Featured Writers Otto Neals
Acknowledgements by Hugeaux creator of ARTE MECCO Jacksonville Florida
Preface by Janaka Bowman Lewis Doctorate Candidate Northwestern Atlanta Georgia
Epilogue by Vanessa Thaxton-Ward Curator Hampton Art Museum Hampton Virginia
Text Honorable Dr. Margaret Burroughs emeritus Director of DuSable Museum Chicago Illinois
Text Barry Mason NCA New York New York
Text Abdi-Noor H. Mohamed Writer, Poet, Photographer, Somalia / Sweden
Acknowledgements
I shall like to that God Almighty for gathering a group of good friends for such an extraordinary exhibition. This BLOCKBUSTER exhibition would not be possible without the contributions and support of Honorable Otto Neals, Barry Mason, Dr. Mohamed Buwe Osman, Honorable Dr. Margaret Burrough, Honorable Kwame Brathwaite, Vanessa Thaxton-Ward, Janaka Bowman Lewis etc. I thank you all.
I hope you enjoy this 2nd SKETCHBOOK 2008 exhibition as much as I did in organizing it.
Remember our Efforts are worthless without DOCUMENTATION.
Kind regards....HUGEAUX
Preface
Art (is) history: Intro to The African & American Sketchbook 2008
The relationship between oral and written (hi)stories is often discussed, but the visual often inspires and connects the two. Visual art has told stories in African and in African-American culture from the beginning of time. Additionally, storytellers and writers are motivated by images and artistic representations. In Ghanaian culture, the symbol of the sankofa bird told us to “return to the past,” to go back and reclaim that which we have lost. African American artists have reclaimed the power of historical representation through major artistic movements including the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Art Movement. Aaron Douglas’ Aspects of Negro Life (1934) reflected upon the dawn of emancipation through mural. Elizabeth Catlett’s Black Unity (1968) represented, through dual-faced African masks and a clenched fist, the connections that span both history and geography.
Artists also continue to create history through the visual realm. Kara Walker, to name just one example, utilizes the seemingly basic form of silhouette to tell complex stories about abuse and misrepresentation in African American history while confronting cultural stereotypes. African American art is not static; it moves through physical spaces and by way of various media, from walls to projectors to television and computer screens. Today, both visual and literary artists embrace the digital form to make stories widely accessible. Hugeaux’s The African & American S k e t c h b o o k 2008 contributes to and helps to redefine artistic traditions of re-presenting the past as we move into the future.
Janaka Bowman Lewis
Doctoral Candidate, Northwestern University
Atlanta, Georgia
Introduction
“I am blessed to be a human being because it is the only species that has the ability to write. An ape can be trained to speak few words but never can it acquire the skill of writing. So I am not an ape that has evolved into a man with advanced thinking ability. Simply I am a human being. I have rights to defend,
duties to undertake.”........................Mr Abdi-Noor Haji Mohamed
Somali Writer, poet, activist, photographer and film maker, living in Sweden, Europe now.
.........Please allow time to download
viewing information
Resolution Information
The original artwork was photographed and uploaded unto a 256K system. Also known as frequency modulation, this technology generates uniformly sized microdots representative of the tonal value being reproduced. Color representation may vary from original. As a result of this random calculation tone imagery and ultra fine resolution maybe sharper that original.
How to view an Art / Photography exhibition Online.
By HUGEAUX
April 12, 2006
Copyright HUGEAUX All Rights reserved
On-line art / photography exhibitions do not deal with size, but with CONTENT.
Many of you are similar to me. We work, live; pay bills and virtually live through out computers. Now with the 1001 things to do with the computer, let me add another. As an artist/photographer I have found it very difficult to view good art, within the solitude of my created surrounding. Now there is a way. These precepts are catered to viewing art via museums, and not galleries.
Much concentration is placed upon visiting a museum to view an exhibition, not to mention the cost, wish make our concentration more direct. When viewing an exhibition at a museum, one usually has done some background research upon the importance of the exhibition. The atmosphere is non-negatively quiet (Hugeaux coined phase). The promenade is a slow stroll. Reading is a must. Many of the world famous museums give their patrons a place to escape the world for a few hours. The exhibitions are open domain and you can spend as long or as little time as you like. You do not have to have special knowledge of art.
How can this be established in our own individual havens? We must create a time for it. On-line exhibitions are very focused. They are usually obtained through a password portal, which is given to the individuals invited. This concept is similar to Unveilings, before public access.
Tips on viewing an art / photography exhibition Online:
Remember like at a museum, prepare yourself for a journey and reading.
Don’t view the exhibition as a slide show.
Read the entire Preface, before viewing the exhibition.
Try to make a comparison with other art forms, styles, objects or experiences.
Use the scroll bar, instead of the clicker.
Confine one image to one page frame.
A second introductory statement should be place one-third and/or two-thirds within the exhibition.
Re-adjust your seating and viewing arrangement at another angle for the exhibition.
Clean you monitor glass.
Right click to adjust size.
Remember unlike a museum, you will not be over-powered by size, but by CONTENT.
Choose various focal point of the image for concentration.
Pay close attention to subject matter as it pertains to history, ethnicity, culture, structure or the likes.
Pay close attention to dates, as they record different times in history.
