NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts announced the award of a $50,000 Curatorial Research Fellowship grant to the Louisiana Museum of African American History (LMAAH) for its new initiative BLACK SQUARE NARRATIVES 1823-2023: A Bicentennial Activation of St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The generous award will support the founding of the New Orleans Black Square Network (NOBSN – pronounced NO! BSN’) whose primary mission is to produce a new archive called Black Square Narratives Archive.
The NOBSN is conceived as a collaborative coalition and authoritative body comprised of individual artists, scholars and organizations dedicated to the revitalization of Black Square, which is designated as Square 3 on maps, or the third of three city blocks, that make up St. Louis Cemetery No. 2. Members of NOBSN will be charged with collecting and producing source material for the new Black Square Narratives Archive by engaging in eight monthly Collaborative Research Conventions and eight monthly Collaborative Writing Conventions over the next two years.
An initiative created by LMAAH for the promotion of education and democratic, civic activation in the preservation of Black Square, LMAAH will facilitate operations of the network and will subsequently, commission artists and scholars to conduct research in the archive to inspire the production of new, interdisciplinary works of Art. The research-based artistic practice will serve in alignment with the Andy Warhol Foundation’s vision to support an “initiative that contributes in an original way to contemporary visual arts discourse.”
“Hidden in plain sight, Black Square is arguably the largest memorial in America dedicated to Black champions of freedom and complete emancipation who fought during critical periods in history including the Haitian Revolution, chattel enslavement, the Civil War, and the counter-revolutionary period of Reconstruction,” said Leon A. Waters, chair of the Board of LMAAH, in a press release.
“This grant will allow us to launch a major campaign to galvanize the collective genius of our community in our interest to continue to educate our people, the general public, and future generations about the historical and cultural significance of Black Square of St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, to American History,” said Monique Moss, director/curator of LMAAH.
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts funds scholarly research undertaken in the field of contemporary art through its Curatorial Research Fellowships. Curators at any stage of their careers are eligible to apply and must have the formal support of an institution and its director. It is assumed that research will lead to a significant exhibition, though this is not a requirement. Generally these fellowships are for projects with long lead times and may involve significant travel. The foundation believes that freedom of expression is a core principle of an open and enlightened democracy. It welcomes proposals from artist-centered organizations that share this belief, reject bigotry of any sort, and promote inclusive dialogue regarding social, political, cultural, and economic issues affecting not only artists, but all people.
LMAAH launched the multi-year BLACK SQUARE NARRATIVES initiative in a two-day commemoration of Juneteenth at the Historic St. James AME Church, on Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15, with an exhibition featuring new, commissioned art works based on Black Square by Artist JRenee; presentations on Black Square by Denise Augustine, Barbara Trevigne, Beryl Hunter, Monique Moss, Jonn Hankins, Opera Creole, Third Eye Theatre, Cultural Ties African Diaspora Dance and Percussions, and the Buffalo Soldiers; lectures on Black Square by Dr. Raphael Cassimere and Jr., Mark Roudane; lecture on Juneteenth by Leon A. Waters; and procession from the church to Black Square of St. Louis Cemetery No. 2. The launch was made possible with support and partnerships with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Park Service, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and the Historic St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church.
