I’m a city person. Like, city city.
I love the hustle; I’m the strange type whose brain clamor equalizes when there’s equal activity in my environment. I love the people: diversity of style, language, age, race, class, everything. And I love the culture: access to the best art, from subway musicians to gigantic museums, feeds my soul and fills my creative tank to overflowing.
One of my ongoing goals is to spend time in big cities several times a year. Living in Portland, a big town in small city clothing, we do have a few feathers in our culture cap… but we also get passed over for major concert tours, new theater works, and special exhibitions.
This year, I’ve been fortunate to experience three art immersion trips: Paris (Versailles!), Los Angeles (Beyonce!), and wrapping the year with a week in New York.
My NYC trip motivation was seeing the Jay Z exhibit, which closed yesterday. But NYC always has so much more epic art on offer, and I was easily able to fill my days and nights with something from every medium.
This year’s NYC trip overdelivered in Black excellence, showcasing groundbreaking masterpieces from Black artists, musicians, filmmakers, actors, and dancers.
It was so rich that I had to share the wealth with you. So here are highlights from my five-day art binge, in order of experience.
Friday: Going Dark at the Guggenheim
Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility presents works of art that feature partially obscured or hidden figures, thus positioning them at the “edge of visibility.” In this art context, the common phrase going dark is understood as a tactic whereby artists visually conceal the body to explore a key tension in contemporary society: the desire to be seen and the desire to be hidden from sight. [more info]
This exploration of how artists use darkness in their work was a truly dizzying experience (we literally had to escape to the gift shop to get a break from the vertigo of optical illusions and the slanted floor of the museum). My favorite pieces were from indigenous artist Rebecca Belmore, and also the nearby explorations of the cultural significance of the hoodie in America, especially for Black men.
Shout out to the Portland Art Museum for having reciprocal memberships at world-class art institutions throughout the U.S.!
Saturday: The Book of Hov – Jay Z at the Brooklyn Library
The reason I had to get to NYC before December 4 (aka Jay Z’s birthday)? To see The Brooklyn Library wrapped in Jay Z lyrics. INCREDIBLE. The significance of Brooklyn’s Central Library as a venue was heartwarming: a community venue with free access to infinite knowledge, just a mile from where Jay Z grew up in the Marcy Projects.
Y’all, I went at the worst possible time – about 2pm on a holiday Saturday when the wait just to get in the door was 90 minutes. But I wasn’t even mad; people watching in Brooklyn is just as good as any exhibition.
The show was much more elaborate than I expected. Seven galleries included four rooms completely made over, including an exact replica of the legendary recording studio where Hova collaborated with artists like Kanye West and Rick Rubin.
It had everything: original recordings, quadruple-platinum albums, tribute art, photo shoot negatives, Grammy awards, records that were sampled, custom kicks, that signature Yankee cap; paintings, video, statues, everything. The man is truly a creative genius.
Check out this inside look of The Book of Hov with Jay Z and Gayle King.
The Takeaway
One of my favorite Jay Z lyrics is: I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man. As an entrepreneur, I was inspired by seeing the evolution of his business ventures as well as his community work, including a scholarship fund and activism against mass incarceration. And I always remember his lessons to retain ownership of your own creations while empowering other creators to do the same.
They won’t give us a clothing line? We start our own brand. They won’t give us a record deal? We start our own label. – Jay Z (paraphrased)
Sunday: Spike Lee at the Brooklyn Museum
Did you know Spike Lee has a massive collection of African American history artifacts? Plus amazing pieces of film memorabilia, both from his own oeuvre and major Hollywood classics.
We’re talking about an original Angela Davis WANTED poster signed by the activist herself, original photos of jazz greats, Prince’s guitar, Serena Williams’s tennis racket, Kaepernick’s jersey, and much, much more.
The Takeaway
What hit me was how Spike Lee started creating very Black films that perfectly balanced entertainment and a unique take on Black issues in the 1980s; a very different cultural climate.
Monday: Red Rooster Harlem
I had to hit one of my favorite spots for an impromptu dinner. Walking down 125th Street was a perfect interlude to my arts trip: a mecca where so much Black history and art has flourished.
At the restaurant, two amazing singers and a live band covered classic R&B hits, and I even spotted Marcus Samuelsson!
Shout out to Malik, my awesome waiter and an artist too – in 2024 he’ll be starring in a new show on NBC!
Tuesday: The Color Purple – Advance Screening at the SAG Foundation
Staying with a friend who is a member of SAG-AFTRA has its benefits! She invited me to an advance screening of The Color Purple, the new film adaptation of the Broadway musical, produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg (the director of the 1985 movie, both based on the book by Alice Walker).
This movie is an absolute must-see in the theater. Don’t wait for streaming! The stunning music, rich colors, and fabulous choreography demand a big screen and deluxe sound system. Wear waterproof mascara and bring tissue: I cried through most of it.
The highlight was a post-screening Q&A with the stars: Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P Henson, and Danielle Brooks. Each was absolutely sparkling and shared personal stories of their struggles in the industry and profound growth they each experienced through developing their film characters.
The Takeaway
Even stars of this caliber were told no so many times, for many years. It wasn’t until the times caught up with their talent and the right opportunities appeared that they broke through. According to Taraji: Stay strong, believe in yourself, and keep a close-knit circle of friends to stay grounded as you go.
Tuesday: X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X at The Metropolitan Opera
Anthony Davis’s groundbreaking and influential opera, which premiered in 1986, arrives at the Met at long last. Theater luminary and Tony-nominated director of Slave Play Robert O’Hara oversees a potent new staging that imagines Malcolm as an Everyman whose story transcends time and space. [more info]
I’ve been an opera-goer for 30 years, having studied classical music in high school and college. But this was the first time I’ve been in an audience that was at least 50% Black, which felt momentous. And you know the people watching and fashion were both on point!
I thought that the production did some really smart things to modernize the opera experience without losing operatic integrity. One was adding dimension to the storytelling and pacing by adding movement, 12 dancers echoing the time with period dance or time-bending with African dance, modern, and street moves. There was also a chorus of people in spectacular white African-inspired costumes that were at once ancestral and futuristic. Hovering above the stage was a giant, turban-shaped screen that would establish a scene with projections of Malcolm X, but also scroll futuristic shapes, production notes, and at its most poignant, the names of Black Americans who have been killed by police. Together, these elements grounded the story in its time while also suggesting an afro-futurist vision.
The Takeaway
“What do you want me to tell you that we haven’t already told you 1000 times?”
I may not have this lyric exactly right as I was scribbling it in the dark with an eye pencil, but you get the idea. Malcolm X responds to journalists in Act III with the same exasperation I see in so many Black leaders and advocates: We told you. You didn’t get it. We said it again and again. Just show us that you’re listening.
Bonus! Africa Fashion and Black Artists of Oregon at Portland Art Museum
Portland re-entry was made smoother by two excellent exhibits going on now at Portland Art Museum.
Africa Fashion came straight from the Brooklyn Museum (heyyy!) and showcases current, cutting-edge designers as well as a recent history of African designers on the global stage. If you need to get up to speed on why fashion is art, watch this. Then go to PAM and get dazzled by the colors, textures, and inventiveness that can only come from Africa.
Black Artists of Oregon was even better than expected! I appreciate the square footage devoted to our local treasures (let’s be honest, recent Black and indigenous artists have been relegated to the back of the top floor). Best of all was the thrill of seeing friends, neighbors, and even a Pregame client showcased. Shout out to Sade DuBoise, Ivan McClellan, and Cole Reed!
My next goal? Start collecting!
I just want a Picasso
In my casa, no, my castle
I’m a hassa, no, I’m an asshole
I’m never satisfied, can’t knock my hustleIt ain’t hard to tell, I’m the new Jean Michel
Surrounded by Warhols, my whole team ball
Twin Bugattis outside the Art Basel
I just wanna live life colossal– Jay Z
