Photo via Facebook
The work of Wisconsin’s Black women artists will receive much needed exposure next year thanks to a Milwaukee artist and gallery owner and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Fatima Laster, curator of Milwaukee’s 5 Points Art Gallery & Studios and an artist herself, has been chosen as MMoCA’s first guest curator for next spring’s “Wisconsin Triennial,” a showing of Wisconsin artist’s work that occurs every three years.
The exhibition, which opens in April 2022, has never before featured a guest curator. Laster’s application in response to the MMoCA’s call for curators this past April stood out from others in her evident ability to help the museum better fulfill its mission of creating an innovative and informative vision and embracing a transformative approach to its programming, according to Christina Brungardt, MMoCA’s Gabriele Haberland Director.
“We are honored to be working with Fatima to fulfill her vision for the 2022 Wisconsin Triennial,” Brungardt says. “Her skills and experience provide expertise and new ways of looking at how we organize and conceptualize an exhibition.”
Focus on Inclusion
The 2022 Triennial will focus exclusively on the art of Wisconsin’s Black women artists. Laster chose a quote from abolitionist and women’s rights advocate Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a Woman?”, which also is the title of Black feminist author bell hooks’ book as the exhibition’s theme. It’s a way she says, to recognize the double-discrimination that the exhibiting artists face for being both Black and women.
When thinking about racial and gender-based equity and inclusion opportunities, Black men and white women usually dominate,” Laster says. “‘Ain’t I a Woman?’ will serve to create a sacred space to highlight the prolific, trailblazing and likely under-recognized art work by an inter-generational group of Black women artists in Wisconsin.”
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
Laster already knows of about 20 artists she plans to contact about participating in the exhibit, which will fill MMoCA’s State Street Gallery and other spaces in the museum. The ability to showcase the work of these artists is an important step forward artistically and culturally, both for the museum and the Wisconsin Art scene.
“Unfortunately, I am first looking for an, ‘Oh wow, they exist’ reaction because people don’t know how many Black women artists there are in Wisconsin and on the national and international scene,” Laster says. “They tend to be overlooked given who they are, and I want viewers to be impressed with their artwork first. Hopefully, they will find new artists to support.”
“Ain’t I a Woman?” opens in April 2022 at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 227 State St., Madison, Wisconsin. Galleries are open Friday noon to 6 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays 12 to 6 p.m. Admission is free. Details: mmoca.org.
