Renowned artist and Columbus native Amy Sherald is among 12 artists featured in Season 11 of the PBS television series Art of the 21st Century — and she'll appear in the premiere April 7 at 10 p.m.
The Emmy-nominated documentary series, produced by Art21, will feature "ground-breaking" contemporary artists in three hour-long episodes.
Art21 said in a press release: "Although recent seasons have focused on the relationship between artists and the cities they live in, we must also consider the communities, cultures and commitments that artists make wherever they are." Call home
Colombo connection
In the year
Former First Lady Michelle Obama Her work was elevated to pop culture when they chose Sherald to paint her official portrait in 2017. Sherald is the first black woman to be nominated for this honor.
In the year In 2020, Sherald's photograph of Breanna Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman who was shot and killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky, appeared on the September cover of Vanity Fair.
In the year Writing for Forbes in 2021, Chad Scott wrote: “Brena Taylor's portrait of Amy Sherald may be the most important portrait of the 21st century . She succeeds in summarizing the crazy world of her kind in one picture.
In the year In 2016, the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery awarded Sherold first prize in the Outwin Bouchevar Portrait Competition for her oil on canvas Miss Everything (unrigged exhibit). She is the first woman and the first African American to win the competition, which was founded in 2006.
The North Carolina Museum of Art wrote that the work features a young, gray-skinned woman wearing white gloves and holding a large cup and saucer "standing front and center against a strange natural blue and red background." Exhibition 2018. Year. .
Sherald told the museum that Alice in Wonderland was the inspiration for the painting.
At the museum, "That's where my cup of tea comes in: bending space and time and thinking about yourself and how the world sees you." The painting "creates an alternative narrative of existence in response to the dominant narrative of black history".
Describing her work, Smithsonian Magazine wrote: "Sherald creates creatively dynamic portraits of African-American subjects that explore the emotional impact of stereotypes of color and shape." Her stories are often set with a sense of wonder and wonder. Sarcasm."
The dream forms the backdrop for what the artist calls "the unchanging personal space of my existence within the context of black identity and my search for ways to express and ground myself." Using light grays, Sherald "drops" skin tones so that her subjects appear realistic and universal.
Sherald's paintings were also popular at auction. Bathers (2015) sold for $4.2 million in 2020 and The Welfare Queen (2012) sold for $3.9 million in 2021.
The first episode of the new season
Simpson, Da Corte and Lynd Ramos will appear in the first episode of the new season with Sherald "creating exciting new visual worlds and questioning the heritage and icons of the past," Art21 said in a press release. "This season explores artists who reflect the aesthetic traditions and history we encounter every day. Their work expands our visual vocabulary to reflect a changing society."
The work of these artists often throws away the expected strict boundaries, favoring new ideas, unusual approaches and playful ideas for who and what the culture is about. Their freedom and creativity allow audiences to create new and unexpected worlds and inspire empathy, connection and critical thinking.
In the show, Sherald talks about her roots in Colombo and how old family photos have influenced her art. The episode also tells the story of a sixth-grade field trip Sherald took to the Bo Bartlett Center at Columbus State University, where Bartlett saw The Permanence of Things (1986) and was inspired to become an artist.
Sherald told Artnet.com in September 2019 that it was "the first painting I've ever seen in my entire life."
In the picture, Bartlett, a white man presents himself as black.
"The picture is of a young black man looking at me in this work," he told Artnet. "I still feel the same way, and it's still a big part of my inspiration as a figurative artist. This is a reminder that there should be more pictures in the world that can give other children and people the experience I saw first. This picture in a museum."
Below is a LE Q&A via email with Sherald, who lives in the New York area.
Q: How do you feel about participating in the arts in the 21st century?
A: Art21 is what you pick up when you call. As a young artist, I spent a lot of time developing my voice and discovering the world by watching Art21. It was an organic and natural experience working with them, and it was fun to see my artwork unfold on screen.
Q: What can viewers expect from your series?
Answer: Our world is made up of still and moving images. Art makes everything possible! During the shooting of the film, many images came to life. I hope it will give viewers, especially young artists, the opportunity to witness this experience and be inspired to create for themselves.
Q: How has the publication of Michelle Obama's portrait changed your life and art?
A: It didn't change my art, but it helped me create a bigger platform and context for my work. I love that it's used to teach kids about art history and themselves.
Q: How has growing up in Columbus influenced your life and art?
Answer: In this episode I was able to reflect on my journey back to my childhood home in Columbus. I spent afternoons in our family room with photo albums and photos that contributed to a deeper understanding of who I am and who I am meant to be in my story, wherever the world takes me.
There is a special moment in that chapter where I see a black and white photograph of my grandmother Jewel with my mother, which still inspires me in what I do. The visual legacy I create through my paintings always reminds me that photography has been with me from the beginning and informs everything I do.