The Chief: He Who Sold Africa to the Colonists, from the series Tati, 2008
Samuel Fosso. The Art Institute of Chicago, promised gift of Isabel Wilcox. Courtesy of Jean-Marc Patras Gallery, Paris. © Samuel Fosso.
Join Antawan Byrd, associate curator in Photography and Media, and Sam Ramos, director of Gallery Activation, for a gallery conversation exploring the special exhibition Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica. Don’t miss this special opportunity to tour the exhibition while discussing its themes with fellow participants.
about the speakers
Antawan Byrd is associate curator, Photography and Media, at the Art Institute of Chicago and assistant professor of Art History at Northwestern University. In addition to co-curating Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica, he has curated and co-edited the catalogue for The People Shall Govern! Medu Art Ensemble and the Anti-Apartheid Poster (2019), among others. Antawan specializes in modern and contemporary art of Africa and the African diaspora with a particular focus on histories of photography, sound, urbanism, and popular culture.
Sam Ramos is the director of Gallery Activation at the Art Institute of Chicago. He teaches across the galleries on a variety of topics including nature, history, medicine, law, race, colonialism, and, of course, art. He is a practicing writer who has published fiction, art criticism, and essays in a number of places, though his first loves are short stories and novels. Most recently, his novel, Ghost Box, was longlisted for the 2023 Dzanc Fiction Prize. He received his BFA in art history and studio art, as well as his MFA in creative writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
what to expect
The group will meet on the second floor of the Rice Building, outside the exhibition Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica. An elevator is available to access the second floor. A limited number of gallery stools will be provided.
ASL interpretation and/or assisted listening devices are available upon request at museum_interpretation@artic.edu. Assisted listening devices are limited and available on a first come, first served basis. Requests must be made at least two weeks in advance.
