Cincinnati Art Museum’s spring exhibitions honor the work of African American artists

The Cincinnati Art Museum at 953 Eden Park Drive is presenting two special exhibits that highlight the works of groundbreaking Black artists this spring.

The first major museum exhibition of an influential African American photographers’ collective, the Kamoinge Workshop, is currently on view. Called “Working Together: The Photographers of the Kamoinge Workshop,” the exhibit chronicles the formative years of a collective of Black photographers that was founded in New York in 1963.

At the same time, the museum will pay tribute to the legacy of David Driskell, an American painter and educator, in the special exhibition, “David Driskell: Icons of Nature and History.”

Both exhibits are on view through May 15.

“Working Together” features more than 150 photographs by 14 of the Kamoinge group’s early members, as well as by the photographer Roy DeCarava, who was considered a formative influence and a key mentor in the workshop’s first years.

The group drew its name from the language of a tribe of people of the African nation of Kenya. “Kamoinge” means “a group of people acting or working together,” and implies a commitment to community, collective action, self-representation and a global outlook.

The photographs date mainly from the 1960s and ‘70s, a time of social and cultural upheaval and change. During this time, the collective’s members met weekly to share and discuss their photographs, encourage artistic innovation and organize community engagements. Those included mentoring youth and creating exhibition spaces and publication opportunities for Black photographers.

The exhibition includes an overview of the collective’s achievements, including rare documentation of exhibitions, portfolios and publications. The museum says the exhibit “presents a powerful artistic statement from the two decades at the heart of the civil rights and Black arts movements and forms an overdue tribute to the layered and remarkable work of this landmark collective.”

The David Driskell exhibit brings together more than 50 highlights from his career, surveying the artist’s practice from the 1950s forward.

Driskell passed away in 2020 at the age of 88, and this exhibition is the first major presentation of his work since his death. The Georgia native’s vibrant paintings, prints and collages “combined observations of America with the imagery and aesthetic innovations of the African diaspora,” the museum says.

He was an influential curator, educator and scholar, and lectured in Cincinnati in 2000, when the art museum presented an exhibit called “Narratives of African American Art and Identity: The David C. Driskell Collection.”

“David Driskell is so esteemed for his influential contributions as a scholar and curator that his career as an artist is sometimes overshadowed,” says Julie Aronson, the curator overseeing the presentation. “Brilliant color, nuances of line and varied textures imbue his art with visual impact and significance. We sense the profound joy he experienced in the creative process.”

Tickets are $12 for general admission, with discounted rates for students, children and seniors. Admission is free for members. All tickets grant admission to both exhibits.