Yesterday’s Dreams Are Real
The Michener Art Museum in Doylestown celebrates the legacy of Bucks County art collector Lewis Tanner Moore in a new exhibition on collecting Black art, “Yesterday’s Dreams Are Real,” on view from Saturday, February 15, through July 27.
Moore (1953-2024) championed the work of Black artists throughout his life, challenging arts institutions to prioritize diversity in their collecting and exhibition practices. The Michener exhibit includes paintings, photographs, sculptures, and works on paper by 35 artists from the collections of Moore and the museum.
“I collect [this work] because these are voices that need to be heard, and because they are voices that we need to hear,” Moore said. With Moore’s guidance and encouragement, the Michener added 65 artworks by artists of color to its collection in the past five years.
Moore built a collection of hundreds of artworks over four decades. His love for the arts started in high school when he was struck by the absence of African American artists in his art history textbook at Chestnut Hill Academy. This realization spurred Moore to organize an exhibition at the school in 1969, marking the beginning of his lifelong commitment to elevating Black voices in the art world.
“It was amazing to watch Lewis interact with artists and to bear witness to their discourse,” said Curlee Raven Holton, a featured artist in the “Yesterday’s Dreams Are Real” exhibition. “Some artists were local and others were nationally recognized, but all prized their connection with him. The artworks that captured Lewis’s attention and interest spoke to his deeply held concerns for social justice, personal redemption, cultural values, and assertions of historical relevance.”
A memorial for Moore was held at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in July 2024, where his great uncle, the 19th-century painter Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859–1937), started his art career. The exhibition showcases two paintings by Tanner that were owned by Moore, along with etchings by the artist from the Michener’s collection.
“Yesterday’s Dreams Are Real” also highlights work by Barbara Bullock, James Brantley, Moe Brooker, Selma Burke, Donald E. Camp, Syd Carpenter, Allan Randall Freelon, Curlee Raven Holton, Paul F. Keene Jr., Louis B. Sloan, Ellen Powell Tiberino, and others who helped shape the Delaware Valley’s creative community. The exhibition’s title is inspired by a mixed media piece by artist Moe Brooker, which the Michener acquired in 2023.
“Moore sought to connect with, learn about, and support Black artists, relishing the journey of discovery itself. I hope visitors share this sense of discovery and adventure in their experience of the artwork in the exhibition,” said chief curator Laura Turner Igoe.
“The Art and Artists of Yesterday’s Dreams Are Real,” an artist panel discussion, takes place Thursday, February 27, at 7 p.m. Admission is $25.
A gallery talk takes place Thursday, May 8, at 2:30 p.m. Admission is $20.
Michener Art Museum, 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 8 p.m. on first Thursdays. $15. www.michenerartmuseum.org.
Artifacts of African Diaspora
The Mercer County Community College Black History Month Committee, in conjunction with the TRIO Program and American Association for Women in Community Colleges Mercer Chapter, presents “Artifacts of African Diaspora,” a free exhibit, at the college’s James Kerney Campus in Trenton through April 30.
The exhibit illuminates the historical significance of the African diaspora in visual and musical arts. Visitors find a variety of artifacts on display including musical instruments, sculptures, books, historical documents, and more, that provide an immersive education about the evolution of African American art and culture from slavery to modern times.
“We intend to share, inform, and uplift the local community in a way that highlights the historical role of the African diaspora in our society,” said Lucia Brown-Joseph, director of student accounts at MCCC and the exhibit’s creator.
The exhibit also includes pre-recorded videos of current students speaking about their cultural background that will be played on a loop during exhibit hours.
“We are excited to showcase this important part of history for MCCC students, faculty, staff, and the greater community,” said MCCC President Deborah E. Preston. “As educators we love to see our students share their knowledge, spread awareness, and engage with community members, which, in this situation, they have the opportunity to do through student-led demonstrations and tours.”
Exhibit hours are every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and during the week by appointment for group visits.
Mercer County Community College James Kerney Campus Gallery, Trenton Hall, 137 North Broad Street, Trenton. www.mccc.edu/jkcgallery.
Exploring, Expanding the Connections
“Exploring, Expanding the Connections,” on view at the Arts Council of Princeton through Saturday, February 22, features the work of Jersey City-based artist Ben Jones.
A statement on the Arts Council’s website notes: “The art of Ben Jones is a spiritual journey that continues the struggle for identity, freedom, justice and love for the salvation of the human family. Ben reveals his sense of responsibility to his ancestral legacy by continuing the work against oppression, exploitation and hegemony through the symbolic power of his work. Ben has battled much of his life for spaces where his culture can be honoured and respected with equal validity amongst others. His struggle has been a journey documented not only in the array of his works, but in the actions he has taken as an activist and speaker on the political issues of our time… Each of Ben’s humble offerings reveals his prayer for greater understanding and love. At a glance we witness instances of transformative energies called forth for a world still within our grasp, if we open our minds and our hearts.
“Most of my work has been a back and forth between figurative and abstract imagery. In regards to content, the thinking I use originate from various African cosmologies; whether they be historical, cultural, spiritual, or political,” Jones says in a statement. “My work tends to focus on those things which push us in the direction of questioning our and societies’ humanity; whether they be our own personal or collective humanity. Our struggle in my mind is to struggle for Peace and Justice. I feel Spirituality and concerns for the Environment are essential parts of the struggle for our humanity. RESISTANCE TO THINGS WHICH ARE INHUMANE IS MY CALLING AND MY MISSION”.
Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. Free. www.artscouncilofprinceton.org.
