Blue Black

Glenn Ligon (a text and image artist) curated a wonderful exhibition at the Pulitzer Arts Center a couple of years ago entitled Blue Black. I am adding a unit on his curatorial vision—which poetically touched

on issues of language, identity, and perception—to my spring courses. In addition to showing us a dynamic example of artist as curator, Blue Black also offers us an opportunity to consider the contemporary role of the museum. The Pulitzer used this moment to begin a multi-year outreach to the broader community of St. Louis. In part, this meant a mapping of sites that have meaning for locals who are under-represented in the artworld. And, the podcast Monument Lab has a special episode dedicated to this project. Below is a Carrie Mae Weem's photograph that was shown.