Places of Validation, Art & Progression

This CAAM curated exhibition utilizes a range of imagery to explore Los Angeles' parallel universe of places and people that served to validate and further the progression of African American art between 1940-1980. Photographs from personal albums and institutional collections represent historical documentation of places and events, personal relationships and interactions. Others joined in, but ultimately, the community and the artist themselves proved to be the best source for "self-validation" in places such as Golden State Mutual Life Insurance, Studio Watts Workshop, Watts Tower Art Center, Watts Summer Festival, Brockman Gallery, Gallery 32, Pearl C. Woods Gallery, St. Elmo's Village, The Museum of African American Art, and many others. There was hundreds of working Black artists during this time period in Los Angeles. A sampling of the surnames in our exhibition include: Barthé, Beasley, the Davis brothers, Dickson, Jackson, LaRue Johnson, Hammons, Hassinger, Lane, Lewis, Mills, Outterbridge, Purifoy, Pinkney, Riddle, Saar, Sims, Waddy, Washington, Westmoreland, White, Woodard, Wyatt and others. Places of Validation, Art & Progression has been made possible by a major grant from the Getty Foundation. Presenting sponsors The Getty and Bank of America.