Installation views of TEXTURES. (Picture provided by KSU Museum)
On September 10, 2021, The Kent State University Museum (KSU Museum) opened their latest exhibit, “TEXTURES: the history and art of Black hair”. The exhibit is categorized into three themes: community and memory, hair politics and Black joy that features 180 paintings, sculptures, hair artifacts, advertisements, magazine covers and other media.
TEXTURES was organized by co-curators and Kent State University professors Tameka Ellington, Ph.D. and Joseph Underwood, Ph.D. to reassess the “hair story” of people of African descent.
This exhibit took three years to bring to life because there were lots of questions to be asked in order to make this idea a possibility. The co-curators had to figure out through what lens did they want to create for the public. They wanted to tell a complete story, one that not only focuses on the oppression of Black hair, but also heritage and joy.
According to Ellington, who has been researching Black hair since 2002, the purpose of the exhibit is to give people a “better understanding of the what it means to be Black and what Black beauty really looks like.”
The exhibit was supposed to open in 2020 but the pandemic hit, along with the social uprisings.
Mary Sibande | Sophie Velucia in Conversation with Madame C.J. Walker. (Picture provided by KSU Museum)
Underwood has a background in researching African art, so when he came to the University, him and Ellington began meeting about the idea of TEXTURES during his first month on the job.
He wants this exhibit to spark conversations. Instead of taking the exhibit on tour, which is a possibility, he wants others to create their own ideas to further the discussion.
“I don’t think we’re the be all end all on the topic,” said Underwood.
Although it’s been a little over a month, TEXTURES has received national and international attention. TEXTURES is the biggest exhibit focused on Black hair with over 50 artists’ work featured.
There was a virtual opening in February of this year with an amazing turnout, said Ellington. She also noted that she only expected 25 people to come to the in-person opening in September, but that number was definitely surpassed. Students from the University have been coming to see the exhibit, along with guests from across the country.
“It’s been overwhelmingly exciting to see how many people are interested in what we’re doing,” said Ellington. “We’re doing the exhibit at the right time.”
The exhibit It is accompanied by a 200-page catalogue published and distributed by Hirmer Publishers.
Installation views of TEXTURES. (Picture provided by KSU Museum)
TEXTURES includes hair products from the premier collection of Willie Morrow; community-focused public programming in partnership with artists, local barbershops and salons from the region; and interactives to engage audiences with the historic and contemporary connotations of Black hair through a partnership with Kent State’s WickPoetry Center.
Masa Zodros |Femme Totem Blue, 2018 | Unique digital photograph. (Picture provided by KSU Museum)
TEXTURES was made possible through sponsorship with over $100,000 being raised. The exhibit is sponsored by Bank of America, P&G-My Black isBeautiful, L’Oreal-Dark & Lovely and Carol’s Daughter, the Nathan Cummings Foundation and more.
The exhibit is located at 515 Hilltop Dr, Kent, OH and will be open until August 7, 2022. Admission tickets for children are $4 for children, $5 for seniors and $6 for adults. The exhibit is also available online. To find out more about TEXTURES, click here.
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