Kerry James Marshall (b. 1955), Supermodel, 1994, Acrylic and collage on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The John Axelrod Collection—Frank B. Bemis Fund, Charles H. Bayley Fund, and the Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection, 2011.1825, Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
The Board and Staff of the Mattatuck Museum invite the public to preview A Face Like Mine, a major exhibition organized in collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and a new installation of work by artist Jeanne Silverthorne on Sunday, May 2 from
1:00-3:00 pm.
Remarks by Director Bob Burns and Museum Curator Dr. Cynthia Roznoy will be broadcast on Facebook Live at 2:00 p.m. for those who cannot attend in-person. Also from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, filmmaker Mya Saree’ Gray will be screening an excerpt of her original documentary, A Face Like Mine and teaching artists will be on-site to preview summer workshops @ The MATT for
both adults and kids. Admission to the preview is $5 for Adults. Museum Members and children (16 and under) are free.
A Face Like Mine presents a century of Black figurative art in the United States, from 1921 to 2021, a time of radical change for Black people in America. By featuring portraits of Black people by Black artists, this exhibition celebrates Black identity and cultural heritage and argues for the inclusion of these works in the global art historical canon. The fifty artists of A Face Like Mine have represented themselves and their community through various media—including sculpture, photography, painting, works on paper, and assemblage. Artists included are Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Kerry James Marshall, Lorna Simpson, James VanDer Zee, and Kehinde Wiley among many others They have depicted their reality through their gaze, investing themes of Black identity, place, family, and performance as cornerstones of American portraiture. A Face Like Mine, on view from May 2-September 12, is the second in a three-part exhibition series developed in collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The MFA Boston is the lead museum from Northeast cohort of the Art Bridges + Terra Foundation initiative. The initiative, wholly funded by Art Bridges, supports multi-year exhibition partnerships with the mission of expanding access to American art across the US. Additional financial support was provided by Art Bridges; Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP; Eversource Energy; Morgan Stanley, John T. Daddona, Vice President, Financial Advisor; Post University; TD Bank Charitable Foundation; and Torrco. A Secret Heliotropism: The Art of Jeanne Silverthorne, on view from May 2 to June 27 presents an array of cast-rubber sculptures that explore art historical traditions in still life, the
use of space, and shifts in scale. In this exhibition, Silverthorne’s modern still lifes explore the ephemeral and ever-changing aspects of life and art; her use of a mutable medium that adapts to any shape or size underscores the mutability of organic and manmade worlds. Silverthorne creates cast-rubber sculptures of the natural world: dandelions, weeds, garden flowers including roses and sunflowers, and insects – lots of bees and flies. As her art moves between these two worlds, the viewer enjoys its wit, its push to contemplation and its mix of humor with nostalgia. While on view, both exhibitions will be accompanied by programs, workshop, and activities for adults, children and families. For more information on all of the Museum’s programs, events, and exhibits visit their website at mattmuseum.org or call (203) 753-0381.