Art
A Global Conversation
Written by: Cristina Deptula
Zanele Muholi ©- Miss Lesbian II, Amsterdam, from the series Miss (Black) Lesbian (2009) Courtesy of Yancey Richardson, New York, and Stevenson, Capetown and Johannesburg
San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) Expands International Focus Since Pandemic Shutdown
The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) is one of very few museums worldwide focused exclusively on contemporary art of the Diaspora of Black people worldwide. They are an esteemed Smithsonian Affiliate and modern art museum focused on uplifting Black art and culture and inspiring learning through the global lens of the African diaspora.
Their CEO, Monetta White, a native San Franciscan, is a career-long community advocate and devoted champion of preserving African American culture. With a background in civic engagement, production, and entrepreneurship, and over 20 years of development experience in public programs and local business, White has collaborated with hundreds of nonprofits, donors, corporations, and creators.
Before coming to the MoAD, White launched two restaurants, served as managing partner of the hospitality consortium Fillmore Food Group, and was credited with leading the revival of San Francisco’s Black jazz district.
White’s connection to MoAD began over 15 years ago, in 2004, at its inception as an avid partner and donor. She has since led MoAD to alliances with institutions such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture; the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Perez Art Museum of Miami; and the African American Art and Cultural Complex. She has also pioneered the U.S. debut of global and internationally regarded Black artists and curators such as Chanell Stone, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Larry Ossei-Mensah, Ekow Eshun, Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Billie Zangewa, and Amoako Boafo.
Before coming to the MoAD, White launched two restaurants, served as managing partner of the hospitality consortium Fillmore Food Group, and was credited with leading the revival of San Francisco’s Black jazz district.
White’s connection to MoAD began over 15 years ago, in 2004, at its inception as an avid partner and donor. She has since led MoAD to alliances with institutions such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture; the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Perez Art Museum of Miami; and the African American Art and Cultural Complex. She has also pioneered the U.S. debut of global and internationally regarded Black artists and curators such as Chanell Stone, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Larry Ossei-Mensah, Ekow Eshun, Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Billie Zangewa, and Amoako Boafo.
International Contemporary Work On Exhibition
Recently, the MoAD presented the first solo museum exhibitions of two highly recognized contemporary artists from Africa: Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo in The Soul of Black Folks and Malawian artist Billie Zangewa’s silk collages in Threads of a Web.
White also highlights new artists they’ve been able to showcase through their Emerging Artist Program. “We have an impressive record of identifying exciting artists ready to step into a full-fledged career as professional, international artists. This year, we have featured Cynthia Aurora Brannvall, Richard-Jonathon Nelson, Trina Michelle Robinson, and Ashley Ross. Last year we had Sydney Cain! In the past, we presented Chanell Stone. The list goes on. So many exciting new artists.”
A current exhibit, The New Black Vanguard, curated by Antwaun Sargent, explores the intersection of fashion and contemporary art through the work of over 15 photographers. These include professional photographers focused on fashion and contemporary artists integrating fashion into their work.
“These artists are pushing boundaries while focusing fashion front and center,” says White.
To highlight three of the included artists, Tyler Mitchell was the first photographer to shoot a Vogue cover – in 2018. Quil Lemons explores representations of Black masculinity. Arielle Bobb-Willis, an artist who speaks openly about her experience with depression, explores the visible and the invisible through fashion.
An upcoming exhibition of which the MoAD is quite proud will be Black Venus.
“Black Venus is a powerful exhibition, including eighteen artists whose work focuses on the legacy of Black women in visual culture, curated by a powerful woman, Andrea Emilife. The exhibition is a celebration of Black beauty, the many faces of Black femininity, and the shaping of Black women in the public consciousness then and now,” says White.
White also highlights new artists they’ve been able to showcase through their Emerging Artist Program. “We have an impressive record of identifying exciting artists ready to step into a full-fledged career as professional, international artists. This year, we have featured Cynthia Aurora Brannvall, Richard-Jonathon Nelson, Trina Michelle Robinson, and Ashley Ross. Last year we had Sydney Cain! In the past, we presented Chanell Stone. The list goes on. So many exciting new artists.”
A current exhibit, The New Black Vanguard, curated by Antwaun Sargent, explores the intersection of fashion and contemporary art through the work of over 15 photographers. These include professional photographers focused on fashion and contemporary artists integrating fashion into their work.
“These artists are pushing boundaries while focusing fashion front and center,” says White.
To highlight three of the included artists, Tyler Mitchell was the first photographer to shoot a Vogue cover – in 2018. Quil Lemons explores representations of Black masculinity. Arielle Bobb-Willis, an artist who speaks openly about her experience with depression, explores the visible and the invisible through fashion.
An upcoming exhibition of which the MoAD is quite proud will be Black Venus.
“Black Venus is a powerful exhibition, including eighteen artists whose work focuses on the legacy of Black women in visual culture, curated by a powerful woman, Andrea Emilife. The exhibition is a celebration of Black beauty, the many faces of Black femininity, and the shaping of Black women in the public consciousness then and now,” says White.
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