Curated by Wilfredo Valladares
“ Finding Home” art exhibition at Maryland Hall Chaney & Marino Galleries. Featuring Amber Robles -Gordon, Edgard Endress, Jin Lee, Sandra Perez-Ramos, Sunhee Jung, Trisha Kryner
Read MoreNew Art Series "Ancestral Realms, Blossoms and Dominions Within" Featured at Martha's Vineyard
Fibers of My Soul is an art exhibition that weaves together the diverse cultural experiences and traditions of a group of talented artists. Through a captivating array of mediums, including fiber collage, painted textiles, and hand-dyed abstracts, this exhibition serves as a bridge connecting the artists' narratives to the audience's shared human experiences. Each artist featured in this exhibition brings a unique perspective rooted in their personal journey, cultural heritage, and individual artistic expression.
Read MoreArte|Diáspora
La artista nacida en San Juan y criada desde pequeña en Arlington Virginia, Amber Robles-Gordon, está presentando la primera exposición individual en línea, Place of Breath and Birth, en la Galería de Arte de la Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, en Santurce.
Su trabajo artístico representa un retrato de sus recuerdos de niña. Según nos cuenta en entrevista, este momento en la vida de la artista fue muy complejo, no solamente por encontrarse en un nuevo lugar a temprana edad, con una cultura e idioma totalmente diferente a la de San Juan, pero además por el discrimen que la recibió en aquel entonces. Esta exposición es dedicada a esa parte de su vida y su afán por recuperar su herencia.
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Artist Talk at IA&A at Hillyer
Artist/Exhibition Conversation: On Saturday May 20, 2023 at 2:00 pm join us for a conversation between Amber Robles-Gordon, a featured solo artist during the month of May, and George Hemphill, renowned gallerist in Washington DC. Robles-Gordon and Hemphill will be discussing the underpinnings of her current body of artwork, the connective threads to the Washington Color School, and an undiminished love and appreciation of the artwork of Alma Thomas.
This program is organized in conjunction with Robles-Gordon's exhibition Remnants: a visual journey of memory and renewal, which will be on view through Sunday, May 28, 2023. The event is free to the public. Advanced registrations are welcomed.
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In Conversation: Solace & Sisterhood
Amber Robles-Gordon, Soy luz, amor, y frecuencia (I am light, love, and frequency), 2023, Mixed media on canvas, 80 x 60 in.
“Solace and Sisterhood” at Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington brings together the work of three artists of African descent who are friends and “sisters.” Through their artwork, viewers are given an intimate look into their experiences and their sisterhood, which has developed over several years.
Sisterhood through the lens of the Black female experience is a deep and multifaceted relationship that challenges stereotypes and seeks to right wrongs. With the constant scrutiny of their choices and physical selves, and social opposition to their abilities and accomplishments, sisterhood for Black women becomes a necessity, a social enterprise, and a framework for survival. By digging deeply into historical and contemporary perspectives on African American life, exploring traditions in the African diasporic community, or remixing commonly known objects, these artists span media and aesthetics. They tackle topics of self-identity, Black female beauty, and spiritual discovery. They resist single affiliations and simple answers to difficult questions. All the while, they maintain deep bonds that now transcend friendship. They are now sisters.
At this Kolaj LIVE Online event, co-sponsored by MoCA Arlington, exhibition artists Lavett Ballard, Amber Robles-Gordon, and Evita Tezeno will be joined by curator Dr. Lauren Davidson for a discussion about collage made from the lives of Black female experience. exhibition. The conversation will focus on the three artists’ use of collage techniques throughout their work, from the incorporation of archival materials and handmade paper to the development of found object assemblage. Kolaj Institute’s Ric Kasini Kadour will facilitate the program.
Solace and Sisterhood is on view at MoCA Arlington through 26 May 2024.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Lavett Ballard holds a BA in Studio Art and Art History from Rutgers University and an MFA from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia and is an adjunct professor at Rowan College of South Jersey. Ballard’s work is in public and private collections, including the US Embassy in Kampala, Uganda, the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, Stockton University Art Collection and the collections of ABC Studios, CBS Studios, and NBC/Universal Studios. Ballard created two commissioned covers for Time Magazine: one in March 2020 for the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage and a second in February 2023 to accompany Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson’s essay about her book CASTE: Origins of our Discontent. The artist lives and works in Willingboro, New Jersey and is represented by Gallery Myrtis in Baltimore.
Amber Robles-Gordon is an Afro-Latina interdisciplinary visual artist who holds an MFA from Howard University and a BS from Trinity College. She was a resident at the American Academy in Rome in 2019 and a semi-finalist for the Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize in 2022. Robles-Gordon’s work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions at the American University Museum (Washington, DC), Morton Fine Art (Washington, DC), Derek Eller Gallery (New York, New York), and the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), among other venues, and in group exhibitions across the United States and internationally. Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, the artist lives and works in Washington, DC.
Dallas, Texas artist Evita Tezeno‘s work is included in the permanent collections of the Pérez Art Museum (Miami, Florida), the Dallas Museum of Art, African American Museum of Dallas, Figge Art Museum (Davenport, Iowa) Embassy of the Republic of Madagascar; and Pizzuti Collection (Columbus, Ohio) among many others. She is the recipient of a 2023 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and, in 2012, the Elizabeth Catlett Award for the New Power Generation. She is represented by Luis de Jesus Los Angeles.
ABOUT THE CURATOR
Dr. Lauren Davidson is an independent art curator and founder of Museum Nectar Art Consultancy. Museum Nectar is a curatorial and art advisory service working primarily in the field of contemporary African American art with a focus on emerging and mid-career artists. Davidson uses this platform to investigate issues and initiate conversations about the Diasporic Black experience. Past exhibitions include the critically reviewed “The Ties That Bind” and “Zero Dollar Bill: The Prints of Imar Lyman” at International Art and Artists (IA&A) at Hillyer in Washington, D.C and “Bria Edwards: More Time in A Day” at Eaton DC.
https://mocaarlington.org/exhibits/2024/solace-and-sisterhood/
About Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington
The Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that enriches community life by connecting the public with contemporary art and artists through exhibitions, education programs, and an artists-in-residence program. Founded in 1974 by a group of contemporary artists, the museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout 2024. Located at 3550 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, Virginia, the museum is open Wednesday-Sunday, Noon-5PM. The museum has free on-site parking, is easy to reach by metro and bus, and is accessible. There is no admission fee to visit. For more information about their exhibitions and programming, visit mocaarlington.org and @mocaarlington on Facebook and Instagram.
www.mocaarlington.org
ABOUT KOLAJ LIVE ONLINE
Kolaj LIVE Online is a series of virtual programs in the form of forums, panels, workshops, artist talks, studio visits, and other activities that allow people to come together, learn and talk about collage, and connect in real time to the collage community. Our goal is to bring the community together in a spirit of mutual support and fellowship. Kolaj LIVE Online manifests Kolaj Magazine and Kolaj Institute by bringing together artists, curators, and writers to share ideas that deepen our understanding of collage as a medium, a genre, a community, and a 21st century movement. Learn more at the SERIES WEBSITE.
Soy Luz, amor, y frecuencia.(I am light, love and frequency), 2023, mixed media, 80 (L) x 60 (H) in
IA&A AT HILLYER / International Arts and Artists at Hillyer / Amber Robles-Gordon / Remnants
In this series, Robles-Gordon explores the emotional, physical, and psychic processes of loss. This body of work conveys the mental and physical effort it takes to move through loss. The artist works sequentially and within these works, deploying the lenses of abstraction, realism, photography, sacred geometry, symbolism, and installation art to convey a journey of self-awareness and growth. Together, these artworks present a visual telling of love, loss, and healing.
Read MoreAmber Robles-Gordon: sus raíces y herencia vistas a través del arte
Por Periódico El Adoquín/Publicado 17/05/2023 a las 4:59 pm/Actualizado 02/11/2023 a las 5:09 pm/7 min lectura
La artista nacida en San Juan y criada desde pequeña en Arlington Virginia, Amber Robles-Gordon, está presentando la primera exposición individual en línea, Place of Breath and Birth, en la Galería de Arte de la Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, en Santurce.
Su trabajo artístico representa un retrato de sus recuerdos de niña. Según nos cuenta en entrevista, este momento en la vida de la artista fue muy complejo, no solamente por encontrarse en un nuevo lugar a temprana edad, con una cultura e idioma totalmente diferente a la de San Juan, pero además por el discrimen que la recibió en aquel entonces. Esta exposición es dedicada a esa parte de su vida y su afán por recuperar su herencia.
Desde muy niña,a Amber Robles-Gordon su mamá le enseñó la importancia de apreciar y valorar el arte y las expresiones culturales. Recuerda cuando iba al Instituto Smithsonian a ver importantes piezas, en especial le llamaba la atención las de impresionismo. La artista se acuerda hasta de su primera maestra de arte que le enseñó cómo crear un collage, al lograrlo, se sintió muy orgullosa. Luego, se dio cuenta de su talento y decidió dedicarse como artista.
A preguntas del discrimen que tuvo que experimentar desde su llegada a Estados Unidos, Amber Robles-Gordon nos cuenta que: “Por ejemplo, no puedo recordar lo que realmente se me estaba diciendo. Solo recuerdo esa sensación de que no quería que continuara por lo que no quise hablar más el español. Yo de cinco años no sabía cómo hacer que se detuviera [el discrimen]. Pensé que se basaba en el idioma que estaba hablando y ellos no entendían por qué lo estaba hablando. A los cinco años tomé la decisión y pensé que, si dejaba de hablarlo, tal vez la gente no se burlaría”, expresó Amber Robles-Gordon.
La artista añadió que los latinos también “somos personas de color”, por lo que hay que tomar decisiones sobre quiénes somos en la sociedad y cómo reclamamos nuestro espacio e interactuamos con los demás.
“Creo que todos nosotros hemos tenido que tomar una decisión en algún momento u otro sobre cómo nos representamos y cómo representamos nuestra cultura. Es solo que no sabía que la decisión que tome a los cinco años iba a ser tan duradera y algo tan serio en mi vida. En aquel momento sentía que, si no era mi idioma, iba a ser otra cosa… tenía que negociar para que fuera aceptada. No te das cuenta de que, acomodando la forma de pensar de otras personas, se va acumulando un sentimiento. Luego me di cuenta de que, como mujer negra, debía reclamar mi postura”, indicó la artista, quien explicó que precisamente esta exposición la utiliza para empoderar a aquella niña de cinco años de aquel entonces.
Cómo surge esta exposición Place of Breath and Birth
Amber Robles-Gordon expresó que siempre quiso regresar a Puerto Rico, obtener nuevamente su idioma y reencontrarse con familiares y seres queridos en la Isla. La primera vez que intentó retomar el español fue terminando su posgrado cuando tuvo la opción de elegir estudiar otro idioma, pero en ese momento su hijo fue diagnosticado con pérdida auditiva, por lo que tuvo que tomar una decisión: ¿español o lenguaje de señas en inglés?, y como ella misma expresó: “decidí poner a mi hijo primero”.
Una vez su hijo ya estaba más grande, la artista tomó nuevamente la decisión de regresar a la Isla y sanar esa parte de ella. Durante aquel momento, hace contacto con Edwin Velázquez Collazo, ya que él incluía su trabajo de diferentes maneras en su blog Puerto Rico Art News. “Así que alrededor de unos años antes del 2019, me encontré con alguien que estaba valorando mi trabajo, así que tuve una conversación con él [Velázquez Collazo] agradeciéndole. Hablando con él investigué de cómo regresar a Puerto Rico, para encontrar esos pedazos de mí que había escondido de niña”, señaló la artista. Velázquez Collazo le recomendó entonces que contactara a la Universidad del Sagrado Corazón y les presentara una propuesta.
Tendedero Comunidad y Energía Eterna 18 x 24 2020
Por razones de la reciente pandemia la Galería tuvo que cerrar y convertirse en una virtual, Amber Robles Gordon decidió venir a la Isla, donde estuvo alrededor de tres meses. A pesar de que estaba planeando estar más tiempo, no pudo hacerlo ya que Puerto Rico estaba ajustando más las reglas de precaución y la artista tenía compromisos también en Estados Unidos, por lo que tuvo que regresar. A pesar de esto, aclara que cada pieza de esta exhibición la comenzó en Puerto Rico para terminarlas luego desde Washington DC.
Amber Robles disfruta mucho los colores y trabajar con diferentes texturas, principalmente en telas. Como parte del análisis y el estudio que realiza para sus obras de arte, hace dibujos o “sketches”. Precisamente, durante el viaje que realizó con su madre en la Isla, se dijo que iba a hacer dibujos a través de todo el viaje, todos los días. “Así que con estos dibujos me di cuenta que estaba haciendo la parte abstracta de Fiscus Elástica, nombre que le da a la parte central en las piezas de la muestra. A pesar de que no me gusta la naturaleza, porque no me gustan los mosquitos, si me gustan mucho sus colores, cómo las plantas nos cuidan y la relación que tenemos con ellas”, señaló.
Cuando llegó al campus de la Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, observó que los árboles tenían sus nombres, viendo una relación de algún tipo, hasta familiar. “Vi la representación de las raíces, lo que era como una versión familiar y de comunidad de la naturaleza y lo que significa eso para mí. Yo no me di cuenta de lo conmovida que estaba (en ese momento) con los árboles”.
Botánica del Amor, Autoreflexión y Espiritualidad 18 x 24 2020
“Cuando ves las obras y los colores de esta colección; por ejemplo, el verde menta se encuentra en todas las piezas. Cuando estuve en Puerto Rico fue un color que utilizaba mucho para decorar, por lo que quise utilizarlo en todas las piezas. Decidí utilizar los sketches que tenía como base, y terminaron convirtiéndose en una de las capas más importantes del trabajo”, añadió.
A preguntas de este medio de cómo se sintió al terminar esta serie, expresó: “Definitivamente hay un sentimiento de orgullo al terminar la serie. Esta fue la primera que hice específicamente de algo tan importante para mí como lo es mi herencia”.
Detrás de la elaboración de cada trabajo, ciertamente hay un elemento de la expresión de emociones. Durante esto, sintió que estaba como en una excavación, porque “estaba aprendiendo sobre muchas cosas que no sabía cómo decirlas o presentarlas. Era como si estuviera pelando o dejando ver las diferentes capas de mi personalidad”, expresó Amber Robles-Gordon.
Su trabajo incluye esculturas, pero muy diferentes quizás a lo que uno está acostumbrado, muchas de ellas están creadas con telas de colores. Sus trabajos escultóricos tienen que ver mucho con la cultura afrodescendiente.
Disfruta hacer el trabajo a gran escala. A pesar de que considera que ha sido afortunada de haber hecho arte por tanto tiempo, entiende que hay ciclos, por lo que cuando se le comisiona una pieza, ya ella tiene pensado los materiales, ha escogido telas y empieza a armar esa pieza basado en lo que ha coleccionado. Va apartando los materiales para próximas piezas, pues se convierte todo en un ciclo para la artista.
Lo más reciente…
En la actualidad, la artista Amber Robles-Gordon está trabajando en un proyecto junto a Semilla Cultural, organización en la que están realizando un proyecto donde tiene que aprender el baile de bomba. Para éste, ha reunido un grupo de mujeres, entre ellas su madre, junto a la maestra Isha Renta.
Por otra parte en International Arts and Artists at Hillyer, en Washington DC, presenta la exhibición Remnants: a visual journey of memory and renewal en la que exhibe la pieza Soy luz, amor y frecuencia hasta el 28 de mayo.
Adicional, este sábado 20 de mayo a las 2:00 p.m. tendrá un conversatorio con George Hemphill, renombrado galerista en Washington DC, en la que hablarán sobre los fundamentos de su obra de arte actual, los hilos que la conectan con la Escuela de Color de Washington y un amor y aprecio inquebrantables por la obra de arte de Alma Thomas.
Hasta hace poco, mostró su obra en la exposición “Trenzando Identidades” en el Museo Casa Escuté de Carolina, junto a 30 artistas destacadas y emergentes afro-puertorriqueñas y en la que abordaron asuntos de raza, género e identidad en los medios de la fotografía, pintura, dibujo, arte digital, collage y el grabado.
Para más información, visite https://www.amberroblesgordon.com/
Spectrumatic Beacon, Commissioned Public Artwork, Textile on Chicken Wire, 2018
https://eladoquintimes.com/2023/05/17/amber-robles-gordon-sus-raices-y-herencia-vistas-a-traves-del-arte/
CREATING A NEW WHOLE
IA&A at Hillyer presents Pulse 2023, an exhibition that recognizes the role of Hillyer’s Advisory Committee in identifying artists for solo and group exhibitions at Hillyer’s renowned contemporary art space. The exhibition features work by some of Hillyer’s past notable members such as Helen Frederick, Renée Stout, and Tom Wolff, and current members, Joan Belmar, Nikki Brugnoli, Anna U Davis, Elsabe Dixon, Cianne Fragione, Pat Goslee, Laurel Lukaszewski, Cory Oberndorfer, John Paradiso, and Amber Robles-Gordon.
Read MorePulse 2023 @ IA&A At Hillyer
IA&A at Hillyer presents Pulse 2023, an exhibition that recognizes the role of Hillyer’s Advisory Committee in identifying artists for solo and group exhibitions at Hillyer’s renowned contemporary art space. The exhibition features work by some of Hillyer’s past notable members such as Helen Frederick, Renée Stout, and Tom Wolff, and current members, Joan Belmar, Nikki Brugnoli, Anna U Davis, Elsabe Dixon, Cianne Fragione, Pat Goslee, Laurel Lukaszewski, Cory Oberndorfer, John Paradiso, and Amber Robles-Gordon.
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Amber Robles-Gordon Featured / Art News / The Best Booths at Untitled’s 2022 Edition on Miami Beach
Building on two previous bodies of work, both created since the pandemic, With Every Fibre of My Being (2022) by Amber Robles-Gordon presents a visual summary of the ongoing research that the artist has conducted into her identities as an Afro-Latina of Puerto Rican heritage and as a U.S. citizen living in the District of Columbia…Art News, Tafeta Gallery, Untitled Art Fair
Read MorePhoto gallery: Images of the VIP opening for Prizm Art Fair in Miami
BY D.A. VARELA
UPDATED NOVEMBER 30, 2022 12:00 AM
Artist Marryam Moma strikes a pose with her art collage at the Art Prizm Fair. D.A. VARELA dvarela@miamiherald.com
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/visual-arts/art-basel/article269379152.html#storylink=cpy
Now in its 10th year, Prizm Art Fair on Flagler Street gives artists of African descent the opportunity to showcase their work. “The market doesn’t generally highlight and celebrate enough Black artists,” founder Mikhaile Solomon said. “This is a place where you can come to see all of the best artists who are emanating from Africa and its diaspora.” This year’s theme is “Vernacular À la Mode,” which Solomon deemed a way to honor all people of African descent. “We wanted to celebrate all the ways in which people of African descent exist in various parts of the world,” Solomon said.
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/visual-arts/art-basel/article269379152.html#storylink=cpy
Artist Amber Robles-Gordon strikes a pose in front of her artwork entitled ‘At The Altar: Dance of the Serpents’ at the Art Prizm Fair during Art Basel in the Design District neighborhood of Miami, Florida, on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 D.A. Varela dvarela@miamiherald.com
Artist Matthew McCarthy strikes a pose with his installation entitled ‘Serious Tings Ago Happen’ displayed at the Art Prizm Fair. McCarthy created the artwork with collaborator Maxine Walters. D.A. Varela dvarela@miamiherald.com
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/visual-arts/art-basel/article269379152.html#storylink=cpy
TAFETA Gallery / Untitled Art / Miami Beach
TAFETA will present a multimedia collection from Amber Robles-Gordon, Enam Gbewonyo and Marielle Plaisir at this year’s Untitled Art Miami Beach, during Art Basel Miami week 2022.
The three artists mixed media work in textiles, paintings and site-specific installations draw inspiration from their personal connections to the USA, United Kingdom and the Caribbean, interlinking shared musings on humanity, the body, and the impact of societal constructs on people of colour.
“Imagining a World Creates It”: Amber Robles-Gordon Interviewed by Jessica Lanay
“Imagining a World Creates It”: with Visual Artist Amber Robles-Gordon Interviewed by Jessica Lanay
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The David C. Driskell Center is proud to present its fall 2022 exhibition, Telling Our Story: Community Conversations with Our Artists, on view September 9 through December 2, 2022.
More than forty works were selected for the exhibition representing the art of thirty-one artists from the David C. Driskell Center’s Permanent Collection. The works are on display along with accompanying letters both handwritten and typed. Emma Amos (1937-2020)
Phoebe Beasley, Robert Blackburn, Lillian Thomas Burwell, Milton Bowens, Elizabeth Catlett, EKO, Ed Clark, Allan Rohan Crite, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Kevin Cole, Louis Delsarte, Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Herbert Gentry, Robin Holder, Manuel Hughes, Jacob Lawrence, Samella Lewis, Delita Martin, Arcmanoro Niles, Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Gordon Parks, Jefferson Pinder, Amber Robles-Gordon, Alison Saar, Augusta Savage, Frank Stewart, Renee Stout, Walter H. Williams, Richard Wyatt,
Read MoreDr. Kelli Morgan, Curator and Visual Artist, Amber Robles-Gordon in Conversation
"These amazing and accomplished thinkers will be engaging in a discussion about the impressive visual presentation and critical investigations present Amber’s current exhibition on view at our gallery: soveREIGNty: Acts, Forms, & Measures of Protest & Resistance."
Read MoreFEATURED: July’s First Saturday events will feature extended exhibitions worth a second look
Tinney Contemporary will be sticking with its June show through July 9. I reviewed Amber Robles-Gordon’s Sovereignty exhibition for the Scene — it’s a prime example of how artists can incorporate political and social content into a body of work while also making art that’s formally striking. We’ve seen lots of messaging about social and political issues in the contemporary art of the 21st century. However, much of that work will never be remembered or reconsidered — timely art is rarely timeless. Robles-Gordon’s work is visually successful irrespective of its critiques of the U.S. policy toward — and governance of — its populated territories and the District of Columbia. I’ve seen powerful political art and dim political art, and I often question whether visual art is an effective medium for political messages. But the work in Sovereignty is formally distinctive. Tinney Contemporary will be open this Saturday from 2 to 8 p.m.
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Instagram Live CONVERSATION TOMORROW 6/28 @ 2PM with Dr. Kellie Morgan and Amber Robles-Gordon
in Event
PLEASE JOIN US TOMORROW FOR A CONVERSATION WITH DR. KELLI MORGAN AND AMBER ROBLES-GORDON STREAMING ON INSTAGRAM LIVE.
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THESE AMAZING AND ACCOMPLISHED THINKERS WILL BE ENGAGING IN A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE IMPRESSIVE VISUAL PRESENTATION AND CRITICAL INVESTIGATIONS PRESENT IN AMBER’S CURRENT EXHIBITION ON VIEW AT OUR GALLERY, SOVEREIGNTY: ACTS, FORMS, & MEASURES OF PROTEST & RESISTANCE
AMBER ROBLES-GORDON lives and works in Washington, D.C., and is a key advocate and participant in the arts community there. She is a member of the Delusions of Grandeur Artist Collective and Black Artists DC (BADC). Her artwork has been exhibited extensively nationally and internationally.
Most recently, her work has been featured in exhibitions at Galleria de Arte, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, (Sacred Heart University), in her birthplace of San Juan, Puerto Rico, (PR), by Tafeta Gallery in 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London, England, American University, Katzen Art Center, by the Royal Academy of Arts Sumer Exhibition in London, England, and more.
She has created numerous site-specific commissions, including a public installation with the D.C. Creates Public Arts Program. Her work has been extensively covered in publications such as The Washington Post, Hyperallergic, Art Daily, Puerto Rico Black Art Blog, Bmore Art, Culture Type, and more. She has been selected for various teaching residencies internationally, including the Centro Cultural Costarricense-Norteamericano, in Limon, Costa Rica, and Washington Projects for the Arts and DC Public Schools.
DR. KELLI MORGAN is a Professor of the Practice and the inaugural Director of Curatorial Studies at Tufts University. A curator, educator, and social justice activist who specializes in American art and visual culture, her scholarly commitment to the investigation of anti-blackness within those fields has demonstrated how traditional art history and museum practice work specifically to uphold white supremacy.
Besides her own curatorial experience, she mentors emerging curators and regularly trains staff at various museums to foster anti-racist approaches in collection building, exhibitions, community engagement, and fundraising. Over the past year, Dr. Morgan has become a leading and influential voice in bolstering anti-racist work in art museums. She has held curatorial positions at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, the Birmingham Museum of Art, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and teaching positions at Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, and the Tyler School of Art at Temple University
She earned her Ph.D. in Afro-American studies and a graduate certificate in public history–museum studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2017
“Guam Political,” Amber Robles-Gordon
Amber Robles-Gordon’s Polemic Quilts Balance Form and Content
SoveREIGNty: Acts, Forms, and Measures of Protest and Resistance is currently on view at Tinney Contemporary
By JOE NOLAN / JUN 15, 2022
Tracking art-world trends often means simply noting the shifting balance between form and content over time. Midcentury American painting was formalist, elemental art for art’s sake. It was interested in line, shape, space, form, tone, texture, pattern, color and composition. An important work of art was something, but nowadays an important work of art is oftenaboutsomething: politics, social causes, various identity expressions.
Midcentury art favored abstraction over figuration, but contemporary art is full of figures along with the narrative content they inevitably inspire. Luckily, no matter how the trends swing, we can always look back to the Greeks and remember that there is beauty in balance. And it’s not surprising that some of today’s best art manages to message and signal and narrate after first capturing the eye, drawing attention, and igniting the imagination of the viewer.
Even the title of Amber Robles-Gordon’s Tinney Contemporary exhibition — SoveREIGNty: Acts, Forms, and Measures of Protest and Resistance — expresses an activist message. And it’s emblematic of a display of large-scale, mixed-media quilts brimming with signals and symbolism interrogating U.S. policy toward — and governance of — its populated territories and the District of Columbia…
Amber Robles-Gordon’s Polemic Quilts Balance Form and Content
Even the title of Amber Robles-Gordon’s Tinney Contemporary exhibition — SoveREIGNty: Acts, Forms, and Measures of Protest and Resistance — expresses an activist message. And it’s emblematic of a display of large-scale, mixed-media quilts brimming with signals and symbolism interrogating U.S. policy toward — and governance of — its populated territories and the District of Columbia.
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Tinney Contemporary Presents
This exhibition features Amber Robles-Gordon’s large-scale, mixed-media quilts–assemblages incorporating paint, textiles and hand-stitching–in an interrogation of U.S. policy towards–and governance of–its populated territories and the District of Columbia.
Read MoreMillenium Arts Salon & AU Museum: A Conversation between Amber Robles-Gordon & Dr. Tuliza Fleming
On November 13, 2021 the Millennium Arts Salon provided a salon talk featuring Artist Amber Robles-Gordon in an interview with Interim Chief Curator of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Dr. Tuliza Fleming, at the American University Museum.