Sue Katz: Consenting Adult

AAMARP (African American Master Artists in Residency Program): Incredible talent!

Housed in a large warehouse building, AAMARP is a collective of photographers, artists, and writers who are devoted to representing “the world as seen through the eyes of African-Americans.” A remarkable photographer I follow, Hakim Raquib, had posted about the collective’s latest show, and I went last week to see it.

This working space is full of studios in which artists are actively creating. I met the brilliant photographer Gloretta Baynes Cook, AAMARP Chair Emeritus and both an inspiration to and a pillar of the collective. She was kind to spend over an hour taking my friend and me around the two floors, introducing us to the breathtaking work of multiple artists, including the impressive photographic work of Hakim Raquib. The work of individuals in the group has been widely exhibited. For example, Gloretta and another AAMARP artist, Susan Thompson, have a joint show at JP Licks (Jamaica Plain) right now.

As a very special treat, Gloretta generously took us into her own studio to explain some of the processes she uses in her powerful, hard-hitting photographic creations.

Gloretta also described some of the background to the long-running campaign to hold onto the space, which is owned by Northeastern University. It is a shame that instead of basking in the pride of housing so many insightful and commanding artists of color, Northeastern seems to be more concerned about grabbing back this building.

This outstanding resource is located at 76 Atherton Street in Jamaica Plain, just a block from the Stony Brook T-stop.

Below are two images by Hakim Raquib on display.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REVIEW: “Seven Guitars” by August Wilson in Boston

Boston area people: If you want a superb theatre experience, see if you can score tickets to “Seven Guitars” by the Actors’ Shakespeare Project, appearing at Roxbury’s Hibernian Hall.

All the best elements are here: spot-on direction by Maurice Emmanuel Parent, seven remarkable actors, perhaps the finest 20th Century playwright August Wilson, and an intimate community theatre in which every seat is a good seat.

One of Wilson’s ten “Century Cycle” plays set in subsequent decades, “Seven Guitars” starts with the funeral of Floyd “Schoolboy” Barton and then looks back at what led to this budding musician’s death. All the action takes place in the backyard of a house in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, where both August Wilson and I (two years later) were born.

This production perfectly catches every nuance and complication in Wilson’s incomparable writing. Hurry to experience this reasonably affordable, accessible night out (there’s an elevator and plenty of free nearby parking); this show ends March 5th.

Photographer Hakim Raquib: YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW

If you are anywhere near Boston before January 30, bust your ass getting to the Midway Gallery (15 Channel Center Street, Boston MA 02210, everyday 8AM-8PM) to see the exhibition of Hakim Raquib. Titled YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW, it includes selected works of this sensational photographer, spanning 50 years. Luckily it’s run has been extended until January 30, so you have time to rush there. You can thank me later.

Hakim Raquib’s sublime Egyptian landscapes blew me away. I once spent two weeks on a camel tour of the Sinai desert and viewing his desert work was like returning there in emotional technicolor. His compelling manipulated images flashing back to the Civil Rights Freedom Riders, to the Black Panthers, to Spike Lee, moved me, reviving my own memories of that period. Click here to view his project on Winter.

As Michael Thierry, a senior art Director, said on Raquib’s Linked-In page, “Hakim is an amazing photographer of a scale beyond imagining. His work transcends and transforms the viewer.” I fully agree.

 

P.S. I took these photos myself, so they don't do the work justice!