Posing Beauty in African American Culture

The Kent State University Museum is proud to announce a special exhibition of over 100 photographs entitled, “Posing Beauty in African American Culture.” The images spanning the 20^th and 21^st centuries explore the ways in which African and African American beauty has been represented in historical and contemporary contexts through a diverse range of media including photography, video, fashion and advertising.

Included in the exhibition are many renowned artists and photographers including Hank Willis Thomas, Mickalene Thomas, Carrie Mae Weems, Lyle Ashton Harris and Gordon Parks, among others. The exhibition opens on August 25 at noon with a lecture by Dr. Tameka Ellington, one of the co-curators of the TEXTURES exhibition. Dr. Ellington is a fashion scholar, activist and motivational speaker and her talk is entitled, "The Story of the Body Image of Black Women." The talk is free with admission and free for KSU students and Museum Members.

The exhibition was organized by the Department of Photography and Imaging at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts and curated by Deborah Willis, University Professor and Chair of the Department. The touring exhibition is made possible in part by the J. P. Morgan Chase Foundation and Curatorial Assistance, Inc.

The presentation at the KSU Museum is made possible by the generous support of Linda L. McDonald, Ph.D. and the Ohio Arts Council.

Image: Street Photographer, New York, Russell Lee, 1935-1936, Digital print, Russell Lee Photo Collection, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin;