COLLECTIONS RESOLUTIONS
September 15, 2006
I.
Nominees for Accessioning into the Visual Arts Collection
A. Donation of (2) welded metal sculptures by John T. Riddle, Jr. offered by
Albert & Shirley Porter of Sunland, CA.
.
1. Accepting additional works by John Riddle into the CAAM Art Collection will
insure that he is well represented in the collection but these works will also
provide the museum with important pieces of art that support the narrative
about the participation of black artists in Los Angeles in the larger West Coast
assemblage art context. Pressure From the Right is a very strong piece. It has
the feeling of a color-field painting with its solid red element and adjacent greytone square shapes on the opposing side, but Riddle created this piece during
the Reagan era (1967-1975) in California as the state moved further to the right
politically (LeFalle-Collins, 2006). Approved by Collections Review
Committee vote on July 21, 2006.
2. The bird has been a popular form that artists, especially sculptors have
explored because we marvel at its ability to fly. Other African American artists
have also pursued the theme of the bird and while the way in which birds fly
and occupy space has been of interest to them, “bird” in the hands of black
male artists is usually a double-entendre for Charlie “Yardbird” Parker (19201955 the jazz saxophonist. This has especially been true of artists such as
Melvin Edwards, John Outterbridge, David Hammons, and Noah Purifoy of the
1960s-70s assemblage eras in Los Angeles of which John Riddle was a part
(LeFalle-Collins, 2006). Approved by Collections Review Committee vote
on July 21, 2006.
Untitled (Bird), ca 1965
John T. Riddle, Jr.
Welded metal assemblage
Pressure From the Right, ca 1965
John T. Riddle, Jr.
Welded metal assemblage
B. Donation of (2) works of art by Frank James Williams offered by Myron &
Dawn Glenn of Los Angeles.
1. Frank Williams is a California based artist who has a well-documented history
with CAAM as well as with the regional artistic community. Abstract Landscape
continues the African American painterly tradition of landscape works produced
by Grafton Tyler Brown, Robert Scott Duncanson and Edward Bannister, all of
whom are represented in CAAM’s permanent collection. Adding Williams
Landscape powerfully demonstrates the aesthetic sustainability of such work
and documents Williams skill as classically trained painter (Moniz, 2006).
Approved by Collections Review Committee vote on July 21, 2006.
2. The charcoal drawing below represents the range of talent of Frank Williams
and speaks to a blending of classic medium with contemporary style that is
characteristic of Williams’ work. The Call features a woman looking upward,
waiting for the call (Moniz, 2006). Approved by Collections Review
Committee vote on July 21, 2006.
Abstract Landscape, 1994
Frank James Williams
Oil on paper
The Call, 2003
Frank James Williams
Charcoal pencil on paper
II. Nominees for Accessioning into the History Collection
A. Donation of a comic book from ca 1910 offered by Dr. Muriel Carrison of
Rancho Palos Verdes.
1. Muriel came upon the book on an annual trip to the family home with Mr.
Carrison. It was found in the attic where he placed “everything of consequence.” A
constant source of tension in their marriage was Mr.Carrison’s views on racial
others and in particular African Americans. Upon discovery of the comic book
Muriel was appalled by the imagery and believed she gained a deeper insight into
the man that she married. She requested the book and began to use the comic in
her race relations courses as a teaching tool to students of the power of race. After
Mr. Carrison’s death Muriel decided to donate the item to the museum (Jimenez Y
West, 2006). Approved by Collections Review Committee vote on July 21,
2006.
The Strange Tale of Ten Little Nigger Boys, ca 1910
M.A. Donohue & Co; illustrated by “The Pilgrims”
Printed on linen
B. Donation of a Rosa Parks gelatin silver print offered by the photographer,
Roderick J. Lyons of Sherman Oaks, CA.
1. This portrait photograph of Rosa Parks dated 1991 in Los Angeles, California is
an exceptional rendering of Ms. Parks in the latter stages of her life. Given her
central role in the American Civil Rights Movement I strongly recommend that
CAAM accession into the permanent collection (Jimenez Y West, 2006). Approved
by Collections Review Committee vote on July 21, 2006.
Rosa Parks, 1991
Roderick J. Lyons
Gelatin silver print
C. Donation of (2) works of art by Milton Bowens offered by Friends, The
Foundation of the California African American Museum
1. In 1970, 31.5 percent of African American children lived with one parent;
however, by 1991, that number had skyrocketed to 57.5 percent.1 With these
subjects as a backdrop, in Happy Father’s Day Mama, Bowens addresses the
issues of single parenthood, abandonment and the “dead beat dad.” Bowens is
a young African American artist who has exhibited widely in California. The
Museum recently showed a solo exhibition of this artist that was extremely well
received by the public. This piece was one of those included in the show
(Hollingsworth 2006). Approved by an informal vote by the Collections
Review Committee on May 3, 2006.
2. American Pie, based on a conversation between Milton and his sister Lynnette,
deconstructs American history through a recipe that contrasts crust and filling,
patriotic idealism and social reality. Bowens is a young African American artist
who has exhibited widely in California. The Museum recently showed a solo
exhibition of this artist that was extremely well received by the public. This
piece was one of those included in the show (Hollingsworth 2006). Approved
by an informal vote by the Collections Review Committee on May 3, 2006.
Happy Father’s Day Mama, 2002
Milton Bowens
Mixed media on canvas
American Pie, 2002
Milton Bowens
Mixed media on canvas
Juan J. Battle, “ What Beats Having Two Parents?: Educational Outcomes for African American Students in
Single-Versus Dual-Parent Families.” Journal of Black Studies 28:6 (Jul. 1998), 783-801.
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