We are very sad to hear of the passing of Lewis Tanner Moore, a linchpin of the Philadelphia arts community, friend to many artists, and a pre-eminent collector of works by Black artists. In other news, the Library Company launches the first of their Black Historians Department events, an exhibition from the collection cuated by Tafari Robertson, and CFEVA announces the 2024 Fellows. Enjoy the news and stay hydrated everyone. [NOTE: This post has been edited to remove some sensitive information.]
NEWS
Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859–1937), Algiers (or Algeria, Moonlight – Old Buildings near Ka-hak), probably 1912, oil on canvas, 31 ¾ x 25 ½ inches.This painting was part of the 2008 exhibit at Woodmere Art Museum of the collection of Lewis Tanner Moore, grandnephew of Henry Ossawa Tanner and pr-eminent collector of works by Black artists.
Lewis Tanner Moore has passed
Our friends at Woodmere Art Museum alerted us that Lewis Tanner Moore died. We are deeply sorry to hear the news. We will remember him fondly as a collector and intellectual whose public speaking was always memorable. See my 2008 article on the Lewis Tanner Moore collection show at Woodmere.
Hear a podcast with Lewis Tanner Moore talking about the work of Paul Keene, hosted by Patricia Smith of Brandywine Workshop and Archives. (Tanner comes on around 10 minutes in.)
2024 CFEVA Fellows announced
Congratulations to the 2024 Fellows! The fellowship includes a $1,000 stipend and up to $3,000 for a related project or exhibition. More about the CFEVA fellowshipshere. This year’s fellows are: Santiago Galeas
Nari Kim
Alana Walters
Lauren Sandler
NOTABLE EVENTS
The Black Historians’ Department: The Past Belongs to You Exhibition Opening
Wednesday, July 17, 6:00 pm
In-Person Event
Free REGISTER
Curated by Beyond Glass Cases Project Partner Tafari Robertson
In The Black Historians’ Department: The Past Belongs to You, speculative historian Tafari Robertson has created a space dedicated to the Black historians who cultivate their practice and stories outside of traditional institutions. It is a speculation of what would be different about history as a form if it were built around the ways that Black people hold and exchange information with each other and what it means to amplify and support those processes. Tafari explored these ideas with other members of Philadelphia’s Black artistic and cultural community in a series of workshops/listening sessions. The exhibition that grew out of these sessions will include an office setting and a living room interior setting where visitors will be invited to engage with reference books, audio tapes, and video clips as ways to experience history. Two cases of items from The Library Company’s African American History Collection will also be displayed. The Past Belongs to You is an invitation to understand Black history as a community practice, not to be discovered or authorized, but participated in. We hope you’ll join us for this reclamation of the past.
Tafari Robertson is a multidisciplinary artist based in Philadelphia, PA. He began his artist journey through painting, illustration and now works across mediums to explore the experiences layered within Black cultural spaces. He questions what are the artistic effects of space, the elements that create those experiences, and what ripples out when these spaces are created, sustained or destroyed.
