Posing Beauty in African American Culture
September 11–November 21, 2010

This exhibition explores the contested ways in which African and African American beauty have been represented in historical and contemporary contexts through a diverse range of media including photography, film, video, fashion, advertising, and other forms of popular culture such as music and the Internet. Featuring approximately 84 works drawn from public and private collections, Posing Beauty includes photographs by Carrie Mae Weems, Charles "Teenie" Harris, Eve Arnold, Gary Winogrand, Sheila Pree Bright, Leonard Freed, Renee Cox, Anthony Barboza, Bruce Davidson, Mickalene Thomas, and Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, among others. Posing Beauty in African American Culture is curated by Deborah Willis and organized by Curatorial Assistance, Pasadena, California.

Art Re: Art
begins October 23, 2010

Art Re: Art features 30 works from the museum’s collection which take art as their subject. The works on view include examples ranging from subtle visual references to overt appropriations of iconic artwork. This exhibition includes an array of artists—from Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol to Cindy Sherman and Wang Qingsong—and explores repeated motifs, such as depictions of the artist in the studio and the artist and the model. Art Re: Art offers viewers an opportunity to re-consider the difference between re-interpretation and re-production in art and the ways that meaning shifts as a theme is re-presented in different media, such as when a painting is translated into a print. 

Who Can Dance? Performing Gender in African Masquerades
November 20, 2010–May 15, 2011

Who Can Dance? focuses on West and Central African art from the museum’s collection to explore the ways that gender ideals are expressed in traditional African masquerade performances. The aesthetics of the mask reflect ideals of masculinity and femininity. For example, the smooth black surfaces of the Sande helmet mask represent feminine beauty of young Mende women while the ferocious visage of the Mgbedike headdress expresses the masculine bravery of Igbo warriors. Some Gelede masks represent Yoruba women, but are actually danced by men who dress like women and employ movements that mimic feminine attributes—thereby consciously playing with gender roles. The objects and masquerade performances discussed in this exhibition put into practice the theoretical claim that gender is “performed” through gestures, clothing, and actions.