There are few art shows in the Twin Cities that command your attention and respect on the level of A Picture Gallery of the Soul. The exhibit at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery at the University of Minnesota is one every serious artist, educator and history buff should take time to immerse themselves in (closes Dec. 10). There are 104 artists in the catalog, 122 represented in the show of Black photographers and related historical material, soundscape, and a series of events.
Quoting from U of M literature, “From the daguerreotypes made by Jules Lion in New Orleans in 1840 to the Instagram post of the Baltimore Uprising made by Devin Allen in 2015, photography has chronicled Black American life and Black Americans have defined the possibilities of photography. Frederick Douglass, a former enslaved person, and nationally prominent abolitionist recognized the quick, easy and inexpensive reproducibility of photography. He presciently developed a theoretical framework for understanding the implications of photography on public discourse in a series of four lectures. The exhibition title comes from Douglass’ Lecture on Pictures, delivered in Boston in 1861 during the Civil War.”
Gratitude to independent curator Herman J. Milligan, Jr. and Howard Oransky, Nash Gallery Director for their work gathering the images over several years, and Milligan’s amazing soundscape that accompanies the exhibit. Among current north/Northeast artists included: Bill Cottman (posthumous), Walter Griffin, Nancy Musinguzi, and Jovan Speller.
Herman Milligan is a unique figure in the Twin Cities art scene. He has served on more than 20 boards spanning arts, civil rights/social justice, education, and economic policy groups. He was a founding member of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District board and current advisor and member of the district’s Land Trust Task Force. He helped the Arts District with our nonprofit status along with many other achievements. If you attend any gallery openings you most likely have or will run into Herman.
At the Nash Gallery opening Herman relayed that “Adger Cowans [one of the featured photographers] said to the best of his knowledge this is the first fully documented show of Black photographers ever produced in the United States.” Astounding to think that it has not happened till now. But then again Herman Milligan is an astounding person who has worked to make the Minneapolis art scene the best it can be from every angle.
By Josh Blanc