June 27 – September 6, 2020
In the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, Kwame Brathwaite used photography to popularize the political slogan “Black Is Beautiful.” This exhibition—the first ever dedicated to Brathwaite’s remarkable career—tells the story of a key figure of the second Harlem Renaissance.
Inspired by the writings of activist and Black nationalist Marcus Garvey, Brathwaite and his older brother, Elombe Brath, founded the African Jazz Arts Society and Studios (AJASS) and the Grandassa Models, a modeling agency for Black women.
This exhibition returns us to the Naturally fashion shows of the 1960s walked by Grandassa models and produced by the African American artists, designers, musicians, hairdressers, writers, and jazz lovers of AJASS.
Images have power, and this is an important example of a creative collective formed in order to radically shift the dominant narrative at midcentury.
Exhibition organized by Aperture, New York and Kwame S. Brathwaite.
Your Virtual Museum
Keep scrolling to learn more about the exhibition from the comfort of your own home.
Sponsored by
Video Gallery Tour: Black Is Beautiful
Take a video tour of the exhibition Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite.
This tour was designed for middle and high school audiences, but it's a fun and interesting look at the exhibition at any age!
Recorded June 28, 2020
In Conversation: Black Is Beautiful
A virtual conversation with a truly stellar panel to celebrate and discuss Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite.
Introduction
- Dr. Catherine Walworth, CMA curator
Host
- Dr. Nancy Tolson, CMA docent and commissioner, and assistant director of African American Studies at UofSC
Panelists
- Kwame S. Brathwaite, son of photographer Kwame Brathwaite and Director of the Kwame Brathwaite Archive
- Dr. Tanisha C. Ford, writer, cultural critic, and community historian; author of the Black Is Beautiful book
- Larry Ossei-Mensah, former Susanne Feld Hilberry Senior Curator at Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), co-founder of ARTNOIR
The Playlists
Music plays a vital and central role in this exhibition. Take a listen for yourself with some curated Spotify playlists from local personalities and from the photographer's son.
Learn from Battiste, Johnson, and the Izms of Art what inspired them in these videos about the process.
Retrospective of Black Is Beautiful by Izms of Art
From the exhibition galleries, Izms of Art brings you “Retrospective of Black Is Beautiful,” a concert celebrating the themes in Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite. Enjoy virtual musical performances from BORN, K.Ford, and THE Dubber, who will debut singles off his album Southern Cachet.
Izms of Art has collectively and individually participated in over 80 exhibits and events since the group’s conception in 2007. Their uniqueness lies in the broad range of artistic talent they provide as featured artists as well the events they organize and curate, which always feature outstanding visual art accompanied by dynamic performance art.
This performance was sponsored by the Baker and Baker Foundation.
Student Exhibition: Responding to Black Is Beautiful
For our very first Online Student Exhibition, we invite all students (K-12 and College) to submit a work of art you've created that is inspired by the exhibition currently on view at the CMA: Black Is Beautiful. This Online Student Exhibition is presented in partnership with the Friends of African American Art & Culture, a CMA membership affinity group.
ArtBreak: Snapshots of Liberation with Dr. Todd Shaw
In celebration of Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite, the CMA welcomes Dr. Todd Shaw for a virtual lecture. As an associate professor of political science and associate director of African American studies at the University of South Carolina, Shaw researches and teaches broadly in the areas of African American politics, urban politics, and public policy as well as citizen activism and social movements. Shaw discusses contemporary Black activism and the legacy of the Black Power movement while drawing connections to the work of Kwame Brathwaite and pieces in the CMA collection.
Recorded September 6, 2020
FAAAC Presents Forever Beautiful: A Storytelling Celebration
Kwame Brathwaite’s photography popularized the political slogan “Black is Beautiful” throughout the late 1950s and 1960s, and it still resonates as powerfully today as it did at the height of the second Harlem Renaissance. To honor the work of Brathwaite, the history of the culture, and the continued importance of the message, join CMA affinity group Friends of African American Arts & Culture (FAAAC) as they bring together Black lovers of art to share their experiences and explore the impact and relevance of Brathwaite’s photography in today’s political and cultural climate.
Animating a Pan-African Agenda
Photography plays a powerful role in documenting social movements and encouraging political change. Through their photography and activism, Kwame Brathwaite and his brother Elombe Brath effected change even on the other side of the globe. While African Americans in the U.S. fought for freedoms in the form of civil rights, Black people in African nations fought for freedom from European colonialism. Black Is Beautiful supported both agendas.
As they traveled through Africa in the late 1960s working toward Pan-African liberation, Brathwaite and Brath connected with activists and political leaders on the continent and across the diaspora. This map highlights the success of African freedom fighters in the ’50s and ’60s while exploring the long history of European colonialism they fought against on the continent. Brathwaite and Brath built especially strong relationships with activists in Namibia, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Angola, and Guinea.
Released Friday, July 10
Virtual Family Fun Night: Magic Purple Circle Goes to the Museum
The CMA teams up with Darion McCloud and the NiA Company for the (online) return of Family Fun Night! Enjoy the premiere of “Magic Purple Circle Goes to the Museum” to see characters Purpley and Purplier take their first trip to an art museum, where they run in to some very excited folks who work there. Together you will view the exhibition Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite, learn how to safely visit a museum during the age of social distancing, and create your own art from home!
Appropriate for families and all ages.
Art Project: Found Object Self Portrait
CMA staffer Sherrie shares instructions in the video. Find them here as well.
Materials:
- A tabletop mirror or reflective surface
- One sheet of heavyweight white paper (construction paper, cardstock, etc.)
- Markers or crayons
- Scissors
- Glue
- Found objects (objects from around the house that can be repurposed into art such as string, egg cartons, fabric scraps, or feathers)
Tips:
- Make sure your found objects are not too heavy for your paper and can be attached using regular craft glue. Having trouble finding objects? Try cutting up old magazines or cut shapes out of construction paper.
- No tabletop mirror? Turn on the front-facing camera on a phone or an iPad.
- Want a sturdier surface for your self-portrait? Assemble it on a piece of cardboard (e.g. a piece of an old cereal box).
Instructions
- Gather your materials. Look for objects that can be used for different facial features (e.g. a piece of an egg carton for a nose, yarn for hair).
- Take a look in the mirror! What do you notice? What do you love? Are your eyes shaped like almonds or buttons? Does your hair curl? What about that cute freckle by your nose? Take a note from Kwame Brathwaite and celebrate your beauty!
- Use a crayon or marker to draw the shape of your face then assemble your materials to create facial features. Have fun!
Bonus
The phrase "Black Is Beautiful" embodies a movement that instills a sense of pride in being Black. It was made popular by photographer Kwame Brathwaite and his brother Elombe. Using this as inspiration, try coming up with a mantra (a phrase or slogan you repeat) that celebrates something you love about yourself. For example, “my curls are beautiful, just like me!” Add your mantra to your self-portrait.
Exhibition Catalogue
Kwame Brathwaite: Black Is Beautiful
Featuring photographs and introduction by Kwame Brathwaite and essays by Tanisha C. Ford and Deborah Willis.
8 ½ x 10 ½ in.
144 pages, 91 black-and-white and four-color images
Hardcover with jacket
Published by Aperture, New York
Sponsors
Contributing Sponsors
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Susan Thorpe and John Baynes
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Cathy and Mike Love
Friend Sponsors
Luther and Judy Battiste; Dr. and Mrs. Allen J. Coles, III
Patron Sponsors
Leslie and Jeffrey Archie; Benedict College; Barbara B. Boyd; Julie and Mike Brenan; Columbia (SC) Chapter, The Links, Inc.; First Citizens Bank; Benjamin and Jerry Dell Gimarc; David and Jane Kulbersh; Midlands Medical Wellness Center, LLC; Michel G. Moore; Brandolyn and Jerome Pinkston; Bill Schmidt; Isvara Wilson
