Opening reception for #Migration61 and book signing for the Phillips Collection Jacob Lawrence: The Migration Series
Edited by Leah Dickerman and Elsa Smithgall with contributions by Elizabeth Alexander, Rita Dove, Nikky Finney, Terrance Hayes, Tyehimba Jess, Yusef Komunyakaa, Jodi Roberts, Patricia Spears Jones, Natasha Trethewey, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Crystal Williams and Kevin Young
The Museum of Modern Art, New York and The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, 2015
This catalogue grounds Lawrence's Migration Series in the cultural and political debates that shaped the young artist's work and highlights its continued resonance for artists and writers today. An essay by Leah Dickerman situates the series within contemporary discussions about black history and an artist's social responsibilities in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Elsa Smithgall traces the circumstances leading up to the debut of the series at New York’s Downtown Gallery and its split acquisition by the two museums. Short commentaries on each panel explore Lawrence's career and technique, and the social history of the Migration. The catalogue also debuts ten poems commissioned from acclaimed poets that respond to the Migration Series. Elizabeth Alexander, honored as the poet at President Obama's first inauguration, introduces the section.
