Norman Lewis,
Untitled,
Mixed media on paper,
4 / 1960,
19 7/8 x 23 inches
With our ever growing commitment to highlighting artists, The Bishop Gallery will launch a series of exhibits aimed at showcasing the works of underrepresented artists in accredited art institutions. On October 20, 2016, Bridging the Gap Vol. I, the first installment of the series, will mainly focus on the role race plays in forming society’s perspective of which artists are deemed significant, in the art industry and throughout art history. The exhibition, inspired by a Randy Kennedy NY Times article, “Black Artists and the March Into the Museum”, runs through Dec 31, 2016.
Bridging The Gap Vol. I is centered around living master artists such as Ed Clark and Emmett Wigglesworth, while highlighting the next generation of history making artist like Jules Arthur and Faheem Majeed. The exhibition aims to fill the void left behind by the incomplete narratives of art history, which serves as the status quo for most museums. Kennedy so eloquently describes the “status quo” in the museums across America, as it relates to Black and Brown artists in his article as, “After decades of spotty acquisitions, undernourished scholarship and token exhibitions, American museums are rewriting the history of 20th-century art to include black artists in a more visible and meaningful way than ever before, playing historical catch-up at full tilt, followed by collectors who are rushing to find the most significant works before they are out of reach.”
Bridging The Gap Vol. I, aspires to celebrate living artists and not repeat the errors of major institutions, by only exhibiting a snippet of work, from primarily deceased artists of color. With a 1960 mix media work on paper by Norman Lewis being the exception, living legends such as Otto Neals, Dick Griffin, Nannette Carter, and Dinga McCannon will occupy the same walls as legends in the making like Taha Clayton, Charles Jean Pierre, and Delilah Benitez.
The notion that museums have fallen short, when it comes to the inclusion of Black and Brown artists, is what shapes the perspective of the Bishop Gallery. The gallery believes, “The museum world is filled with politics and we understand that, but if we, The Bishop Gallery (a small gallery in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn) can curate exhibitions of this caliber, with this selection of living artists, there should be no reason why American museums can’t do the same, if not better. “
While museums play “historical catch up”, The Bishop Gallery aims to take advantage of this rare moment to shape a more inclusive depiction of art history. A history curated from their unique perspective, which includes both world-renowned and emerging Black and Brown artists.
Bridging The Gap Vol. I is centered around living master artists such as Ed Clark and Emmett Wigglesworth, while highlighting the next generation of history making artist like Jules Arthur and Faheem Majeed. The exhibition aims to fill the void left behind by the incomplete narratives of art history, which serves as the status quo for most museums. Kennedy so eloquently describes the “status quo” in the museums across America, as it relates to Black and Brown artists in his article as, “After decades of spotty acquisitions, undernourished scholarship and token exhibitions, American museums are rewriting the history of 20th-century art to include black artists in a more visible and meaningful way than ever before, playing historical catch-up at full tilt, followed by collectors who are rushing to find the most significant works before they are out of reach.”
Bridging The Gap Vol. I, aspires to celebrate living artists and not repeat the errors of major institutions, by only exhibiting a snippet of work, from primarily deceased artists of color. With a 1960 mix media work on paper by Norman Lewis being the exception, living legends such as Otto Neals, Dick Griffin, Nannette Carter, and Dinga McCannon will occupy the same walls as legends in the making like Taha Clayton, Charles Jean Pierre, and Delilah Benitez.
The notion that museums have fallen short, when it comes to the inclusion of Black and Brown artists, is what shapes the perspective of the Bishop Gallery. The gallery believes, “The museum world is filled with politics and we understand that, but if we, The Bishop Gallery (a small gallery in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn) can curate exhibitions of this caliber, with this selection of living artists, there should be no reason why American museums can’t do the same, if not better. “
While museums play “historical catch up”, The Bishop Gallery aims to take advantage of this rare moment to shape a more inclusive depiction of art history. A history curated from their unique perspective, which includes both world-renowned and emerging Black and Brown artists.