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Posing Beauty in African American Culture
October 5, 2024–January 12, 2025 | Fifth Third Gallery and Taft Historic House
Posing Beauty in African American Culture traces the relationship between African American beauty and visual culture from the 1890s to the present through documentary, commercial, and fine art photography. Documentary photographs and portraits of portraits of Black Americans—some famous, some just ordinary citizens—present the public face of African American beauty, while commercial photographs demonstrate how fashion and advertising have constructed beauty standards. Finally, contemporary photographers—some of whom use themselves as a subject—encourage consideration of how images of beauty impact mass culture and individuals.
Posing Beauty includes more than 100 works by photographers including Charles “Teenie” Harris, Leonard Freed, Anthony Barboza, Carrie Mae Weems, Hank Willis Thomas, Sheila Pree Bright, Renee Cox, Mickalene Thomas, and others. Organized by Curatorial Assistance Traveling Exhibitions and curated by Deborah Willis, PhD, one of the nation’s leading historians of African American photography and culture, the exhibition will challenge existing notions of beauty while encouraging consideration of race, class, and gender within art and popular culture.
DAILY ADMISSION FREE SUNDAYS & MONDAYS
Admission is free for Taft members, guests of members with guest pass, military, and youth (17 and under); $15 for adults; $12 for seniors. Save on tickets when you buy online. Includes admission to special exhibitions and the museum’s collection galleries. Sundays and Mondays are FREE!
Experience the Exhibition
Enjoy special tours, behind-the-scenes insights, and more during this unique exhibition!
Renée Cox (American, born Jamaica, 1960), Baby Back from American Family, 2001, Archival digital prints Courtesy of the artist
Frame|Work Blog
5 Curator Favorites in Posing Beauty in African American Culture
On a time crunch? Here are five must-see works in our special exhibition Posing Beauty on view October 5, 2024–January 12, 2025.
LEARN MORE
Omar Victor Diop (born 1980), Jean-Baptiste Belley, detail, 2014, inkjet pigment print on Hahnemuhle paper, edition of 8 + 2 AP. ©Omar Victor Diop, Courtesy of Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris
Members’ Preview Day & Tours | Posing Beauty
Friday, October 4
10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Join us for an exclusive members’ preview day! Created for members and their guests.
Free for Taft members, guests of members with guest pass, and FotoFocus passport holders.
GET PREVIEW DAY TICKETS GET TOUR TICKETS
Jamel Shabazz (born 1960), Drama and Flava from Back in the Days, detail, 2000, color-coupler print. Courtesy of the artist
Members’ Opening Reception | Posing Beauty & Resilience
Thursday, October 10*
5–8 p.m.
Join us for an exclusive members’ opening and be one of the first to explore the Taft’s newest special exhibitions, Posing Beauty in African American Culture and Resilience: New Ceramic Works by Terri Kern. The program will include remarks from President & CEO Rebekah Beaulieu, as well as music and self-guided tours. Light bites and drinks. Free valet parking.
This is a FREE event for Taft members, guests of members, and FotoFocus passport holders.
GET OPENING RECEPTION TICKETS
*Please note: this event was originally scheduled for Thursday, October 4 and has been moved to Thursday, October 10.
Jeffrey Henson Scales (born 1954), Young Man in Plaid, New York City, 1992/printed 2010, digital print. Courtesy of the artist
Artist's Take | Tour with Asha White
Friday, November 15
11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Join artist Asha White for a fashion-forward tour of Posing Beauty. As a creative leader, White has collaborated on several high-profile engagements including the 2020 “Black Lives Matter!” street mural in front of Cincinnati City Hall, designed murals for Elementz Hip Hop, and recently exhibited at the Cincinnati Art Museum, addressing the impact of racism on the mental health of the Black community. During this tour, White will share her unique artistic perspective on the historical and contemporary African American fashion seen in the exhibition.
Reservations are required. Admission is free for Taft members, guests of members with guest pass, military, and youth (17 and under); $15 for adults; $12 for seniors. Save on tickets when you buy online. Includes admission to special exhibitions and the museum’s collection galleries.
Questions? Contact education@taftmuseum.org.
Lauren Kelley (born 1975), Pickin’, detail, 2007, color-coupler print. Courtesy of the artist
Curator Tours | Posing Beauty in African American Culture
Thursday, December 12
11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Hear from the installing curator of Posing Beauty, Tamera Lenz Muente! During this expert-led tour, discover the process behind mounting an exhibition in both the Fifth Third Gallery, integrating the interpretation and display of the works in the collection galleries, and glean a first-hand account from one of the few people who works hands-on with traveling exhibitions.
Reservations are required. Admission is free for Taft members, guests of members with guest pass, military, and youth (17 and under); $15 for adults; $12 for seniors. Save on tickets when you buy online. Includes admission to special exhibitions and the museum’s collection galleries.
Questions? Contact education@taftmuseum.org.
Sensory Explorations
Every Second Sunday
1–3 p.m.
Use senses like touch and hearing to experience the museum's collection and exhibition gallery spaces with our specially trained educators. Tools like 3-D printed reproductions, fabric samples, and soundscapes offer a new multi-sensory adventure at the Taft.
This is a FREE event! No registration required. This program is developed specially for visitors with low or no vision, but all guests are invited to participate.
Questions? Contact education@taftmuseum.org.
Special thanks to Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired for providing the 3-D reproductions.
Posing Beauty in African American Culture is curated by Deborah Willis
and organized by Curatorial Exhibitions, Pasadena, California.
Support for this 2024 FotoFocus Biennial exhibition was provided in part by FotoFocus.
Posing Beauty in African American Culture is part of the 2024 FotoFocus Biennial: backstories.
The FotoFocus Biennial, now in its seventh iteration, activates over 100 projects at museums, galleries, universities, and public spaces across Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Northern Kentucky in October 2024. Each Biennial is structured around a unifying theme; the 2024 theme, backstories, focuses on stories that are not evident at first glance. They offer context for what happened previously or out of view, providing narratives not yet told or presented from a new perspective. Once told, they shed light on current circumstances and events.
FotoFocus welcomes global artists, curators, critics, educators, and visitors to Cincinnati with exhibitions, talks, performances, screenings, and panel discussions during its Opening Program Weekend, September 26–September 28, 2024.
Exhibition Sponsor
Elizabeth & Paul Sittenfeld
Exhibition Support Generously Provided By
Ellen and George Rieveschl Endowment
Warrington Exhibition Endowment
Chellgren Family Endowment
Sallie Robinson Wadsworth Endowment for Exhibitions