interviews curator Intisar Abioto about the show called Black Artists of Oregon, which is on now at the Portland Art Museum through March 17, 2024.
Abioto https://www.intisarabioto.com/ talks about six of the artist whose 200 works are on view. The show illustrates the richness, reach and preoccupations of Black artists in Oregon. She also refers to a clip from a 1977 KBOO program about Black artists in Portland. Listeners can find the full half hour on the Art Focus page of the KBOO website. https://kboo.fm/blog/56541
This show was recorded on a Zoom H2N recorder on December 15, 2023, edited by Joseph Gallivan, and engineered by Ray Bodwell https://kboo.fm/blog/55224
FROM THE PRESS RELEASE:
https://portlandartmuseum.org/event/black-artists-of-oregon/
Overview
Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.
Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 69 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.
“An intergenerational exhibit featuring 67 Black artists all cut from remarkably unique cloths, creating a metaphorical (or spiritual) quilt that is as diverse as it is dynamic as it is impactful as it is stunning.”
The KBOO clip is from a December 12, 1977 episode of Black History hosted by Rosemary Allen.
Rosemary Allen's sixth and final show in her series on the program Black History, with producing support by Pascal Landa. The topic was Art and the Black Artist. It features outstanding members of the Black Portland arts community engaged in art in its various forms: Sculptor Charles H. Tatum; fashion designer and painter Bobby Fouther (manager of House of Sounds record shop); Jefferson High School jazz dance teacher Raymond Sawyer; singer, actress and former Ms. Oregon World Deborah Hicks; and trumpeter Thara Memory. It also promotes KBOO's 2nd annual Christmas Party...did you attend? Were you a KBOO listener in the 70s?
KBOO and your money
It's fall pledge drive time and we need your money. KBOO is 55 years old, a difficult age.
Art Focus on K-B-O-O Portland is the show where artists talk about their work. I want to remind you that KBOO is a volunteer-powered community platform. That means we are funded by you, the listener.
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To hear previous episodes of Art Focus or any of our KBOO public affairs programming, just go to KBOO dot F-M or listen on iTunes, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Joseph Gallivan has been a reporter since 1990. He has covered music for the London Independent, Technology for the New York Post, and arts and culture for the Portland Tribune, where he is currently a Feature Writer. He is the author of two novels, "Oi, Ref!" and "England All Over" which are available on Amazon.com