In the fall of 2023, the SFAC's Visual Arts Committee approved the fabrication phase of Portrait of A Phenomenal Woman, a monument to honor Dr. Maya Angelou for the San Francisco Main Library. What an epic journey this has been! I am THRILLED to finally be in this phase of the project and GRATEFUL to everyone for their support.
Gallery Talk at SFMoMA: Witness Hung Liu - December 9, 2023
To mark the closing of the exhibition, Hung Liu: Witness at SFMoMA, former students and artists close to Hung Liu during her lifetime were invited to speak about a work in the exhibition. It was wonderful to join Rosana Castrillo Diaz, Maryellen Herringer, and Yulia Pinkusevich as we shared memories of Hung and gave insights into her work. The exhibition included paintings Liu made while in China during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, as well as works made shortly before she died.
Clouds of Joy is at ICA SF through June
Installation view of Resting Our Eyes, Courtesy of ICA San Francisco. Photo by Impart Photography.
“If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression.” ––Combahee River Collective Statement.
I’m thrilled to share that Clouds of Joy (2021) is featured in Resting Our Eyes at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. The exhibition, which centers the liberation of Black women through radical acts of rest and luxury, was featured in The Cut.
Curated by Tahirah Rasheed and Autumn Breon, my work is shown alongside Derrick Adams, Sadie Barnette, Traci Bartlow, Knowledge Bennett, LaKela Brown, Genevieve Gaignard, Ja'Tovia Gary, Lauren Halsey, Simone Leigh, Helina Metaferia, Ebony G. Patterson, Alison Saar, Lorna Simpson, Hank Willis Thomas, Mickalene Thomas, Adana Tillman, Leila Weefur, Carrie Mae Weems, and Deborah Willis.
Thank you to Tahirah, Autumn, the entire ICA SF team and supporters of the exhibition for their generous contributions.
Harriet tubman featured in ‘free as they want to be’
Harriet Tubman (2020) was included in ‘Free as they want to be’: Artists Committed to Memory which closed in March 2023. The exhibition considered the historic and contemporary role photography and film have played in remembering legacies of slavery and its aftermath. ‘Free as they want to be’ examines the social lives of Black and white Americans within the context of the land, at home, photographic albums, at historic sites and in public memory.
The exhibition was curated by Deborah Willis, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the Department of Photography & Imaging at the Tisch School of the Arts, and Cheryl Finley, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Art History at Cornell University.
The catalogue, found here, includes 20 artists working in photography, video, silkscreen, projection, and mixed media installation: Terry Adkins, Radcliffe Bailey, J. P. Ball & A. S. Thomas, Sadie Barnette, Dawoud Bey, Sheila Pree Bright, Bisa Butler, Omar Victor Diop, Nona Faustine, Adama Delphine Fawundu, Daesha Devón Harris, Isaac Julien, Catherine Opie, Yelaine Rodriguez, Hank Willis Thomas, Lava Thomas, Carrie Mae Weems, Wendel A. White, William Earle Williams. The book is edited by Cheryl Finley and Deborah Willis.
Homecoming exhibited at Spelman College Museum of Fine Art!
What an incredible honor to have Lava Thomas: Homecoming be the first exhibition to open at Spelman College Museum of Fine Art after the museum’s two year closure due to COVID. The exhibition included three bodies of work: Mugshot Portraits: Women of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (2018-2021), Decatur (2022) and Looking Back and Seeing Now (2015-2021). Having the work exhibited at such a historic institution was a heartfelt and profound experience.
The exhibition’s opening featured a series of programs, including a lunch discussion and tour of the exhibition with Spelman’s Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective. In attendance were Liz Andrews, Ph.D., Executive Director, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art; Bridget R. Cooks, Ph.D., Curator of Lava Thomas: Homecoming and Professor of African American Studies and Art History at U.C. Irvine; Cheryl Finley, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept. of History of Art and Visual Studies at Cornell University, Inaugural Director of the Atlanta University Center Collective for the Study of Art History and Curatorial Studies, Professor of Art & Visual Culture at Spelman College; Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Ph.D., Founding Director of the Women’s Research and Resource Center, Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women’s Studies at Spelman College; Cynthia Neal Spence, Ph.D., Co-chair of Sociology and Anthropology, Social Justice Fellows Program Director, UNCF/Mellon Programs Director, Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology at Spelman College; Visiting Faculty Evelynn M. Hammonds, Ph.D., Barbara Gutmann Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science, Professor of African and African American Studies, Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, T. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard. Inaugural Audre Lorde Visiting Professor of Queer Studies at Spelman College; and Karen Comer Lowe Curator-in-Residence at Spelman College.
Endless thanks to Bridget, Liz, the entire Spelman College Museum of Fine Art Team, Spelman’s Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective, and the many supporters of the exhibition. Heartfelt gratitude to the descendants of the women of the Montgomery Bus Boycott for your presence and warmth.
Feature in Alta Journal's Summer Issue
It is an honor to be featured in Alta Journal’s summer issue! Much gratitude to Faith Adiele for her thoughtful coverage of my work and activism, and a special thank you to photographer Carolyn Fong, Creative Director John Goecke, and the whole creative team at Alta.
Lava Thomas: Homecoming at Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
Lava Thomas: Homecoming recently closed at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in Montgomery, Alabama. The exhibition included three bodies of work: Mugshot Portraits: Women of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (2018-2021), Looking Back and Seeing Now (2015-2021), and Decatur (2022). Much gratitude to Bridget Cooks, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Art History and African American Studies at UC Irvine, for bringing this work to the MMFA, and to the team at the MMFA for such an amazing job with the installation and programming. An exhibition catalogue is available through Sming Sming Books with essays by Bridget R. Cooks, Ph.D., Bertis D. English, Ph.D., and Jennifer Jankauskas, Ph.D. Thank you to Vivian Sming for creating such a beautiful catalogue.
Having this work exhibited in the city where the historic boycott took place was a gratifying and humbling experience. It was incredible to meet so many descendent families of the women who participated in the Montgomery Bus Boycott during the opening reception. I’m grateful for their participation in the exhibition through MMFA’s Culture Connect program.
I want to highlight the works in Decatur (2022). Decatur (2022) is my most recent body of work which is anchored by a life size portrait of my maternal great-great-great-grandfather, Charles H. Arthur.
Charles H. Arthur was born a free man in Ripley, Ohio and served in the Civil War as a private in Company K, 5th US Colored Infantry. Upon his honorable discharge, he changed his name from William Eckler––the name of his father's enslaver. The act of shedding his father's slave name and taking a name of his own choosing was an assertion of autonomy and self-sovereignty, but it impeded Charles Arthur's ability to receive his military pension - because he had to “prove” his identity as William Eckler, the soldier.
An eight-year long legal battle ensued which he ultimately won. The portrait in the exhibition is based on the photograph that was sent to Charles H. Arthur’s fellow soldiers to confirm his military service and identity, and the document archive generated from the legal battle reveals his life story.
The Artist's Eye at BAMPFA
My first museum curatorial project took place at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive as part of The Artist's Eye exhibition. The Artist's Eye included curatorial projects by artists Tammy Rae Carland, David Huffman and John Zurier with works selected from BAMPFA's vast permanent collection, as well as two new works for the exhibition––my first video, Solidarity Redux: Black Lives Matter and Aspects of the Artist’s Dilemma.
My curatorial offering commemorates the 50th anniversary of Betye Saar's iconic "The Liberation of Aunt Jemima" with a selection of works by a multigenerational group of Black women artists: Betye Saar, Mildred Howard, Erica Deeman, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Carrie Mae Weems, Mary Lovelace O'Neal, Sadie Barnette, and Adrian Piper. My curation also embraces curatorial activism and institutional critique by bringing attention to the dearth of works by Black women artists in BAMPFA's permanent collection, and calls for greater representation of Black women across all aspects of BAMPFA's leadership, programming and administration. I also call for a commitment by BAMPFA to do the transformational work necessary to create a culture where Black women's (and all people's) creative and intellectual work can thrive.
In Solidarity Redux: Black Lives Matter (2022), my first work in video, I read aloud the racial justice solidarity statements released by museums across the country in the wake of worldwide Black Lives Matter protests after the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others in the summer of 2020. In activating these statements through speech, I’m drawing parallels with the action required by stated promises that may or may not have been delivered, with statements from institutions with “much work still to be done”, contrasted with statements by institutions whose mission is to support Black communities and Black artists.
Aspects of the Artist’s Dilemma (2022), another new work created for the exhibition, takes its inspiration from Aspects of the Liberal Dilemma (1978) by Adrian Piper. The work is created from enlarged pages of my journal where I reflect on the issues that I encountered while working on The Artist’s Eye exhibition. Aspects of the Artist's Dilemma begins with the quote by Angela Davis “You have to act as if it were possible to change the world, and you have to do it all of the time.” Through this work, I urge museums (BAMPFA included) to contend with the legacies of exclusion and structural racism that exists within and throughout their institutions and to enact a process of change that will facilitate a sense of belonging and agency, not only for Black women, but for all people.
Dr. Maya Angelou Monument Update!
Last month the SFAC’s Visual Arts Committee unanimously approved my updated design for “Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman”, a monument to honor Dr. Maya Angelou. Now the fabrication process begins. WHAT A JOURNEY! Much GRATITUDE for everyone’s support!
The Artist's Eye @ BAMPFA: March 19-July 17, 2022
The Artist's Eye opens to the public on March 19th (Member Preview Days: March 17-18th) at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive! I am thrilled that the exhibition will finally open after postponements due to Covid.
The exhibition offers a fresh perspective on BAMPFA's permanent collection, with curated selections by artists Tammy Rae Carland, David Huffman, John Zurrier, and myself. My curated section commemorates the 50th anniversary of Betye Saar's The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, with a selection of works by a multigenerational group of Black women artists. In addition to our individually curated galleries, we will each exhibit our own work. This is my first curatorial role at a museum, and I'm also presenting new work created especially for the exhibition.
Learn more about the exhibition by visiting www.bampfa.org.
'Mugshot Portraits: Women of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Euretta F. Adair)' on view at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture
Gifted to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture by Cheryl and Charles Ward, Mugshot Portraits: Women of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Euretta F. Adair) is on view in Reckoning: Protest. Defiance. Resilience. The exhibition tells stories of injustice, resistance and courage—and looks at the ways in which visual art has long provided its own protest, commentary, escape and perspective for African Americans. The portrait is based on the mugshot taken after her arrest on February 21, 1956 for her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Also presented through Smithsonian Hi—a digital museum experience that allows visitors to engage with museum objects beyond the physical museum.
'Mugshot Portraits: Women of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Lottie Green Varner)' Included in the Mildred Lane Kemper Museum's 'The Outwin: American Portraiture Today'
Mugshot Portraits: Women of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Lottie Green Varner) was included in the Mildred Lane Kemper Museum’s The Outwin: American Portraiture Today community-sourced audio guide, Interpreted by Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond, poet, performer, educator, public intellectual, arts organizer, and entrepreneur based in the St. Louis Metro East. The audio guide was created by St. Louis community members and Washington University colleagues to accompany the exhibition The Outwin: American Portraiture Today, on view at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum from September 10, 2021, to January 23, 2022. Reflecting the interests and insights of our community, the recordings consist of responses by eleven contributors in their own words, each addressing an artwork of their choosing from the exhibition. With a variety of approaches—formal, personal, creative, academic—these reflections democratize the interpretation of the artworks and provide multiple access points for viewing them.
2021 Virtual Ceremonial- American Academy of Arts and Letters
I am thrilled and honored to be an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award recipient along with a stellar group of architects, artists, composers, scholars and writers. A virtual ceremony takes place on Wednesday, May 19th, 2021 at 7pm. EDT.
Watch virtual ceremonial here
your concise Los angeles art guide for april 2021
Clouds of Joy, 2021
Otherwise/Revival is one of the exhibitions featured in Hyperallergic’s must see art guides for April 2021. Thanks to Matt Stromberg and Eliza Wouk Almino for including Clouds of Joy.
Otherwise/Revival at Bridge Projects, LA
Otherwise/Revival, curated by Jasmine McNeal and Cara Megan Lewis, visualizes the impact of the Black Church on contemporary artists. The exhibition opens both in person and virtually April 9th with a day long open house, including a live performance piece by Angela Bryant from 4-6pm and an online musical performance featuring Ashton T Crawley from 4-5pm on zoom. Artists include Terry Adkins, McArthur Binion, Folayemi (Fo) Wilson of blkHaUS Studios, Norman Teague of Norman Teague Design Studios (NTDS), Angela Bryant, Willie Cole, Ashon T. Crawley, Kenturah Davis, Mark Steven Greenfield, Lauren Halsey, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Letitia Huckaby, Sedrick Huckaby, Clementine Hunter, VinZula Kara, Caroline Kent, Deana Lawson, Nery Gabriel Lemus, Christina McPhee, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Dario Robleto, Lezley Saar, Zina Saro-Wiwa, Phyllis Stephens, Sara Sonié Joi Thompson-Ruffin, Genesis Tramaine, Kehinde Wiley, Brittney Leeanne Williams, and Nate Young.
Learn more about exhibition here
Click here to register for the opening
2021 Art Award Winners-American Academy of Arts and Letters
I’m thrilled to be a recipient of a 2021 American Academy of Arts and Letters Purchase Prize. Annie Patterson (2021), part of my project, Mugshot Portraits: Women of the Montgomery Bus Boycott , has been selected to be placed in the permanent collection of an American museum. Big congratulations to my fellow awardees; I’m honored to be in such stellar company. Thank you to Exhibitions and Collections Curator, Souhad Rafey, and Award Committee Members Catherine Murphy, Nicole Eisenman, Ann Hamilton, Philip Pearlstein, Judy Pfaff, Joel Shapiro, Amy Sillman, Kiki Smith, and Terry Winters. The awardees include Laylah Ali, Suzanne Bocanegra, A.K. Burns, Peter Charlap, Jennifer Coates, Lisa Corinne Davis, R.M. Fischer, Chie Fueki, Coco Fusco, Jerrell Gibbs, Lauren Halsey, Maren Hassinger, EJ Hauser, Leslie Hewitt, Reggie Burrows Hodges, Katherine Hubbard, Adam Hurwitz, Suzanne Joelson, Forest Kirk, Savannah Knoop, Aspen Mays, Thaddeus Mosley, Jennifer Packer ,Erin Riley, Aki Sasamoto, Dread Scott, Elena Sisto, Juane Quick-To-See Smith, Ming Smith, Jessica Stockholder, Simon Tosky, Elizabeth Tubergen, William Villalongo, Susan Jane Walp, Marie Watt, Peter Williams, Dyani White Hawk, and Carmen Winant. I’m honored to be in such stellar company.
Cerebral Women Art Talks Podcast Ep.58
Cerebral Women Art Talks is a wonderful platform for women creatives of color to discuss their inspiration, their process, and their experiences navigating the art world. It was great to sit down and talk with Phyllis Hollis about my work and my journey as an artist, and to be a part of the program that honors Women’s History Month.
"The Black Index" exhibition reviewed in Hyperallergic
Much appreciation to Allison Conner and Hyperallergic for this insightful review of The Black Index exhibition. The review is a fusion of historical background and contemporary critique of Black portraiture that captures the themes of the exhibition.
Lava Thomas Speaks Out: A candid interview with the artist on the saga of S.F.'s Maya Angelou monument
Much gratitude to George McCalman for our interview in his ‘First Person’ column for the SF Chronicle. With beautiful illustrations and thoughtful writing, the interview was healing and transformative, and ends a difficult chapter in this saga. Thank you, George and the SF Chronicle.
ABC 7 News San Francisco: Celebrating Black voices, Maya Angelou
Kicking off Black History Month in the Bay Area, we look back at Dr. Angelou’s life and legacy in this wonderful segment which highlights her strong ties to the community, her unwavering determination, and her many accomplishments. I was delighted to be a part of this tribute to Dr. Angelou’s extraordinary life and to discuss my monument design to honor Dr. Angelou for the San Francisco Main Library. Presented by Jobina Fortson of ABC News.