By Matt Micucci
The Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African & African American Art at Cambridge, Massachusetts will present a new three-part exhibition entitled “Art of Jazz: Form/Performance/Notes.”
The exhibition will run from February 3 to May 8. An opening reception is also scheduled on February 2 at 6 p.m.
With more than 70 pieces ranging from early jazz age objects and mid-century jazz ephemera to contemporary works by established African American artists, the exhibition explores the beginnings of jazz and traces how it was embraced internationally as an art form, a social movement and musical iconography for Black expression.
As the title points out, the three different exhibits that compose “Art of Jazz” are “Form”, “Performance” and “Notes”, and will be taking place at two different venues.
The first two, “Form” and “Performance” are curated by Harvard University scholars Suzanne Blier and David Bindman. “Form” is a collection of work presented in the Teaching Galleries at the Harvard Art Museums. “Performance” is a collection of books, album covers, photos and other ephemera in the Cooper Gallery’s lobby and front galleries, which includes works by modernist painter Beauford Delaney and photographers Hugh Bell and Carl Van Vechten, along with a sound installation accompanying the series of artist created album cover installations.
“Notes” is an installation curated by the director of the Cooper Gallery, Vera Grant. Taking place in the Gallery’s inner exhibit space, consisting of five galleries, it is a response to the first two exhibits in “Art of Jazz” with works that focus on how late 20th Century and 21st Century contemporary artists view and intersect with jazz. “Notes” includes works by a variety of painters, sculptors, musicians, industrial designers and more including award-winning jazz artist Jason Moran, conceptual painter Lina Viktor and contemporary artist Cullen Washington among others.
The Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African & African American Art is open during the week Tuesday to Saturday and its opening hours are are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit their official website ->http://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/cooper-gallery<-
