ALUMNI NEWS
Kappa National Meeting Planner and Silhouette Enrich Understanding Through the Detroit Institute of Arts
I n celebration of Detroit’s rich history as a center for Afri- can American art and artists, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) presented “Detroit Collects: Selections of African American Art from Private Collections,” from November 12, 2019 through March 1, 2020. Nineteen Detroit-area art collectors generously loaned the artworks in this exhibition, some of which are on public view for the first time. “Detroit Collects” is free with general admission, which is free for residents of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. This exhibition, the first at the DIA to feature African American art from several local collectors, featured 60 works of art in a variety of media, including paintings, sculptures, photography and more by interna- tionally renowned artists. Highlights include works by Romare Bearden, Nick Cave, Alison Saar, Rashid Johnson and Carrie Mae Weems. The exhibition also features artists with Detroit roots, including Charles McGee, Mario Moore, Tylonn Saw- yer, Allie McGhee and others. Their works will be displayed alongside the stories of motivation and passion that drive each collector to acquire African American art, and the ways the art can reflect and affect social change. “The DIA’s General Motors Center for African American Art is the first curatorial department dedicated to African American art in the U.S.,” said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA Director. “This exhibition builds on our history of collecting and display- ing African American art and creates a new opportunity for our visitors to see themselves reflected in the museum’s galleries.”
woman executive at General Motors and deputy mayor, chief of staff and COO of the City of Detroit during the admin- istration of Mayor Dennis Archer; and Rhonda D. Welburn, practicing attorney and former board member of the DIA who serves on the board of many non- profit and charitable organizations such as the DMC Foundation and the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation. Highlights of the exhibition included: Madonna, 1982, Elizabeth Catlett, American; lithograph (left). Lent by Silhouette Karen Clermont Johnson and Kevin J. Johnson (Xi 1980). In this work, artist Elizabeth Catlett takes inspiration from historical Chris- tian depictions of Mary and Jesus, reprinting it as a Black mother and son, contradicting the typical imagery of White religious figures.
Kevin J. Johnson and Karen Clermont Johnson.
The DIA’s gala, the museum’s signature fundraising event on November 9, 2019, will be the opening celebration for Detroit Collects. The DIA’s closest philanthropic supporters will come together to celebrate and honor the legacy of African American art. Guests will have a first look at the exhibition that explores the rich history of collecting African American art while giving voice to its collectors. Collectors in the exhibition included long- time supporters of the DIA such as Mau- reen and Roy Roberts — a contemporary African American gallery bears their names in recognition of a generous contribution to the museum. Other collectors include Net- tie Seabrooks, the first African American
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