Crisscrosses: Benny Andrews and the Poetry of Langston Hughes features a selection of illustrations that Andrews (1930-2006) created a year before his passing for the publication Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes. Andrews is perhaps best known for two things: his built-up oil and collage canvases and his activism in the late 1960s and 70s, demanding that New York City museums exhibit and hire more women and people of color. However, illustration was always part of Andrews's artistic practice, from his work on the 1968 poetry collection I Am the Darker Brother to his brother Raymond's novels and a series of children's picture books published in the early 2000s.
The illustrations highlight Andrews' lifelong dedication to bringing fine art to spaces beyond galleries and museums, connections he referred to as the "crisscrosses" of his practice. For example, he led art classes in New York prisons and detention centers through his work with the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition, taught art in the "Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge" program at Queens College, and created a series specifically for the Plainview Baptist Church in his native Morgan County, Georgia. By creating work for children's books, Andrews was able to reach kids and their families in their own homes, schools, and libraries. Andrews used his art as a tool for political activism and community building. His approach illuminates the importance of including the arts when creating interdisciplinary solutions to the interdisciplinary problems of our society.
Crisscrosses explores the "collaboration" between the self-described "people's painter" and Langston Hughes, "the people's poet." The pairing of the two artists, who never met, represents the continued use of social realism by Black American artists to illuminate socio-political concerns facing their people. Both artists used their respective mediums to reach new audiences and encourage them to engage intimately with their work. In these deceptively simple illustrations, Andrews creates dynamic worlds for Hughes' words to live in. At times, these works are literal representations of the poetry, but the majority reflect Andrews' personal interpretations. His creative liberty in translating Hughes' poems gives audiences young and old the space to find their own ways of connecting with and exploring the joys, tragedies, and sorrows of the Black American experience found in the poet's verse.
The Crisscrosses exhibition was developed through Nadia Scott’s summer 2023 internship with the Atlanta University Center Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective and partner organizations the Andrews-Humphrey Family Foundation, the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, and the Carlos Museum.
Benny Andrews' work will also be featured in an exhibition at the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives & Rare Book Library, At the Crossroads with Benny Andrews, Flannery O’Connor, and Alice Walker, on view from October 16 through May 18. The exhibition will open on Thursday, November 2, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Click here to learn more about the exhibition.
Click here to learn more about the Benny Andrews Estate and Andrews-Humphrey Family Foundation.
About the Curator
Nadia Scott is a senior history major and curatorial studies minor attending Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. From a young age, she has been captivated by the power of the historical record. With keen interests in public history, education, and cultural heritage, Nadia's aspirations as an emerging historian are centered around breaking down barriers. She aims to make history more inclusive and approachable to a wide range of people. She believes that history shouldn't be confined to academic circles; rather, it should be an engaging and accessible narrative for everyone. Her research focuses on how visual culture impacts identity formation, nation-building, and ideas of citizenship. Following her graduation from Spelman, Nadia hopes to pursue a PhD in history.
Associated Programs
Opening Day Curatorial Tours | October 7, 2023, 4 p.m., 6 p.m.
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Presented in partnership with Atlanta Art Week, Nadia Scott will lead curatorial tours of the exhibition on the opening day, Saturday, October 7, at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Registration is required.
It's the Work, Stupid! | October 17, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
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Clint Fluker, senior director of culture, community, and partner engagement for the Carlos Museum and Emory Libraries, will moderate a public conversation with Nadia Scott, Martina Dodd, and Tina Dunkley about the work of Benny Andrews and his ongoing legacy as an artist and activist. Each of these curators will open exhibitions in the month of October focusing on different aspects of Benny Andrews' life and discuss their particular insights into Andrews and his impact on society.
Press
To read the press release announcing the opening of the exhibition, click HERE. For high-resolution images of featured artworks, please contact Emily Knight at emily.knight@emory.edu.
Images
(detail) Benny Andrews, Harlem (Langston Hughes Series), 2005, oil on joined paper with painted fabric and paper collage. © Benny Andrews Estate; Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY.
Benny Andrews, Dream Variations (Langston Hughes Series), 2005, oil on joined paper with painted fabric and paper collage. © Benny Andrews Estate; Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY.
Benny Andrews, Harlem (Langston Hughes Series), 2005, oil on joined paper with painted fabric and paper collage. © Benny Andrews Estate; Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY.
