Review of The New Black Vanguard
by Kaylen H.
I had the pleasure of visiting The New Black Vanguard exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art. This exhibit showcased the African diaspora through pictures, installations, paintings, and videos. While this exhibit gives us a picture of the future for the African diaspora through art, it takes inspiration from the past. It almost tells a story about black culture from many different places. Next to each artist's collection sits a plaque that doesn’t just tell about the art but gives us the audience to get to know the artist behind the art. This is part of the exhibit and is also important because through this we learn more about the message the artist is trying to portray through their art.
One of my favorite things about the exhibit is that as you walk through it you have a chance to see the African diaspora from a multitude of angles. This exhibit doesn't just focus on one part of the diaspora, rather it shows many different parts. Another thing that stood out was the usage of colors in the art, and how the colors in the artwork were complemented by the different colors of the walls. The art itself was breathtaking for many different reasons. The one that stood out most to me was how bold and powerful the colors were. The models and their powerful presence in the photos and paintings is another thing that left me in awe of this exhibit. The stories the artist was able to share through the models were one of the most impactful things I saw.
Though this whole exhibit is breathtaking, my favorite piece was by Quil Lemons. It was the 3 pictures from his series Purple, which were photographs that he had taken of his sisters and great-grandmother. The family aspect of this series is one of the reasons it's my favorite series in the exhibit. In a way, it reminds me of my nieces and grandmother which is why it's special to me. The concept behind this series is beautiful and inspiring. After I left the museum, I looked up the rest of this series and it spoke to me. Besides the concept, the pictures are also really nice, and how Lemons plays with the light in these photographs is impressive.
Though I have a favorite, all the art in this exhibit is beautiful. If I had a chance to go back I would, just to experience how impressive and thought-invoking it is. I think it did an amazing job at showcasing the different aspects of the African diaspora, because of how many different artists’ work was there. And because of how each artist brought something different to the exhibit. Overall my experience at The New Black Vanguard was a thought-invoking and breathtaking experience.
