Happy New Year!
Thanks to all of you who supported South of Pico, African American Artists in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s since its release in April 2017. It’s been a wonderful ride with book talks in Philadelphia, Hartford, Chicago, and London. My hometown New York came out strong and Los Angeles was truly excited. Much much appreciation to all those who made it happen (with special thanks to the most wonderful hubby Dr. Guthrie Ramsey). It is super gratifying to have been named to Artforum, Best Books of 2017, and The New York Times, Best Art Books of 2017. Humbled and honored.
We’re taking that energy and power into 2018! Look out for five new essays from me in the coming months. One is already here. My essay “Assured Calamity: Elizabeth Murray’s 1980s.” was published to celebrate the exhibition “Elizabeth Murray Paintings in the ‘80s” which just closed at Pace Gallery. It was great fun writing about my earliest art teacher. She was another fabulous Chicagoan through and through.
Next month pick up the second volume (okay!!) for the project “We Wanted a Revolution, Black Radical Women 1965-85,” curated by the ever fabulous Rujeko Hockley and Catherine Morris. It includes my article “Swimming with E.C.” on Elizabeth Catlett, and writings by wonderful colleagues, Uri McMillan, Huey Copeland, Aruna D’Souza and cool sis Lisa Jones. In April “Odyssey: Jack Whitten Sculpture, 1963-2016,” the first major show of the artist’s 3-D work, opens at the Baltimore Museum before heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Check out my “Mediterranean Conversations” in that volume. “Charles White, A Retrospective” celebrates the artist’s centennial in the three cities he called home: Chicago, New York, Los Angeles. I learned so much from writing “Charles White, Feminist at Mid-Century” for that publication. Finally, look for the book from The Green Lantern Press celebrating “Cándida Alvarez: Here,” the recent survey by a painter who’s been flying under the radar for a minute, but no longer. Loved ending the year writing “When Painting Stepped Out to Lunch” about my homegirl.
That’s it for now. But there’s always more to come. Here’s to 2018!
Kellie Jones