Brown - The Emergence of Black Women Artists

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Kay Brown

Journal of Contemporary African Art 29Fall 2011DOI 10.1215/10757163-1496399 2012 by Nka Publications

118 Nka

Where We At

The Emergence ofBlack Women Artists

The Founding of


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Where We At Black Women Artists exhibition at Metropolitan Applied Research Center Gallery, October 1973.

Members are shown with Dr. Kenneth Clark, sponsor of the show.

A

lthough the Black Arts movement o the

1960s and 1970s signaled one o the mostsignicant developments in recent Ameri-

can art history, black women artists, or the mostpart, were underrepresented in major gallery and

museum exhibitions at its inception. While indi-vidual artists such as Camille Billops, Elizabeth

Catlett, lnge Hardison, Los Mailou Jones, Faith

Ringgold, and Betye Saar were gaining high reputeon a national level, many working black women

artists in New York received only marginal repre-sentation in major shows. Not until the spring o

1971 did black women artists, as an entity, nally

make a breakthrough and receive the recognitionthey deserved.

At the time, the Black Arts movement was at itsheight. It so happened that the Weusi Artists Collec-

tive had become one o the greatest supporters o thewomen artists. In 1968 I had been ortunate to have

worked as a printmaking apprentice at their Harlem

cooperative gallery, Nyumba Ya Sanaa House oArt in Swahili. As ar as I knew, no other emale

artists had been invited into the workshop. In timethe cooperative permitted me to become an actual

Brown Nka 119


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Journal of Contemporary African Art 29Fall 2011120 Nka

member. I subsequently created the kind o art

that reected the cultural and sociopolitical viewsembraced by the group. In this respect the collec-

tive ocused on its Arican ancestry and ollowed

the political views o leaders such as Malcolm X andStokely Carmichael.

Early in 1971 I met with the artists DindgaMcCannon, Faith Ringgold, Carol Blank, and Pat

Davis, along with a photographer and others, at

McCannons studio. The meeting was called toplan a major exhibition o black women artists. The

work o a ew o these women had been exhibited inHarlem early in the movement, in such venues as

Nyumba Ya Sanaa. But since their work was usually

shown along with that o a larger number o maleartists, they oen did not gain ull recognition or

their artistic contributions.By the early 1970s Nigel Jackson, an artist

turned gallery owner, had opened the Acts o Art

gallery in Greenwich Village to exhibit the workso black artists, a real eat or that particular area.

Jackson became a gallery director in direct responseto the happening oen reerred to as the Whitney

Fiasco, when the administrators o that museum

installed a major show o well-known contempo-rary black artists, titled American Survey of Black

Artists. Suddenly, plans or the Whitney show ellinto chaos when some o the exhibiting artists with-

held their work. They elt that the museum hadminimized the value o the artwork by misrepre-

senting and discrediting the richness and diversityo Arican American culture.The incident rockedthe art world: it became the talk o both black and

white artists, and newspapers carried stories on theincident. Aer this the Acts o Art gallery came into

existence. Apparently, Jackson was willing to take a

risk that brought attention to his acility.Aer much persuasion by me and other artists,

such as McCannon and Ringgold, Jackson agreedto curate the rst show o proessional black women

artists, Where We At Black Women Artists: 1971.Presenting ourteen participants, the exhibition wasintended to emphasize the artists close ties to the

grassroots community, and its title was meant toevoke the shows general earthiness. At the open-

ing, attendees were served deliciously cooked ood,

a conscious departure rom the wine and cheeseserved at traditional openings. Like the show itsel,

this touch was welcomed by the visitors.The exhibition was unprecedented in that loca-

tion, not only because o the race and gender o theparticipating artists but also because o the oppor-tunity it gave them to demonstrate their original-

ity, high artistic skills, and interpretations o therelevant themes o the Black Arts movement. The

show was so popular that it was acclaimed through-out the city o New York and also inspired several

complimentary articles by news journalists, some o

whom had reported on the Whitney incident.

Te WWA: Professionals on a Mission

Inspired by the shows smashing success, the con-tributors decided to orm an artist collective dur-

ing the same year, retaining the exhibitions title asthe groups ocial name, the Where We At Black

Women Artists Inc. (WWA). The group eventuallybecame a real sisterhood, working together on com-

mon aesthetic ideals and developing a proessional

closeness that I had ound to be rare among blackwomen. I encouraged the artists to ollow the cul-

Kay Brown,Sister Alone in a Rented Room, 1974.

Etching 30/35, 20 16 in. Courtesy the artist


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Brown Nka 121

tural and political themes and stylistic approachesId learned during my tenure with the Weusi art-

ists. Besides me, the early members o the WWA

were Carol Blank, Vivian Browne, Carole Byard,Gylbert Coker, Jerri Crooks, Iris Crump, Pat Davis,

Linda Hiwot, Doris Kane, Mai Mai Leabua, DindgaMcCannon, Onnie Millar, Charlotte Richardson,

Faith Ringgold, Ann Tanksley, Modu Tanzania, andJean Taylor. Other artists who would hold member-ship during the groups evolution included Brenda

Branch, Janette Burrows, Linda Cousins, AsibaDanso, Dimitra, Jeanne Downer, Miriam Francis,

Raala Green, Deidre Harris, Claudia Hutchinson,

Crystal McKenzie, Mari Morris, Madeline Nelson,Millie Pilgrim, Hurtha Robinson, Akweke Singho,

Saeeda Stanley, Gail Steele, Joan Stevens, PriscillaTaylor, and Ann Wallace.

There were memorable meetings at the mem-bers homes and studios to discuss a range o topicsthat included ideas or shows, specic exhibition

sites, and specic goals all done while breakingbread, a reerence to the Arican practice o sharingmeals with those who had a common cause. Manythemes on numerous art-related topics were thus

exchanged, such as what galleries should be tar-

geted or shows, what sources o unding might betapped, and whether the organization should assist

community centers and neighborhood programsor children (this was done). The WWA was also

approached by a theatrical company in the down-

town region to contribute to its stage sets and back-ground designs.

When the WWA became a proessional organi-zation, a set o bylaws was developed and ocers

were elected rom the body o the group. I became

the rst president and later served as executivedirector, working in that capacity with a board o

directors that included Sophie Johnson, head o

Magnolia Tree Enterprises, and Andrea McLaugh-lin o Brooklyns Medgar Evers College. Carol

Blank became vice president; Miriam Francis,treasurer; and Modu Tanzania, secretary. Guide-

lines or WWA committees named the gallery/resource committee, the screening committee, and

the graphics committee, which oversaw the groups

promotional activities. There were also commit-tees or und-raising and public relations and an

archives component that recorded the groups evo-

lution. All the committees worked to encourage thecontinual growth o the organization.

Although the WWA was ounded in Harlem,members agreed to move the headquarters to

Brooklyn, where several members now resided and

where many elected ocials supported the group,

anticipating that it would open an art school orcommunity residents. Applicants or the WWAwere required to submit slides o their works and

to show an open willingness to discuss their back-

grounds and interests. In most instances, the appli-cants were accepted as the organization continued

to grow, even accepting a Hispanic member at atime when black identication was so central to the

groups ocus. Eventually, the group began a news-letter, edited by Akweke Singho, that provided a

calendar o events, a Spotlight on Health page, andother arts-related inormation.

Kay Brown, The Kick of Life, ca. 1974. Color etching and

aquatint on cream woven paper, 19 15 in. Proof, from

an intended edition of 50. Courtesy the artist


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In the winter o 1972, the members o the WWAinstalled the exhibition Cookin and Smokin atWeusis Nyumba Ya Sanaa gallery. The show was

warmly received, drawing visitors rom all theNew York boroughs. It was particularly meaning-

ul because it nally made clear that a cooperativespirit existed between women artists and their male

counterparts.A short time later, Kenneth Clark, a well-known

black psychologist, requested a WWA exhibition at

the Metropolitan Applied Research Center, a galleryhe supported in downtown Manhattan. The show,

widely publicized, soon sparked requests or more

exhibitions. WWA shows were soon held at MedgarEvers College, where I served as a humanities pro-

essor and coordinator o art.During 197278 other WWA exhibitions were

held at the Studio Museum in Harlem, Stony BrookUniversity, the Brooklyn Museum, the New YorkPublic Theater, Hostra College, the Metropolitan

Museum o Art, and the Martin Luther King Gal-

lery in New York. In 1974 members o the organi-zation were represented at CariFesta in Guyana,

where I took samples o WWA artworks or display.The ollowing year, at FESTAC an international

exhibition held in Nigeria to celebrate black art-ists o the Diaspora many WWA members par-

ticipated. Interestingly, when a group o Nigerianspassed the section o the stadium in Lagos wherethe black American contingent was seated, they

raised their sts in the Black Power salute to showtheir allegiance to the struggle.

WWA artists also participated in various panel

discussions held through the National Conerenceo Artists, a black artist organization that sponsored

annual conerences throughout the United Statesand eventually other parts o the world. Members o

the WWA exhibited their artwork in Jackson, Missis-sippi, as well as at the Sojourner Truth Festival at theWomens Interart Center in New York, and in 1977

Robin Holder, Between the Temple Walls I. Linoleum with stencils, 20 26 in.

Acquired by Washington State Arts Commission, courtesy the artist. Photo: Steve Mayo


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members conducted a panel o women artists at theBrooklyn Museum in connection with the bookTwoCenturies of Black American Art, published the pre-vious year by the highly regarded art historian DavidDriskell, who curated the exhibition o that title that

broke attendance records at the museum.Members o the WWA also presented their art-

work at major black exhibitions at the RestorationGallery in Brooklyns Bedord Stuyvesant neighbor-hood, and at the Benin Gallery, the New York State

Oce Building, the New York Arts Consortium,the Downtown Cultural Gallery o the Brooklyn

Educational and Cultural Alliance (BECA), and the

Sojourner Truth Festival at the site o the WomensInterart Center, all in New York City, and eventu-

ally were invited to exhibit in colleges and universi-ties around the country.

Much o the unding or these exhibitions wasprovided through BECA, since the WWA nowoperated out o Brooklyn, as well as through the

New York State Council on the Arts, the Presbyte-rian Church Committee or the Sel-Development

o People, and the America the Beautiul Founda-tion. The WWA sisterhood also conducted a well-

received seminar or Womens International Year

at Medgar Evers College. Classes or communityyouth, such as Willoughby House in Brooklyn, were

also conducted by WWA artists during the organi-zations rst seven years.

In the all o 1978 WWA artist members decided

to conduct art workshops or inmates at the Bed-ord Hills Correctional Facility or Women and the

Arthur Kill Correctional Facility or men on StatenIsland. The artists strongly elt that teaching art at

these prisons was therapeutic and would assist in

the inmates rehabilitation and eventual reentryinto the community.

In addition to the prison program, held in

197879, the WWA artist community served youthrecruited through Medgar Evers College rom

various neighborhoods under an apprenticeshipprogram ounded by the artists. Through this pro-

gram the WWA ofered special career-developmentclasses in graphic design, illustration and media

skills, painting, ceramics, and macram.

Te WWA and the Feminist Movement

Interestingly enough, during this same period the

womens liberation movement, basically headedby liberal white women, made its debut. Although

some believe that gains made by black women art-

ists resulted rom the inuence o the eministartists, in my opinion this is not so. Although the

WWA members and other black women artists allagreed that women should empower themselves to

gain economic and artistic equality, they gener-

Grace Williams,Swing Low Sweet Chariot, 1997.

Mixed media. Courtesy the artist


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ally viewed themselves as integral to the Black Arts

movement and saw their struggle as primarily oneagainst racial discrimination, in contrast with the

unitary battle against sexism emphasized by the

eminists. The WWA members were not preparedto alienate themselves rom their artist brothers.

That WWA artists did not really view themselvesas eminists can be sensed through my own art-

work. It so happened that one o my mixed-media

collages, Take It Now (1968), was reproduced in thebookThe Afro-American Artist, by Elsa Honig Fine,in 1973. Although Honigs recognition o my workwas attering, it was apparent that she had misun-

derstood it. The piece actually expressed open resis-

tance to birth control; I believed that our babies hada right to be born and to live a productive existence.

A section o the composition also revealed imageso black children alive and happy. However, Honig

reerred to me as a militant eminist, saying that I

resisted because I considered eminists champions

o birth control.Two years earlier, in 1971, the WWAs rst year,

the National Conerence o Women in Visual Artshad been ounded by eminists to ocus exclusively

on issues afecting women in the arts. Their call orthe collective unity o all women artists, regardless

o race, age, or class, was an inviting prospect. A

period soon ollowed during which the WWA art-ists and other black women, along with the emi-

nist artists, agreed to exhibit in Greenwich Vil-lage, SoHo, the East Village, and the midtown area.

However, it soon became apparent that the purpose,

artistic ideology, and philosophy o the eministartists difered completely rom those o the WWA

sisterhood.The two groups were equally astonished by the

Charlotte Ka, We Rise, 1994. Plywood, soil, ag, tulle, rafa, and antislavery documents, dimensions variable. Wilmer Jennings

Gallery at Kenkeleba, New York, New York, for the Bridges to Brooklyn, Puentes a Brooklyn exhibition, 1998. Also mounted at

Visualizing Blackness, an exhibition at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, 2000


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incongruity o the artworks created by their twocamps. The eminists ocused totally on sexism,

in an oen agrant, bizarre ashion. Nudes a

ew based on classic paintings revealed womenwith their legs open, sometimes with blood seep-

ing rom their genitals. In direct contrast, thepaintings, graphics, and sculpture o the black

women artists related to issues dening the unityo the black amily; incorporated the idealism othe black male-emale relationship; used sociopo-

litical imagery geared to overcome racial discrimi-nation, oppression, and inequality; and centered on

Arican-related concepts. Nonetheless, some black

women artists, a ew o them quite well established,did choose to align themselves with the militant

eminists.

Further Artistic ChallengesMeanwhile, the brochure Where We At: BlackWomen Artists; A Tapestry of Many Fine Threads,which accompanied one o the organizations great-est exhibitions, was produced in 1982. The brochure

described the mission and history o the WWA sistercollective, with a special oreword written by Linda

Cousins, a well-known black writer. Every page

also eatured one o the artists: her background, anexample o her work, and a written statement by

the artist hersel. Some o the writings were espe-cially expressive and moving; one artist submitted a

poem. A ew o the artworks represented were Carol

Blanks This Little Light of Mine, a pen-and-ink por-trait o a young woman that captured her positive

spirit; Pat Daviss Ritual Series: Surinam, a collagexerography o black Surinamese engaged in ritual

activity reminiscent o continental Arican tradi-

tions; Miriam Franciss heralded Egyptian copperrepouss Hatsheput; Akweke Singhos acrylic SunDance, depicting worshippers with hands raised

to the sun; Dindga McCannons Memorial to BobMarley, a portrait in batik collage; Charlotte Rich-ardsonsMother and Child Fantasy, in exquisite oiland collage; Crystal McKenzies Dry Leaves, a litho-graph; Ann Wallaces Nobody Knows the Way I FeelThis Morning, which captures the pensive mood oa brother strumming his guitar; and my own Sister

Alone in Rented Room, an etching that representsthe black women who traveled to the main north-

ern cities o America rom the South or rom other

countries o the world, orced to leave their childrenbehind. The brochure, distributed throughout the

country, brought a new level o consciousness to theWWAs work.

The link between the WWA and their artist

brothers soon resulted in two stellar exhibitions.

In February 1985 Close Connections opened at the1199 Gallery in midtown New York. The exhibitioncoordinator was Priscilla Taylor, a member o the

WWA who had also provided her Brooklyn home

as the WWAs ocial address, and the guest cura-tor was Leslie Tolbert Daniel. The show eatured

sixteen WWA artists and eight Weusi artists whoseworks covered a wide spectrum o themes and con-

ceptions. The impressive brochure cover showedFranciss copper repouss and Gaylord Hassans

expressive painting o the heads o two young-sters, a work ocusing on their wide eyes against anArican-themed background. Other artists included

the WWAs Jennier Brown, Pat Davis, StephanieDouglas, Stella McKeown, Modu Tanzania, Priscilla

Taylor, Ann Wallace, Joyce Wellman, and me. The

Weusi artists participating were Abdullah Aziz, NiAhene Mettle-Nunoo, Otto Neals, Ademola Oluge-

beola, Okoe Pyatt, Abdul Rahman, and TaiwoShabazz. The show included a wide array o color-

viscosity etchings, inks, oil paintings, pastels, andmixed-media collages, all o which demonstratedoriginal styles and laudable themes. Close Connec-tions was heralded locally and nationally as news othe exhibition traveled.

Opening a year later, the second major exhibi-

tion was one o the most innovative shows o blackwomen artists and their brother artists up to that

time.Joining Forces: 1 + 1 = 3, a collaborative instal-lation by the WWA and invited artists, began at the

New Muse Community Museum o Brooklyn in

June 1986. Funded by the National Endowment othe Arts, the New York Council on the Arts, the

New York City Department o Cultural Afairs,Black United Front, Con Edison, and Citibank, the

exhibition was curated by Charles Abramson and

Senga Negudi-Fitz. The equation 1 + 1 = 3 indi-cated an erotic symbol that suggested how the male-

emale relationship created a thirdthing that wentbeyond arithmetic. This interpretation was decided


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shows eaturing installation artwork. In 1988Raala Green took over as president and encour-aged the new art orm, which was basically three-

dimensional and incorporated objects that viewers

could quickly identiy with, such as books, desks,tables, window rames, ragmented doors, dolls,

clothing, photographs any physical element thatcould be ound in or outside the home yet that pre-

sented a creatively striking viewpoint. The displays

were careully arranged, adhering to basic design

concepts, to inspire everyday objects with a senseo awe, which viewers would experience once theystepped into the exhibited scene. Such conceptually

innovative, cutting-edge installations urther dis-tinguished the singular achievements o the WWA

artists.

During the late 1980s, under the leadership oGreen, Blank, and McCannon, new bylines were

developed, annual dues applied, and the groups

by Abramson, under whose direction selected cou-ples met over a three-month period to create an

artistic and platonic mating ritual.Photographer Coreen Simpson, a main con-

tributor to the exhibition, recorded the coupleswork, and the results appeared in the WWAs bro-

chure o the exhibition. This powerul photographic

sequence, simply titled Spirits, captured a notewor-thy collaborative efort. The exhibition, one o the

WWAs crowning achievements, led to numerous

requests or the collectives exhibitions.Soon aerward I resigned my position as presi-

dent and executive director o the WWA due toamily reasons. Carol Blank then became its presi-

dent and Dindga McCannon its vice president. Thischange in leadership ushered in a new evolutionary

cycle or the group.

Aer the success oJoining Forces: 1 + 1 = 3,the WWA artists involved themselves in more

Where We At Black Women Artists, 1980. From left to right: Carol Blank, Pat Davis, Victoria Lucus,

Crystal McKenzie, Dindga McCannon, Kay Brown, Modu Tanzania, Jeanne Downer, Priscilla Taylor,

Emma Zuwadi, Akweke Singho, Linda Hiwot, and Saeeda Stanley


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artistic concepts expanded to include a graphicscommunication curriculum that Crystal McKen-

zie taught to prison inmates. Also developed were

agendas addressing housing or the homeless andlmmaking. Additionally, Janette Burrows ofered

an exciting workshop in abric printing to seniors inthe Park Slope neighborhood o Brooklyn. By now

theAmsterdam News regularly covered the WWAsactivities; Mel Tapley, in particular, reviewed theworks and exhibitions o contemporary black artists

in a weekly column. Other news media also coveredthe exhibitions.

Adaptation Innovation Black Women Artists, atraveling exhibition created by WWA artists, waspresented during this period, with Priscilla Taylor

serving as program coordinator and Los MailouJones as the eatured guest artist. Jones was a highly

regarded ormer art proessor at Howard Universityand one o the best-known black artists prior to theBlack Arts movement. This celebrated exhibition,

still another triumph in the history o the WWA,yielded a brochure eaturing Jones on the cover with

her paintbrushes and surrounded by her artwork,including an exquisite Arican-related painting

and portraits o certain personages. This brochure

is today a treasured possession o art enthusiasts othe period.

She Is, yet another outstanding traveling exhibi-tion, celebrated the unolding o Onnie Millar, anoriginal WWA artist considered one o the queens

whose tiaras were made rom cowrie shells insteado diamonds, as Linda Cousins wrote in the bro-

chure introduction. The brochure enclosed com-ments by me; Ernest Crichlow, coounder o the

Fulton Art Fair; Khali Brathwaite, director o the

New Muse Community Museum o Brooklyn; OttoNeals o Weusi; Marcia Goldman, a board member

o the WWA; and Empress Akweke Singho, by this

time its executive director.By this period, there were now thirty active

members, including Carol Blank, Jennier Bowden,Brenda Branch, Sharon Brittan, Cecilia Bryan,

Linda Cousins, Pat Davis, Stephanie Douglas,Jeanne Downer, Miriam Francis, Raala Green,

Linda Hiwot, Robin Holder, Dindga McCannon,

Crystal McKenzie, Stella McKeown, Madeline Nel-son, Millie Pilgrim, Charlotte Richardson, Hurtha

Robinson, Akweke Singho, Saeeda Stanley, Gail

Steele, Modu Tanzania, Priscilla Taylor, Ann Wal-lace, Joyce Wellman, and me.

Fortunately, the WWA sustained its momentumover the next two decades, exhibiting throughout

the United States and overseas and providing lead-

ership or the cultural vision o black women artists

in uture generations.In view o the WWA goal to empower ourselves

to gain economic and artistic equality, some mem-

bers have moved on to gain a livelihood by teaching

art. However, the basic mission o the sisterhoodwas to teach, inspire, and change the state o its

people. In this respect, the Where We At artistswere successul. Although the group is not as active

as it was during the 1970s and 1980s, its legacy hascontinued to inspire vital exhibitions. For example,

in February 1999 Entitled: Black Women Artists,curated by Brenda Branch, a ormer WWA mem-ber, opened at the Skylight Gallery in Brooklyn. The

show included other ormer members, among themRobin Holder, Jamillah Jennings, Nzinga Kiaga,

Howardena Pindell, and Bianca Dorsey, who has

almost completed her college thesis on the WWA.The WWA was a short-lived but signicant

experiment in black womens activism in the arts.Since then, some members o the group have passed

away. Several others continue to be active on theirown, participating in exhibitions in galleries andindependent spaces. Some have risen to great ame,

such as Faith Ringgold, who has become an impor-tant gure in American eminist art, known mostly

or her perormances and signature quilt paintings.

However, the legacy o the WWAs activism, evenmore than the artists specic work, has opened

doors or younger black emale artists to be recog-nized by the mainstream art world.

Kay Brown, in addition to her active life as an art-ist, has published two novels, including WillysSummer Dream (1989), based on her youngest sonsexperiences.

Brown - The Emergence of Black Women Artists

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