Jamea Richmond-Edwards: “Ancient Future” At The Museum Of Contemporary Art In North Miami
On view through March 17, 2024
The Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (MOCA) is pleased to debut Jamea Richmond-Edwards: Ancient Future. Open October 25, Ancient Future will also be celebrated during Miami Art Week with a public opening on Tuesday, December 5, followed by a curator-led walkthrough on Saturday, December 9.
Jamea Richmond-Edwards.Dark Night of the Soul, 2023, acrylic, gold leaf, glitter, mixed media collage and soft sculpture on canvas. 96 x 360 inches overall. Photo by Zachary Balber.
Ancient Future is Richmond-Edwards’ largest solo exhibition to date. Spanning large-scale assemblages and immersive new installations, the exhibition explores the realms of Afro-futurism and mythologies through the lens of the rising artist’s bespoke visual idiom.
Curated by MOCA’s Adeze Wilford, the exhibition is a product of new thematic elements, assembling a selection of never-before-seen artworks in dialogue with the artist’s signature oeuvre. One of the show’s centerpieces includes a new monumental painting scaling up to 30 feet.
“Ancient Future presents an opportunity to explore the concept of radical imagination and the possibility of reconfiguring a future released from the confines of racial and gender binaries,” said Adeze Wilford, MOCA Curator. “When you think about significant art historical movements, especially Afrofuturism, it’s relevant to recognize the nuance of including Miami among this group. In developing this exhibition with Jamea, it was important that the show is a reflection of these complexities.”
Premiering with the exhibition, a newly commissioned film documents a former drum major from Jackson State University alongside Atlanta’s Dancing Dolls. The seven-minute film explores aesthetics of beauty and fashion across decades.
Born and raised in Detroit, Richmond-Edwards’ practice has long-been informed by the city’s folk arts scene, weaving materiality and everyday objects into the technical training of her fine arts degrees from Jackson State University and Howard University. In the last decade, her works have received national and international recognition at the Delaware Art Museum, California African American Museum, Charles H. Wright Museum, and most recently in her reimagining of The Color Purple through cover art for a new publication honoring the film’s 40th anniversary.
In Ancient Future, Richmond-Edwards employs current and historical cultural references to imagine a more hopeful future for communities that counters the often negative sentiments of today’s news cycle. The exhibition not only marks Richmond-Edwards’ first solo show at a major institution, but it also launches the artist into the global art world.
“This show is an expansion of my maturing as an artist as I consider space, both liminal and physical, and how my works can occupy it,” said Richmond-Edwards. “Staging my work at an institution like MOCA also feels especially significant and timely because of what that space and this opportunity has allowed for my practice. This exhibition is a reminder that I still have the capacity to dream and exist as an artist, just as we as a society have the capacity to grow and imagine.”
Accompanying Richmond-Edwards’ show, a full-colored catalog will be published, championing the important scholarship related to the exhibition with new texts and essays by curators and scholars. Jamea Richmond-Edwards: Ancient Future is published by MOCA and features essays by Taylor Aldridge, Niama Safia Sandy and Adeze Wilford.
Miami Art Week Programming and Schedule: MOCA will celebrate their fall exhibitions with a Miami Art Week reception on Tuesday, Dec. 5 to include a private VIP reception (invitation only) from 6–8 p.m., and open to the public from 8–10 p.m. The museum will also hold an Artist and Curator-led Exhibition Tour on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 11 a.m. The museum will also offer extended hours throughout the week. In MOCA’s continued efforts to include diverse voices and perspectives, the exhibitions will be accompanied by a robust series of educational and public programming.
The museum’s extended hours for Miami Art Week:
Saturday, Dec. 2 : 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 3 : 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 4: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 5: 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. *MIAMI ART WEEK RECEPTION 6 –8 p.m. (VIP), 8 –10 p.m. (Public) RSVP: https://111401.blackbaudhosting.com/111401/Art-Week-2023-Public-Opening
Wednesday, Dec. 6: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Thursday Dec. 7: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 9: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 9: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Public Reception: $15 Early bird rate (valid until 11:59pm on December 4), $20 on December 5 (online and at the door), $10 for seniors, students, and visitors with disabilities; and free for MOCA Members, City of North Miami residents and City of North Miami Employees.
About the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami
MOCA North Miami presents contemporary art and its historical influences through exhibitions, educational programs, and collections. Inspired by its surrounding communities, MOCA connects diverse audiences and cultures by providing a welcoming place to encounter new ideas and voices and nurturing a lifelong love of the arts. MOCA developed from the Center of Contemporary Art which was inaugurated in 1981. The establishment of the permanent collection coincided with the institution’s move into their current building designed by Charles Gwathmey of GSNY in 1996.
Under the direction of Executive Director Chana Sheldon and a newly installed Board of Trustees, MOCA showcased My Name is Maryan curated by Alison Gingeras during Miami Art Week in 2021, which traveled to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in late 2022. An accompanying exhibition catalog highlighting key works will be published, along with other archival imagery and critical essays. The museum also premiered AFRICOBRA: Messages to the People during Art Basel Miami Beach in 2018. AFRICOBRA: Nation Time, the next chapter of the exhibition, was selected as an official Collateral Event of Biennale Arte 2019 in Venice, Italy. Other original exhibitions include: Didier William: Nou Kite Tout Sa Dèyè curated by Erica Moiah James, Ph.D (2022), Michael Richards: Are You Down? co-curated by Alex Fialho and Melissa Levin (2021), Raul de Nieves: Eternal Return and The Obsidian Heart curated by Risa Puleo (2020), and Alice Rahon: Poetic Invocations curated by Teresa Arcq (2019).
Support:
Jamea Richmond-Edwards: Ancient Future is made possible with major support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Kravets Wehby Gallery. Additional support provided by MOCA Visionaries.
MOCA North Miami is generously funded by the North Miami Mayor and Council and the City of North Miami; the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners. MOCA is sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by the Fine & Greenwald Foundation and the Sol Taplin Charitable Foundation. Founding support for the MOCA Sustainability Fund provided by the Green Family Foundation Trust. We also thank our Board of Trustees, Curator’s Circle, and MOCA Members for their meaningful support.
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