Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 6 March 2008 — Page 21

The Muncie Times • March 6, 2008 • Page 21

AFRICAN BRIEFS

Black art finds new market; buyers flock to N. Y. sale

By Lance Steagall §i NEW YORK CITY. (IPS / GIN) - - Expressionist artist Richard Mayhcw says his focus on landscapes derives in part from his African American and Native American roots. "It's a dual commitment to nature," he said. "The land is very important to both cultures in terms of stimulation and spiritual sensitivity, and it's very important to me." Mayhew's work was on display at the recent National Black Fine Arts Show, an annual event. G.R. N'Namdi, the oldest black-owned abstract art gallery in the United States, represents Mayhew's work. In 2003, his piece "Sanctuary" sold for $6,000, and it's now listed at $25,000. Collectors and dealers who gathered at the midFebruary show in New York are making note of the new and higher prices. Though many works by black artists are still available at a low price, the value days aren't here to stay. Indeed, the market for African American art is changing fast. Pieces are selling for higher prices, garnering more attention and becoming an investment of choice for many. As the market booms,

those who choose to invest are reaping the rewards, often selling works for many times their purchase price. "It's a function of "Relatively speaking. Afri ■ - ■" She likes to attribute the lack of appreciation to tided to be ignored," Azzi said. "But now institutions and collectors are a bit more comfortable looking back and taking note." In particular, move- f ments of the 1960s and 70s that wove political and social commentary into their artistic vision, such as the African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists, are getting a second look. Azzi pointed to Wadsworth Jarrell's 1972 portrait of socialist organizer Angela Davis, "Revolutionary," as an example. In that piece, Jarrell depicts Davis in a moment of impassioned speech, using a collage of social slogans to form the scene. "STRUGGLE," "RESIST," "HAVE TO," "GIVEN MY HEART," and other textual messages radiate from the focal point: Davis' head. The bright Kool-Aid colors employed help place "Revolutionary" in its cultural frame. The piece

has doubled in value over the past year, but, at $2,000, it's still modestly priced. ^ The changing attitudes are not the only explanation for the changing market. Bill Hodges, owner of ment in art." Hodges has collected >erwer reversed — more than 95 percent of his customers are now fellow African Americans, And new interest is not confined to African American art alone. The Ghanaian artist Tafa, now a resident of Harlem, N. Y, has seen attitudes evolve firsthand. "More and n appreciating black art. definitely," he said. "It used to be underrepresented, but now it gets attention both here [in the U.S.] and there [in Europe]." In late January, the London-based Bonhams became the first nonSouth African auction house to have a sale dedicated exclusively to South African art. The sale brought in about $2.5 million, with Irma Stern's works "The Tomato Picker" and "Portrait of a West African Girl" fetching the

top prices. In 2006, Bonhams sold a self-portrait by South African artist Gerard Sekoto for more than nine times its estimate. That portrait of Sekoto, a pioneer of urban black art and social realism, than the Los duseum of Modern Art opened a >ted art. led "Tradition as Innovation," opened in January of this year. Whereas the typical exhibit emphasizes the i tradition, such as Picasso, i its own context. Galleries, was quick to point out the involvement of the youth in the scene. "All the time I see members of the younger generation recognizing African American artists that, throughout most of their career, have largely really great to see," he said. Many of those older artists were trained in the city of Chicago. There, two pioneering schools gave African American artists an opportunity to study when few others r would: the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the South Side

Community Art Center. The city subsequently became a hub, and many significant artists, including Wadsworth Jarrell, spent at least one year studying there. The works they produced marked a turning point in the history of black art. VA benefits boss quits under fire By Aaron Glantz SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (IPS/GIN)—Daniel /Cooper, the Department of Veterans Affairsa ™ undersecretary for benefits, stepped down Thursday, amid mounting criticism about the 6month backlog that injured veterans are facing when they try to file disability claims. Cooper has also come under fire for an appearance he made in a fundraising video for an evangelical Christian organization, in which he said Bible study was more important than doing his job. Cooper has been under fire for using his office to proselytize for evangelical Christianity ever since he appeared in a 2004 fundraising video for Christian Embassy, which carries out missionary work among the Washington elite as part of the Campus Crusade for Christ. In the video, Cooper discussed his Bible study, saying, "It's not really about carving out time. It continued on page 26