To honor former community leader James Blackshear and unite area residents in a spirit of partnership, Hope Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church and the Kiwanis Club of Utica are sponsoring the Annual James Blackshear Memorial Prayer Luncheon.
Black artists will take center stage at Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute art museum this summer, with a pair of exhibitions launching Saturday, June 19.
The exhibitions don’t just explore works by Black artists, but the historical marginalization they face from the established world of art galleries, museums and private collectors.
Emma Amos: Color Odyssey is a major retrospective on the eponymous artist, whose career spanned nearly six decades. Amos combined her interest in painting, printmaking, weaving and collage in mixed media works exploring what it meant to be a woman and artist of color during civil rights and feminist movements.
Call & Response: Collecting African American Art will explore the museum’s effort to diversify its collection over the past 30 years. Works from the permanent collection by artists like Jean-Michael Basquiat and Carrie Mae Weems will be displayed and interpreted by eight community commentators via a multimedia app.