Quick Art History Reads

Artist Spotlight: Angela Hennessy

Her current project, The School of the Dead, is a program for the decolonization of death and grief through the radical inquiry of aesthetic and social practices that mediate the boundary between the living and the dead.

She leads workshops and lectures nationally. Recent bay area talks and performances include The School of the Dead at CTRL+SHIFT Artists Collective; You’re Going to Die’s When They Died; IDEO’s Reimagine End of Life; Disclose Silence: We See Violence; Dead Black at Nook Gallery.

Artist Spotlight: Alise Eastgate

I am an Oakland based visual artist, focusing in watercolor and acrylic painting. I am also an aspiring digital photographer and ukulele player. I was born in Europe, raised in Louisiana, and shaped by the places I've called home since, including Alabama, Mississippi, New Zealand, California, and the Fiji Islands. I earned my Bachelor degree in Studio Art and Geography from the University of Alabama in 2010. My work is inspired by my activism and my belief that all living beings deserve the right to live, love and be free. I use color and organic shapes to explore these ideas and relationships within overlapping cultures.

Victims of Lynching Memorial

American history is not so easy to digest sometimes, it's painful and brutal. I believe this memorial and others like it will allow us to remember the past, not relive it nor repeat it. See the link below for details.

Video on Interpreting the Iconography of the Black Madonna

I found this video about the Black Madonna and how to read the image as an icon. This is very helpful in my studies. There is definitely more to be discussed about the icon and one day I will have the opportunity to carry on the conversation and research of the iconic image.