7/9/2019 Creator of Emmett Till 'Open Casket' at Whitney Responds to Backlash

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696 1/7

CreatorofEmmettTill'OpenCasket'atWhitneyRespondstoBacklashNBCBLK

7/9/2019 Creator of Emmett Till 'Open Casket' at Whitney Responds to Backlash

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696 2/7

DanaSchutz's"OpenCasket,"a2016paintinginthe2017WhitneyBiennial MATTHIASKOLB12355BERLIN/Collectionoftheartist

 /Updated 

ByAnnetteEjiofor,ChandelisR.DusterandAmberPayne

ApaintingofEmmettTillhangingembeddedwiththeprestigiousbodyofworkinWhitneyBiennialhasstirredconversationonculturalappropriation,artisticownershipandBlackbodiesasaspectacle,culminatinginacriticalquestion:DowhiteartistshavetherighttodepictBlackpain?

ThepaintingbyDanaSchutz,entitled,“OpenCasket,”reimaginesthephotoofEmmettTillfollowinghishorrificmurderonAugust28,1955.Inagruesomesimilaritytotheoriginalimage,SchutzpaintsTill’sfaceintheabstract.Thesmudgesofpaintremindthathisfacewasindeedleftdisfigured,unidentifiable.

ThisweekthepaintingsparkedoutrageandprotestamongsomeBlackartists,whocalledforitsremovalanddestructionandphysicallyblockedthepieceinthegalleryspace.

March26,2017,11:00AMEDT March26,2017,11:42AMEDT

7/9/2019 Creator of Emmett Till 'Open Casket' at Whitney Responds to Backlash

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696 3/7

Berlin-basedartistHannahBlackpostedanopenletteronFacebooktotheWhitneyMuseumcuratorsandstaffonTuesday.“ItisnotacceptableforawhitepersontotransmuteBlacksufferingintoprofitandfun,thoughthepracticehasbeennormalizedforalongtime,”Blackwrote.“Contemporaryartisafundamentallywhitesupremacistinstitution.”

Schutzhasrespondedtothebacklashsayingthepaintingis"notarenderingofthephotographbutismoreanengagementwiththeloss."Shealsosaysthepainting"wasneverandisnotforsale."

"Iunderstandtheoutrage.Till’sphotographwasasacredimageoftheCivilRightsmovementandIamawhitewoman.Ididnottakemakingthispaintinglightly,"SchutzsaidinastatementtoNBCBLK."Idon’tobjecttopeoplequestioningtheworkorevenmyrighttomakeit.Therehastobeanopendiscussion."

Related:ChicagoArtistHealsThroughHisCreations

SchutzsaysshemadethepaintinginAugustof2016duringatimewhichshecalls"astateofemergency"thatcameaboutasaresultoffatalofficerinvolvedshootingsofunarmedBlacks.ShebelievestheviolenceTillexperiencedcoincideswithviolenceandbrutalityinnocentBlackmenfacetoday.

"ThephotographofEmmettTillfeltanalogoustothetime,whatwashiddenwasnowrevealed,"Schutzsaid."IwasstruckbyMamieTill’saccountofwitnessinghersonandhergriefandrage.Hergestureofleavingthecasketopenwasaboutvisibility,sharingpainandwitnessing.Iwantedthepaintingtobeintimate,notgrotesquebutIwantedtoshowthebrutality."

Scott Y.@hei_scott

At the Whitney, a protest against Dana Schutz' painting of Emmett Till: "She has nothing to say to the Black community about Black trauma."

951 4:44 PM - Mar 17, 2017

581 people are talking about this

7/9/2019 Creator of Emmett Till 'Open Casket' at Whitney Responds to Backlash

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696 4/7

MamieTillMobleyweepsatherson'sfuneralonSept.6,1955,inChicago.Till,motherofEmmettTill,insistedthatherson'sbodybedisplayedinanopencasketforcingthenationtoseethebrutalitydirectedatblacksintheSouthatthetime. ChicagoSun-TimesviaAP

ArtprofessorDr.LisaWhittington,aBlackartistwhohascreatedtwopaintingsofEmmettTill,saysshedoesn’thaveanissuewithawhiteartisttakingonthedifficultsubjectmatter,butquestionsSchutz’sperspectiveinmakingthepainting.

“Iwouldaskher,whyshedidnotpainttheEmmettTillStoryfromawhitewoman’spointofview?Istherenothingthatasawhitewomanthatshewouldwanttosay?EspeciallyinrecentlyknowingthatthewomanwhoaccusedEmmettTillhasadmittedthatshelied.Whereistheartworkthatrepresentsherlies?”Whittingtonsaid.“ThetwomenwholynchedEmmett?Whereistheartworkaboutthem?Doesshehavenothingtosaythere?”

Whittingtoncontinued,“Asartists—responsibleartists—wearetospeakandtodocumenthistory.Wearetotellaboutlifefromourpointofviewfromwherewestand.”

DanaSchutz'spaintingofEmmettTillisabsolutelybeautiful.Whydoesherracematter?Asifshecouldn'tfeelanothermotherspain...

—Mo.(@ColorMeRedB)March22,2017

ParkerBright,NewYork-basedinterdisciplinaryartist,curator,andco-founderof4EGalleryinChicagoprotestedthedepiction,physicallyblockedthepaintingforeighthoursovertwodays.

“Recentlyinmedia,Blackdeathissensationalizedandhasbeenforyears.It’screatingaspectacleoutofBlackbodies,"Brightcontinued,callingthedepictionaflatteningoutandreducingoftheoriginalphotographto“justanabstractpainting.”

Edrea@dogonvillage

Sad 2C protest of Dana Schutz painting of #EmmettTill. Kudos2 @whitneymuseum exhibit, #civilrights movemnt not Black, its American #TheView

6 11:46 AM - Mar 22, 2017

See Edrea's other Tweets

7/9/2019 Creator of Emmett Till 'Open Casket' at Whitney Responds to Backlash

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696 5/7

ForBright,Schutz’spaintingisonethatiscomparabletothelikesofalynchmob,reducingtheexperienceto“abunchofwhitepeoplelookingatadeadBlackbody.”

Brightcallstheartist’sre-creationofthemutilatedbodycomparabletothe“violence”exhibitedbyCarolynBryantDonham,thewhitewomanwhoaccusedTillofgrabbingandverballythreateningher.Decadeslater,DonhamhasadmittedthatsheliedandTill'srelativeshavecalledforauthoritiestoreopentheinvestigation.

BarutiKopanoisanassociateprofessoratMorganStateUniversityandauthorof“SoulThieves:TheAppropriationandMisrepresentationofAfricanAmericanPopularCulture.”OnWNYC'sTheTakeaway,KopanodiscussedthecontroversysurroundingthepaintingandSchutz'sresponse.

“AtwhatpointdoBlackpeoplecontrolthestoriesofBlackbodies?,"questionedKopano."Icanappreciatetheartist’sattempttokeepthismemoryalive.Icanappreciatetheartist’sattempttoengageusindialogue–I’mnotsureifsheimaginedthislevelofcontroversy."

KopanoremindsthatsomeimagesofBlackpeopleare"soprecious."The“precious”natureoftheseimagesenableusto"understandwhysomeofuswanttomakesurethatthereissomecontrolofthoseimages."

Related:EmmettTillBookPromptsCousinstoCallforNewInvestigation

DespitepublicoutcryfromBlackartists,theWhitneyBiennialcuratorsarestandingbytheirdecisiontofeaturethework.

NancyandFredPosescuratorsMiaLocksandChristopherY.LewreleasedajointstatementtoNBCBLKstating,“The2017WhitneyBiennialbringstolightmanyfacetsofthehumanexperience,includingconditionsthatarepainfulordifficulttoconfrontsuchasviolence,racism,anddeath.Manyartistsintheexhibitionpushinontheseissues,seekingempatheticconnectionsinanespeciallydivisivetime.”

ThecuratorsdescribeSchutz’spaintingasan“unsettlingimagethatspeakstothelong-standingviolencethathasbeeninflicteduponAfricanAmericans.”

ThoughtheWhitneyMuseumbelievesSchutz’spaintingtobeanimagewith“tremendousemotionalresonance”for“manyAfricanAmericansinparticular,”someBlackartistspointtotheWhitneyandit’scuratorsastheoneswho’vebeenirresponsible.

7/9/2019 Creator of Emmett Till 'Open Casket' at Whitney Responds to Backlash

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696 6/7

“TheproblemisnotnecessarilywithDana.Theproblemiswiththemuseums.IftheWhitneyoranyothercontemporarymuseum(i.e.MuseumofModernArt)wastrulyconcernedaboutracism,theywouldmakeandcurateanauthenticexhibitofBlackartistsandtheirpointofview,”saidWhittington.

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AnnetteEjiofor

ChandelisR.Duster

ChandelisR.DusterisreporterforNBCNews.

AmberPayne

AmberPayneistheeditorofNBCBLK,asectionofNBCNews.comthatwillcoverstoriesby,for,andabouttheblackcommunity.Amberspent10yearsatNBCNightlyNewswithBrianWilliamsshooting,writing,andproducingbreakingnewsandfeaturestories,mostrecentlyservingascoordinatingproducerforHarrySmith.ShehascoveredstoriesthroughouttheUSandUK,EcuadorandpartsofWestAfricaandSouthAfrica. AgraduateoftheUniversityofVirginia,shewasraisedonMarylandbluecrabsbutcallsNewYorkCityhome.

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7/9/2019 Creator of Emmett Till 'Open Casket' at Whitney Responds to Backlash

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696 7/7

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