 We recently got back from a family trip to New York City. We love NYC! This was the first time I got to bring my own family, since my own parents took me there on a classic American holiday when I was 12 years old.
We did many things, but one highlight was seeing Jack Whitten’s Messenger exhibit at The Museum of Modern Art. Whitten’s work is incredible, moving, personal, and highly relevant to what’s happening in our world today. His work also includes tributes to Maya Angelou, Malcolm X, and other Black icons. The exhibit traces his life from growing up in the segregated South to his move to NYC. And multiple works that explore art created out of turmoil, social unrest, and struggle. My wife (who teaches art history and is also a visual artist) and I spent time discussing the work, especially since she includes Whitten’s work in her teachings, and I often include visual art in my storytelling projects. But then there was this moment. We watched our 9-year-old daughter engage with the art entirely in her own way. The piece she connected with was an earlier work where Whitten was experimenting with new ways of using paint. Our daughter is also young artist and a dancer, who loves to play, loves nature, loves ideas and colors, and also cares deeply about the world. I imagined what she experienced through her eyes. I didn’t ask for her any details- but soon after we got to witness her dancing on the platform of the NYC subway. Almost as though she was applying what she experienced and imagined in the museum, back out into the world. I also just love that the painting mirrored her outfit. If you get a chance, visit the work of living artist Jack Whitten. Currently on display at MOMA. It comes highly recommended from all three of us (a visual artist, a storyteller, and a dancer). Comments are closed.
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