MLK Day: one step forward, two steps back
We’re approaching our first Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday after last summer’s protests of George Floyd’s murder. Can someone tell me where they think Black people in the arts are headed?
On the one hand, look at curator Naomi Beckwith’s career: she’s leaving Chicago for New York, to become the Guggenheim Museum’s new chief curator and deputy director. Starting in June 2021, Beckwith will oversee exhibitions and pretty much everything else the public experiences. Which is fantastic — I hope.
Curator Naomi Beckwith. (Photo credits: Tony Hisgett/ MCA Chicago/Guggenheim Museum NYC)
Yeah, she resigned her position last Friday. (No, I’m not going to name her.) The National Museum of Women in the Arts also dropped her from their advisory board. But she’d already served on the Ohio Arts Council since 2016, so… how many funding opportunities or leadership roles did artists of color miss out on, thanks to her influence?
Photo: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
I know, I know: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I imagine Dr. King is waiting for us at the other end of that arc. Maybe text him that we’re running late.
Connecting with your humanity, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
I don’t know who needs to see this, but it’s still true — more than fifty years after Martin Luther King, Jr. said it:
This MLK holiday weekend, how about we make a conscious effort to do things that make us more human?
Volunteer projects are great — and so is learning more about systemic inequalities that make volunteering so necessary. So is supporting art about fighting for freedom. Art is one of the most human ways to process these big issues — making it, seeing it in person, and even collecting art that moves you. If you’re specifically looking for my art, you’ll find it in Portland until the end of the month. Go: do something that helps you connect with people instead of things.
On asking artists to speak at your event
I know we haven’t even gotten to Halloween yet, but I’ve been thinking about January and February 2019. It reminded me of a hilarious comment I heard during an art event:
This person receives tons of last-minute requests to speak at this Black History Month event, or make a presentation at that Martin Luther King Jr. Day gathering. In one sentence, the person made several points:
I am available for (paid) speaking engagements all year round, not just in January or February
Please don’t wait until a week or two before your event to invite me to speak
I am perfectly capable of speaking about topics other than being a person of African descent
I’m not nearly as well known as that person I quoted, but I was invited to speak at five events during January and February 2018. I accepted four of those invitations.
Me speaking at North Seattle College, with artists Gabrielle Nomura Gainor, Elisheba Johnson & Tariqa Waters
Know why I turned down the fifth event? Because the organizer waited until mid-February to ask, and was hoping to compensate me in “exposure” to potential art collectors. Maybe I would’ve said yes anyway… but I was a little busy with events related to my museum show, and curating a group art exhibit.
So here’s your take-away, if you’re going to invite an artist to speak at your event: Ask early, and offer tangible compensation for their time. Even gas money or social media love is better than “exposure.” And yes, now would be a good time to book me for MLK Day or Black History Month 2019.