My Ancestors' Wildest Dreams |
|
Artwork Title: The Couple in Raccoon Coats
Artist: James Van Der Zee
1932, gelatin silver print on paper, 2015/2.34
|
|
"Van Der Zee was an American photographer best known for his portraits of Black New Yorkers from the early 1900s through the 1940s, in which he documented the lives of Harlem residents. When I saw The Couple in Raccoon Coats, I immediately thought of the song 'I'm Looking For A Miracle' sung by Detroit's own Clark Sisters. One of the lyrics is 'God will make a way out of no way.' This picture personifies the notion that even in difficult times like the Great Depression, Black people will make a way out of no way. Black people are resilient, and we keep moving forward despite all pitfalls. We keep rising and showing up in spaces where we could never be. When I look at this photograph, I am reminded that I too am worthy of a raccoon coat, and I am my ancestors’ wildest dream!"
|
|
Commentary contributed by:
Kianté McKinley
Kianté is a graduate student in the School of Social Work pursuing an MSW. As a social work student, he intentionally engages with anti-racist pedagogy, learning about equitable and affirming practices, and holding himself and his classmates accountable to the Social Work Code of Ethics. He chooses to participate actively and contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion in so many ways is indicative of his personal and professional commitment to those ideals. Despite only having been a student since August, Kianté has already helped to make the School of Social Work a more diverse, inclusive, intersectional, and anti-racist space through events he has planned and hosted, conversations he has had, leadership positions he has held, and resources he has created and made available.
|
|
Reflection Prompts:
- When thinking about the Black Experience, what other images come to mind?
- Which feelings ignite in you when looking at this photograph?
- What are modern-day equivalents to the raccoon coats?
|
|
2021 Juneteenth Symposium: Celebrating Black Joy, Hope, and Healing
This year’s University-wide celebration of Juneteenth will consist of a week’s worth of virtual events. This inaugural Juneteenth observance aims to celebrate and recognize the liberation of all Black people from slavery, made official by the emancipation on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas. Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day. It is celebrated throughout the nation and as a state holiday in Michigan. Our goal is to bring together the U-M and Ann Arbor communities to ensure that all students, staff, faculty, and residents feel a deep sense of belonging. Having you as part of the celebration will help underscore the importance of Juneteenth while advancing our educational mission and provoking conversations that matter just as much now as they did in 1865.
Ozi Uduma, UMMA's Assistant Curator of Global Contemporary Art, will be giving a talk called "Articulations of Blackness, Black Life, and Black History in University of Michigan Museum of Arts’s Collections" at 10:25 a.m. on Wednesday, June 16.
Begins on Monday, June 14
10 a.m.
|
|
Texan Textiles
In 2015, for the 150th anniversary of the 1865 proclamation that all slaves were now free, the Bullock Texas State History Museum displayed an exhibition called And Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations. The exhibition featured quilts created by over 50 contemporary artists from the Women of Color Quilters Network. Many of the quilts make use of bright colors, photographs, and 3D elements--definitely not quilts you'd ever put on your bed!
|
|
Waving in the Wind
Juneteenth has its own flag! Designed in 1997 and revised in 2000, it features a white star within a bursting outline, with a slight arc separating the blue section from the red. Some flags also have "June 19, 1865" in white text on one edge. You might see them flying in parks or near government buildings.
|
|
© 2021 UMMA, All rights reserved. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
