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Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press

National Tour: 2018 – 2022

  • Bedford Gallery
    Walnut Creek, CA
    Apr. 15 – June 24, 2018 

  • Krasl Art Center
    St. Joseph, MI
    Sept. 1 – Nov. 25, 2018

  • Gallery 360
    Northeastern University
    Boston, MA
    Jan. 17 – Mar. 11, 2019

  • Las Cruces Museum of Art
    Las Cruces, NM
    May 10 – July 20, 2019

  • Museum of Arts and Sciences
    Daytona Beach, FL
    Aug. 31 – Oct. 27, 2019

  • Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
    Detroit, MI
    Dec. 19, 2019 – Apr. 5, 2020

  • Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
    Montgomery AL
    May 2 – Aug. 2, 2020

  • Art Museum of West Virginia University
    Morgantown, WV
    Aug. 29 – Dec. 13, 2020

  • Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art
    California State University
    San Bernardino, CA
    Jan. 16 – Apr. 11, 2021

  • Fort Wayne Museum of Art
    Fort Wayne, IN
    May 8 – July 18, 2021

  • DeVos Art Museum
    Northern Michigan University
    Marquette, MI
    Aug. 16 – Oct. 31, 2021

  • Mills College Art Museum
    Oakland, CA
    Jan. 18 – Mar. 12, 2022

  • Bakersfield Museum of Art
    Bakersfield, CA
    Apr. 28 – Aug. 20, 2022

  • Monterey Museum of Art
    Monterey, CA
    Sept. 17 – Nov. 27, 2022

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There is no singular way to address the conversation of race and representation in contemporary art.


About

The artists of Personal to Political capture the personal narratives and political battles of African American artists across the country, reflecting a collective experience expressed in uniquely individual ways.

In addition to numerous fine art prints from Paulson Fontaine Press, this show includes paintings, sculptures, and quilts that include both narrative and abstract imagery. Paulson Fontaine Press has a long tradition of supporting both established and under-represented artists who, in their studio practice, work in a broad reach of media and conceptual approaches. 

This exhibition featured works by 14 African American artists who have helped to shape the contemporary art conversation in the Bay Area and beyond. The show covered a wide range of prints, paintings, quilts, and sculptures, and includes an array of abstract and formal imagery. Narratives that speak to personal experiences and political perspectives are woven throughout.

At the heart of this show is a Berkeley based fine art print studio—Paulson Fontaine Press—who over the past two decades has developed an unparalleled roster of internationally celebrated artists —artists like Martin Puryear , Kerry James Marshall, and the Gee’s Bend Quilters —who characterize the fresh perspectives that are today’s avant-garde. 

Participating Artists

  • Edgar Arceneaux
  • Radcliffe Bailey
  • McArthur Binion
  • Gee's Bend Quilters (Louisiana Bendolph, Mary Lee Bendolph, Loretta Bennett, Loretta Pettway)
  • Lonnie Holley
  • David Huffman
  • Samuel Levi Jones
  • Kerry James Marshall
  • Martin Puryear
  • Gary Simmons
  • Lava Thomas

Exhibition Details

  • Curated by Carrie Lederer
  • 46 prints
  • 12 Artists

See More Exhibition Images

Artwork Credits

  1. Radcliffe Bailey, In the Garden, 2003, color aquatint with color photocopy chine collé and velvet, edition of 30, 30 × 42 inches.

  2. Kerry James Marshall, Untitled (Handsome Young Man), 2010, hard-ground etching with aquatint, 24.5 x 19 inches.

  3. Radcliffe Bailey, Beyond the Great Eclipse Burn Baby Burn, 2009, direct to plate photogravure etching and aquatint, ed. TPB, 18 x 13.25 inches.

For More Information

Alesha Colberg Martinez
Traveling Exhibitions Manager
colberg-martinez@bedfordgallery.org
Tel. 925-295-1435