(Forever Free) Ideas, Languages and Conversations featured in Dr. Cherise Smith's award-winning book, Michael Ray Charles: A Retrospective.
Landmarks congratulates Dr. Cherise Smith on winning the 33rd Annual Eldredge Prize from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Smith’s book on Michael Ray Charles charts the artist’s impressive career and examines how racist imagery and content is subsumed and co-opted in his work. Charles’ commission for Landmarks, (Forever Free) Ideas, Languages and Conversations, on view at the Gordon-White building, is featured in Smith’s book as an example of the artist’s more abstract installations.
From the Eldredge Prize press release:
The independent panel selected Smith’s book because it “offers a comprehensive, richly illustrated and deeply researched chronicle of an important artist whose work processes found images and objects depicting the sordid tradition of American minstrelsy, confronting the viewer with difficult materials. The committee is impressed with Smith’s detailed analysis of the artworks, the clear presentation of complex theoretical ideas, and her elegant writing style. In addition, we believe that both the topic of this book and its format push forward a vital contemporary discussion about how art and visual culture can engage critically with the painful history of racism.”
This summer, Smith participated in Landmarks’ opening celebration and Q & A with artist Simone Leigh, available on Vimeo.
Michael Ray Charles: A Retrospective is available from UT Press.