Accepted codes of race like “white” and “black” are constructed societal, political, and economic identities. They are used as the justifying principles for enslavement of Africans by Americans in order to build a new nation’s economy. Racial identity continues to permeate our perceptions of self, and have an ongoing impact that cannot be eluded. Constructing Identity speaks to the fact that “Identity” is not impermeable, it must be consistently explored and reinvented. This exhibition aims to create a context for ideas about identity based on a wealth of representations by African-American artists in this century and the twentieth century. We offer viewers the occasion to study this art to form a more complete view of African Americans and our artistic history. The works on display reveal the dynamic nature, narratives, and impulses that constitute the full humanity of the African-American experience.
Berrisford Boothe
http://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/constructing-identity/
- KBOO