CINCINNATI, OH.- Posing Beauty in African American Culture traces the relationship between African American beauty and visual culture from the 1890s to the present through documentary, commercial, and fine art photography. Documentary photographs and portraits of portraits of Black Americans—some famous, some just ordinary citizens—present the public face of African American beauty, while commercial photographs demonstrate how fashion and advertising have constructed beauty standards. Finally, contemporary photographers—some of whom use themselves as a subject—encourage consideration of how images of beauty impact mass culture and individuals.

Posing Beauty in African American Culture (October 5, 2024–January 12, 2025) includes more than 100 works by photographers including Charles “Teenie” Harris, Leonard Freed, Anthony Barboza, Carrie Mae Weems, Hank Willis Thomas, Sheila Pree Bright, Renee Cox, Mickalene Thomas, and others. Organized by Curatorial Assistance Traveling Exhibitions and curated by Deborah Willis, PhD, one of the nation’s leading historians of African American photography and culture, the exhibition challenges existing notions of beauty while encouraging consideration of race, class, and gender within art and popular culture.

Because the concept of beauty is deeply personal, the Taft Museum of Art invited seven people from our region working in diverse fields to share their thoughts about beauty in written responses to works in this exhibition in a series titled Posing Beauty: Perspectives. “We are deeply grateful to these individuals for being willing to share their ideas, emotions, and creativity. Their thoughtful and moving contributions are certain to enhance visitors’ experiences of the exhibition,” said Tamera Lenz Muente, curator at the Taft Museum of Art.

Here is the list of participants in Posing Beauty: Perspectives:

● Rebecca Shakespeare Armstrong, artist and designer

● Dr. Taylor Byas, poet

● Wale Giwa, entrepreneur

● Jasmine Griffin, poet and Learning and Outreach Manager, Taft Museum of Art

● Dr. Mark Lomax, II, composer, performer, and educator

● Kareem (K.A.) Simpson, author and Duncanson Program Manager, Taft Museum of Art

● Kevin Watkins, photographer

The Taft presents Posing Beauty in African American Culture as part of the 2024 FotoFocus Biennial’s theme, backstories, which focuses on stories that are not evident at first glance. These stories offer context for what happened previously or out of view, providing narratives not yet told or presented from a new perspective. Yet once told, they shed light on current circumstances and events.