Portraiture, scenes from everyday life, and artworks that confront racial myths and stereotypes are featured in Examining Identity Construction: Selections from the Mott-Warsh Collection, currently on view at MW Gallery. This exhibit explores the dynamics of identity and the visual representation of African Americans through art created by some of the most renowned artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Artists include Emma Amos, Robert Arneson, Camille Billops, Sanford Biggers, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Mark Steven Greenfield, Ayana Jackson, Rashid Johnson, Whitfield Lovell, Carrie Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley, Pat Ward Williams, and more.
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Examining Identity Construction is organized around three sub-themes: confronting racist stereotypes; everyday people; and taking a stand. “Confronting Racist Stereotypes” features work by artists who appropriate derogatory caricatures from American history as a means of coming to terms with a painful past. “Everyday People” includes portraits and genre scenes in which ordinary people are the source of inspiration. “Taking a Stand” highlights artworks from the collection in which artists embrace elements of African American identity and/or respond to social and political challenges.