Nestled in ProPublica’s investigation of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ undisclosed all-expenses paid vacations, there is a custom portrait featuring Thomas alongside Republican billionaire Harlan Crow and other conservative operatives. The entire scene is truly something else. We were so fascinated with it, we asked an art historian to help us unpack it.

In said portrait, commissioned by Crow and painted by Sharif Tarabay, Thomas is lounging outside, sitting back on a wooden rocker, cigar in hand, surrounded by Crow and others. A statue of a Native American man with its arms outstretched sits behind the five men. The portrait captures a scene from about five years ago during a trip at Camp Topridge, a 105-acre remote enclave of the Adirondacks in upstate New York, owned by Crow.

I spoke with Heather Diack, associate professor of contemporary art and history of photography at the University of Miami, about what she sees in this painting. She’s also written multiple books analyzing the relationship of art and photography.

Here’s our conversation, lightly edited and condensed for clarity:

Shirin Ali: What was your immediate reaction when you saw Tarabay’s painting of Thomas and Crow?

Heather Diack: The casualness of the pose, the way the group is sitting around, the way Clarence Thomas and Harlan Crow are holding their cigars, it’s like Thomas is holding court in this setting. Another aspect that’s really glaring to me, is the statue of the bare-chested Native American man with his arms outstretched, above and behind the group with the backdrop of the forest. It looks as though this figure is consecrating their conversation in some way, which to me is incredibly disturbing. I think that Indigenous groups in this country would be very offended by that, and that the sculpture is being used as a sort of token artifact here. Its stoniness, its silence in the background there, makes it seem like the power and money these people have is like a natural sequence of events, rather than the self-interested, capitalist exploitation that it is.

What do you think Tarabay was trying to communicate with this portrait?

I’m not sure if it was based initially on an actual photograph, and then other details were added. However, I think there is some imagination at play, but also that this artist made really deliberate decisions to try to convey a particular political ideology and say things about the wealth and affiliation and power of the people that they’re painting.

Is there something to be said about the fact that this Republican megadonor commissioned artwork that features a Supreme Court Justice who is also widely known to be a staunch conservative?

Oh, 100 percent. It is a distinctly political statement, however kitschy the painting appears, however casual their poses appear. This is definitely not simply about art. The actual scene in the painting is really telling in that it tries to establish the people pictured, their relationship to one another and this kind of gathering of power between money and the court. And this connection to the historic past by reference to the Native American sculpture, as though this is natural, this is a manifest destiny of conservative politics here.

Some of us here were discussing the painting, and it reminded us of Jon McNaughton’s works. He’s painted countless portraits of Trump, including a version of Mount Rushmore that includes Trump’s face. What do you make of his paintings?

It’s hard not to see it as a caricature, even though I realize that this artist is actually quite sincere about his message. It reminded me a lot of socialist realist propaganda paintings under Joseph Stalin. It’s painted in a way that is hyperrealist, but also idealist, insofar as the realism they’re trying to portray is really about their ideology. So McNaughton’s ideology, I think, is very clear, him being quite a right-wing conservative. It’s really glaring. If you look back at paintings that were done under Stalin’s regime, they really imitate that style.

Are there any obvious influences traceable in both Tarabay’s and McNaughton’s artwork?

I gather from Tarabay’s website and information about him on the web that he’s influenced by Norman Rockwell. And the thing that struck me was Rockwell’s politics were very different. For example, Rockwell’s Four Freedoms paintings from 1943 were inspired by President Franklin Roosevelt’s address to Congress—which actually have become a new subject in contemporary art, with the group Four Freedoms Coalition. I find the connection to Rockwell really disturbing, actually.

I think there’s a conservative penchant towards realist painting. There’s been an aversion to abstract art, and they want to make artwork that they believe is more easily readable. Yet, even though it’s painted in a realist style, that’s not to say the scene pictures or the values conveyed by it are real or the truth. Even though I think that is partly what the artists want to be there.

What do you think is behind that penchant for realist painting?

I think there’s a perception that that kind of realist work, however caricature-ish it is, has more of a popular appeal, that it is more easily read quickly. It’s a much more immediate image that you don’t necessarily need to have any kind of art historical background. And again, I think that that actually is a bit of a misconception, too. Because the reference I mentioned to socialist realist paintings in the former Soviet Union is actually very glaring, if you do know something about art history.

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The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art boasts an extensive collection of art from a variety of cultures and styles.

The museum houses many impressive exhibits such as the Weitzenhoffer collection which includes an original Vincent van Gogh work, one the largest collections of Native American art in the country and much more from across the world.

The museum houses a van Gogh original work, “Portrait of Alexander Reid”. The piece was given to the museum as part of a bequest from the Weitzenhoffer family and is one of the most valuable pieces in the collection. “Portrait of Alexander Reid” was first put on display at the museum in 2001.

The piece survives as the only depiction of van Gogh’s Paris apartment, where he did most of his painting. In the background, other paintings can be seen and have been identified as works by Frank Myers Boggs, a friend of van Gogh. Allison Palmer, University of Oklahoma art history professor, said that there is a lot to be explored within the piece.

“It’s amazing how much history can be derived from a single piece of art,” Palmer said. 

Having a van Gogh piece is very important to the museum. After the piece was added, the museum saw an increase in visitation from 20,000 people in 1999 to almost 40,000 people in 2001. Eugene B. Adkins curator Dr. Hadley Jerman said that people come to the museum expecting to see the painting.

“For people in Oklahoma, if you wanted to see van Gogh, or any of the major names in French impressionism, there weren’t any private collections,” Jerman said. “You would have to go to Fort Worth or Kansas City to see artwork by these artists.” 

When the Lester Wing was built to house the Weitzenhoffer collection the size of the museum doubled. By having such a piece on display, the museum hopes more people will engage with art as a whole.

“The more people see the painting, the more they are interested in its history and get involved in its research,” Jerman said.

The Lester Wing opened in 2005. Wylodean and Bill Saxon Director of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art Thomas Smith said that the new wing introduced a new era for the museum and it was a giant leap forward.

“The opening of the Lester Wing took the museum from a relatively small museum gallery, if you will, to a substantial art museum,” Smith said. 

The latest addition to the museum is the Stuart Wing, which opened in 2011. The Stuart Wing was built to house the Adkins collection that consists of Southwestern and Native American art. The museum’s Native American collection is one of the largest in the country and it made the museum famous, Palmer said.

The James T. Bialac collection was the largest donation the museum has received, consisting of over 4,000 works from indigenous American cultures, making up part of the Native American collection along with three other donations.

The museum is always rotating which pieces are on display and what exhibits are going on. They also lend pieces to other museums so people from outside the state and even outside the country can enjoy their collections. 

When the museum receives a gift or donation the pieces are presented to a collections committee that decides whether the pieces become a part of the museum’s collection. Smith says the vast majority of art at the museum has been donated and that they are very fortunate to be a place that donors want to give their art. 

“We have been very lucky to have been given these high-profile, large gifts, but that isn’t necessarily the norm,” Smith said. “We are given single artworks from people’s collections that come in and make a real difference in our presentation of art.”

There are other ways an artwork can be valuable besides monetarily, especially to historians and fellow artists. 

“Pieces are valuable in different ways,” Palmer said. “There’s monetary value, but there is also historical value, like how old it is, or how interesting it is. Some pieces are supposed to be beautiful, other works are unique.” 

Palmer likes to have her students do a project on any of the museum’s pieces. She encourages students to visit the museum so they can experience all it has to offer. 

Jerman said that the value from artwork for her comes from the cultural impact rather than anything else. As a policy the museum doesn’t disclose the exact value of their collections, but they hope people can find value in their art in other ways. 

FJJMA is currently showcasing a collection by Robert Rauschenberg, an artist known for combining the styles of painting and sculpting, until July 9 and the exhibit “Synesthesia” by Factory Obscura until June 4.

The museum also publishes YouTube videos that give more information on some of their most popular exhibits. Their series “Coffee with the Collection” consists of multiple art historians and museum employees talking about the significance and history of the museum’s most important collections.

For people who are unable to experience the museum in person, you can follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. FJJMA is free for everyone to experience. They are open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.

This story was edited by Silas Bales and Emma Blakley. Nikkie Aisha and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.

April 7, 2023

A program for University of Rochester students inspires the Queens native to build community through art.

“It was all gas and no breaks,” says Angelica Aranda ’23 of her frame of mind when she decided not to pursue law school. She was going to pursue art—even while realizing that “funding yourself as an artist is not easy.”

But that didn’t stop Aranda from figuring out how to push forward.

At first, politics and law seemed like a natural progression for someone conscious about the world around her. As a high school student, Aranda witnessed the turbulent politics of the Trump era, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the repercussions of the January 6 Capitol attack. As a result, she became motivated to think she should pursue a career in law.

But Aranda also recalled a time in grade school when she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, and her answer would always be “an artist or an inventor.” Luckily for Aranda, she was able to take advantage of the open curriculum at the University of Rochester, exploring her art interests while also pursuing studies in the Department of Political Science.

And it was after a study abroad program, where she studied terrorism and counterterrorism, that she decided for her career path to look instead for artistic ways to serve the world. During her junior year, the Queens native entered Rochester’s Art New York program, interning at a nonprofit gallery in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood called Field Projects.

Angelica Aranda in New York for her Art New York internship. The program is set up to fully engage students in the workings of the art world in a city rich with galleries and artists. (Photo by Heather Layton)

Art New York is set up to fully engage students in the workings of the art world in a city rich with galleries and artists. Once students are admitted to the program, they list their top 10 choices of internship sites and start to reach out to those places.

“The students do a tremendous amount of work up front,” says Heather Layton, an associate professor of art who recently served as the program director and its resident faculty member in New York. Layton says that fewer than half of the students accepted are studio art majors, but they are nonetheless looking to explore opportunities in the art world. “It can be difficult to get an internship in New York City,” says Layton. “We step in to assist with a match, if we need to.”

Finding herself, helping others with book art

Angelica Aranda’s artist’s book inspired by her neighborhood in Queens and created as part of her Art New York Field Studio course. (Photo provided)

“I was fully submerged,” says Aranda, when she began Art New York.

As an Art New York student, Aranda became fascinated with the book art form. “Book art can be any kind of documentation or art form encased in a book,” she says. “It can be difficult to define an artist’s book because it’s not what you would think of as a novel or a picture book. It could be anything.”

She began an opus of handmade books, specifically zines. Historically, zines have been voices for marginalized communities, from the punk zines of the 1970s to the 1990s riot grrrl movement of women’s self-publication. Layton says of zines: “They can carry huge ideas in small and portable forms. They’re intimate, easily shared, and inexpensively reproduced. It’s a truly democratic art form in the sense that anyone can make or distribute them. Authors bypass publishing companies completely. Zines are the original social media.”

What drew Aranda to zines was how inventive she could be in their design. “I like knowing that book art lets you practice any kind of medium, while still being consistent in the final product,” says Aranda. “It’s nonconformist.”

Aranda saw in book art an opportunity to self-reflect and share the beauty of her childhood community. When students were assigned a mapping project of their first experiences living in New York for the Art New York Field Studio course, she made an artist’s book of her neighborhood in Queens. “My neighborhood is where I see myself having grown up. It wasn’t just in my house,” she says. Adds Layton: “As you flip through this gorgeous book made on semi-transparent paper and see the overlapping imagery and text, Angelica’s hometown neighborhood comes to life. Every single one of the things that Angelica does is well done.”

Internship, entrepreneurship, leadership

During her internship, Aranda also started her first commercial venture. She set up a booth at a festival to support her home community and its businesses, and she sold her first books there. Her next step was to apply for the highly competitive Creatives Build New York (CRNY) program. Funded by the Mellon, Ford, and Stavros Niarchos foundations, CRNY recognizes the critical role of artists by providing guaranteed income and employment to 2,700 artists living New York State.

“Artists are historians and community builders, and it wouldn’t feel right to take a grant like that and not do something for the community that helped me become who I am.”

She was among the winners. “I was blessed that I got it,” says Aranda, who will receive an income of $1,000 for 18 consecutive months with no strings attached.

“Artists are historians and community builders, and it wouldn’t feel right to take a grant like that and not do something for the community that helped me become who I am,” Aranda says. So she decided to help build up the University’s Sage Art Center community through a project called Mart Crew.

She began by setting up a drop box at Sage and inviting students and alumni to submit original works of art on a 4-inch x 5-inch piece of paper.

“She relentlessly recruited for that,” says Layton.

Then, she scanned the submitted works and presented them in a small artist’s book, which she sent to each participant. Included in each book was also an original work of art made by another participant.

Angelica Aranda (center, gesturing) leads a zine-making workshop at the Art and Music Library in Rush Rhees Library. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

Layton, impressed by Aranda, recruited her as a teaching assistant for her performance art course. At the start of the 2023 spring semester, Aranda also taught a zine workshop to her peers, hosted in conjunction with the undergraduate Creative Arts Club and the Art and Music Library, where she’s currently cataloging and archiving the entire collection of artists’ books under the direction of the art librarian Stephanie Frontz.

Aranda plans to pursue graduate study in library science, looking forward to a career, perhaps, in an artist’s book library. Still, ideally, she wants to continue the book art form. “I always want to find a way to give back to the community,” she says. “And hopefully, wherever I’ll be, I’ll find a way to share what I do with the people I’m around.”

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Tags: Art New York, Class of 2023, Department of Art and Art History, Department of Political Science, featured-post, School of Arts and Sciences

Category: Featured

By Kris Leonhardt

Editor-in-chief

STEVENS POINT – On March 28, a year of work culminated in the installation of a free-standing wooden canvas near the Communication Arts Center and south of Dreyfus University Center on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point campus.

The mural was created to honor the members of the indigenous tribes buried on the university grounds.

In February 2021, UW-Stevens Point Chancellor Tom Gibson created a commission — including individuals representing the campus, local nations and community — to work together to acknowledge and honor the native burial grounds located on the campus.

Many of those interred there were victims of the 1860s scarlet fever epidemic.

UW-Stevens Point began seeking proposals in January 2022 for a mural to commemorate the site, and Chris Sweet, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, was chosen.

“Sweet was selected from 11 submissions by a committee that included the Natives representing the Ho-Chunk, Menominee and Potawatomi tribes. Native artists were given preference, as supported by the Federal Indian Art and Craft Act,” an early UW-Stevens Point release stated.

The 24- by 32-foot outdoor mural features words and images that represent Ho-Chunk, Potawatomi, Ojibwe and Menominee tribes honored through the campus’ “Ancestors Buried Below Us” memorial.

Sweet began working on the mural in a Baraboo studio in July.

“My mentor, Melanie Tallmadge Sainz, she is with the Little Eagles Arts Foundation [a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting American Indian art] and she has a studio outside of Baraboo called Maa Wakacak Art Studio. That is where I created it, at that studio. It’s on the old Badger Ammunition facility outside of Baraboo. Ho-Chunk has land out there,” Sweet explained.

“Each day that I went into the studio (and) before I did any kind of work, I would light some sage, burn some sage and pray to the creator and talk to the ancestors, and I would ask them to help guide my hands in creating this imagery. And I felt like a lot of it was created by their presence; so, they kind of guided me through what you’re seeing now.”

The mural was created in a monochromatic color scheme, as Sweet worked to capture the essence of the native ancestors with raised hands to symbolize lifting up future generations.

Sweet added that he was really happy to see it come to fruition and be a part of telling the story of his ancestors.

“It’s exciting, as this is the first time I’ve actually seen it all together on the wall,” he stated during the installation.

“It’s kind of just been a real honor for me to honor our ancestors, our native ancestors, so I hope I did my ancestors proud and all my relatives.”

Abby Bowman, a Morgantown native, is creating a mobile art gallery to share work from different Appalachian artists with communities across the region.

The gallery, called “ARTtrek, Masterpieces on the move,” was developed as part of Bowman’s capstone project for a fine arts degree at Shepherd University.

Functioning as a repurposed box trailer, ARTtrek’s mission is to connect communities to the arts.

Bowman said the gallery also puts the works of emerging artists on public display.

“There are many West Virginian artists and emerging artists who inspired me to create the ARTtrek. There needs to be more options for these talented artists for display and that was a driving factor for the ARTtrek,” Bowman said.

Passionate about both Appalachia and West Virginia, Bowman said she believes the work of local artists is important in telling regional stories of survival, ingenuity, community and heritage.

“I truly believe there is great potential for our beautiful state and our Appalachian communities,” Bowman said. “ARTtrek matters because the goal is to help change any negative narratives towards the region—to tell Appalachian stories of survival, ingenuity, community, and heritage.”

Bowman said she has always been drawn to public art and has worked on murals, painting reliefs, installation art and sculptures. She believes that there is great potential for the state and communities to enact change and progress through art.

“As I was figuring out what kind of art I wanted to pursue– I was also completing my minor in business,” she said. “I have a very creative yet business-oriented mind, so this box trailer idea really was just a perfect fit for combining all of my skills.”

Bowman said her parents were also a source of inspiration for ARTtrek.

Bowman’s mother, Nikki Bowman Mills, owns New South Media that runs publications like WV Living Magazine.

She said her professors at Shepherd University were also sources of inspiration, including art history professor Chris Coltrin and assistant professor of art and 3D fabrication Kay Dartt.

“Since my freshman year, [my professors] have encouraged thinking outside the box,” she said. “The program is very helpful towards student’s passions and interests.”

While working on her capstone, Bowman said she felt impacted as an artist, entrepreneur and student.

She has connected with many other local artists and venues for potential displays in the future. The project has emphasized how many talented artists exist within the state.

She said that the ARTtrek is more than just her capstone art project, but something she’ll be continuing after graduation.

“This project has proven a lot of trust within myself and my capabilities regardless of other people’s approvals,” she says. “Which I think has been the biggest and most important impact.”

Bowman will eventually be moving ARTtrek through the state. She will be holding a capstone show and the first exhibit on April 7-8 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Alma Bea in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The exhibit will feature Shannon Thomas’ “Shepherds Mill” and Bowmans’ sculptures “Quilts.”

Eventually, Bowman plans to make her way to Morgantown and host the ARTtrek at the downtown Arts Walks.

ARTtrek will also have an exhibit featuring The Shepherd University Visual Arts Collective exhibit “Flesh” the following weekend.

For more information on ARTtrek visit thewvartist.com and to see progress photos and information visit Bowman’s social media’s @arttrekwv. For more information on events, reach out to arttrekwv@gmail.com.

Two translations bring canonical works by Mário de Andrade into English, allowing a glimpse into the author’s “problematic sense of belonging.”

Photo: Robbie Dingeman

A new Bishop Museum exhibit celebrates Hawai‘i’s rich arts and culture through acclaimed Native Hawaiian artists while exploring how they share their knowledge across generations.

That crucial work—teacher and student working side by side—really is the heart of the exhibit, says curator Marques Hanalei Marzan. That relationship ensures “the community is aware that this kind of knowledge is being passed down and still is available to anyone who wishes to learn.”

“Ola Ka Noʻeau: Excellence in Hawaiian Artistry” is presented through a partnership with the PAʻI Foundation’s Maoli Arts Movement initiative. It features diverse artworks from 13 notable Hawaiian artists that include featherwork, bark cloth, tools, decorated gourds, plaiting and visual design.

SEE ALSO: Must See: “ʻAi Pōhaku, Stone Eaters” Native Hawaiian Art Exhibit

Photo: Bishop Museum

“This exhibit really reinforces my hope and desire to reconnect with community partners, particularly in the arts,” Marzan says. Highlighting that bond between student and teacher reinforces the generational link as a fundamental value in Hawaiian culture.

Video clips of the artisans and their students show them working, explaining in their homes and backyards. That gives a deeper understanding of the process and the people behind these creations. The works of the more experienced teachers hang side by side with those of their talented students, which allows them to shine together and separately, tracing the genealogy of the artistry.

Here’s a sample: There’s master Umi Kai explaining the craft work behind vital tools alongside student Kunane Wooton, who is honoring the historic traditions while also designing a surfboard with his modern vibe. See teacher Imaikalani Kanahele’s visual design work, student Cory Kamehanaokalā Taum’s pieces, then the work they did together.

Murals by teacher and student Photo: Robbie Dingeman

SEE ALSO: Two Native Hawaiian Artists Use National Awards to Fuel Their Passion to Teach

We learn about the late Marie McDonald, known for both her seminal books on leimaking as well as kapa making. In 1990, the National Endowment for the Arts named her a National Heritage Fellow. She worked closely with her daughter, Roen Hufford, who also immersed in the work of reclaiming and expanding the Hawaiian art of kapa. This year, the NEA named Hufford a National Heritage Fellow, another symbol of how their work stretches across the generations.

For the PAʻI Foundation, the exhibit provided a way to work with the museum to showcase and feature Native Hawaiian artists and cultural practitioners who have “dedicated their lives to perpetuate their arts and traditional cultural practices for future generations,” says Vicky Holt Takamine, PAʻI Foundation executive director.

Featherwork and artist Kawika Lum-Nelmida Photo: Robbie Dingeman

Marzan, an artist himself, serves as curator for cultural resilience for the museum as well as exhibition curator and emphasizes that many of the artists are longtime educators.

SEE ALSO: Bishop Museum‘s Cultural Adviser Weaves History with Modern Flair

Exhibit designer Michael Wilson brings light sources that glow from beneath to represent the wisdom of the past with additional light  from above as a nod to the future. The artists’ passion for their arts and teaching shine through, giving a peek-behind-the-scenes feel to the exhibit.

“All of them pretty much have that same kind of mindset and understanding that the knowledge that they steward and care for isn’t their own,” Marzan says. “It’s something that they hold for the community, and they want to make sure that those things never go to sleep again and [that they] find a home in the next generation.”

“Ola Ka Noʻeau: Excellence in Hawaiian Artistry,” is in the museum’s J. M. Long Gallery now through Oct. 29, 2023.

1525 Bernice St., (808) 847-3511, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily, bishopmuseum.org