Speaker Series: Lowery Stokes Sims

Chains, Sweet Gum Pods, and a Flag: the Metaphorical Power of Singular Objects
As historian and material culture specialist Richard Grassby has noted: “Culture is…evinced in distinct forms generated by human responses to opportunities in specific historical contexts.” We therefore can “use artifacts…to reconstruct the patterns of meanings, values and norms shared by members of society.” This lecture will examine the recent deployment of single objects as carriers of meaning and commentary on American culture and historical trajectories. We live in an era where the representational character of public monuments and installations can be mired in controversy, and evoke various receptions by multiple publics. On the other hand, the metaphorical potency of seemingly ordinary objects—chains, sweet gum pods and flags—has been effectively parsed by artists: notably Charles Gaines, Oletha DeVane and Sonya Clark. They have succeeded in engaging the viewing public in some of the most compelling discourses around the destiny of African Americans in this country.

 

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For more information, call 845-758-7598, or e-mail [email protected].

Time: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm EDT/GMT-4

Location: CCS Bard, Classroom 102

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