As we embark upon Juneteenth next week, we want to shine a light on African American art. The Boca Raton Museum of Art presents “Myths, Secrets, Lies, and Truths: Photography from the Doug McCraw Collection,” on view from June 12 through October 13, 2024. The exhibition features the work of five artists: Sheila Pree Bright, Liesa Cole, Karen Graffeo, Spider Martin, and Hank Willis Thomas.
The exhibition, featuring over 100 works from the Doug McCraw Collection, is an original presentation by the Museum, curated by Kathleen Goncharov, the Museum’s Senior Curator. These works delve into themes of survival, exposure, concealment, exploitation, race, and culturally defining design. The collection includes still photography and installations that capture transcendent moments, revealing how fabricated myths can shape our perceptions and distort our beliefs.
While the Doug McCraw Collection features multiple artists, our spotlight is on Hank Willis Thomas, as most of the works in this exhibition are from his series “Unbranded: Reflections in Black by Corporate America.” Thomas is known for exploring American consumer culture and the history of how corporate imagery in advertising campaigns has shown a lack of respect towards African Americans through the years via print advertisements.
Thomas’s acclaimed series scrutinizes fifty years of print advertising aimed at African Americans from magazine advertisements from the 1960s through the early 2000s. By drawing from advertisements in prominent African American magazines such as Ebony and Jet, the series spans from the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968 to the election of President Barack Obama in 2008.
In a bold artistic move, Thomas removes all text, product names, and slogans from these advertisements, leaving only the stark images of African Americans in manufactured poses and environments. Stripping away the context, the imagery used reveals the subliminal messages of inequality and the reinforcement of cultural stereotypes often disseminated through popular culture.
Thomas then pairs each re-imagined image with a fitting title, further highlighting how stereotypes, disrespect, and outright racism were prevalent in advertising targeted at Black Americans. By appropriating outdated magazine images and stripping away all textual elements, Thomas reimagines each ad, revealing the underlying messages crafted by white ad executives for marketing campaigns. This approach uncovers both the overt and covert ways in which influential imagery has shaped and reinforced ideas about race and race relations.
Unbranded challenges viewers to reconsider the pervasive impact of these ads and the cultural narratives they have shaped. By laying bare the hidden messages within these images, Hank Willis Thomas invites us to reflect on the deep-seated prejudices embedded in our society and the media that often perpetuates them.
As Juneteeth approaches, we are shown that art like Thomas’s serves as a mirror, showing us the deep-seated prejudices embedded in our society and the media that often perpetuates them. By engaging with these works, we honor the history and contributions of African Americans, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of their enduring fight for equality and justice.
This exhibit will be shown at the Boca Raton Museum of Art until October 13, 2024.
