NOVEMBER 2025 NEWSLETTER

WORLD HISTORY I (Drum), 2023

I was beyond delighted to see my World History I (Drum) 2023 featured on the Brooklyn Museum website! What I’m most grateful for is the list of donor friends who made it possible for me to fully realize my vision and meet the tight timetable set by curator Catherine Futter.

I’m even more thrilled that, at this point, she plans to keep it on display “indefinitely,” so do check it out in person now that you can read what every element signifies about the poorest continent with the most abundant natural resources on Earth.

Too many artists to name have been understood and supported by a magical person called a patron. They see us before, or despite, the blindness of others and want to see that spirit recognized. It is not a one-way street: the artist benefits, yes, but the benefactor does as well, and perhaps even more.

“CONTEMPORARY

VOLUMES”

Group Exhibit

Curated by

BRYANT SMALL

MORRIS MUSEUM

Oct. 24, 2025-Mar. 18, 2026

Many of you are well acquainted with my “Kaleidoscope” prints on paper. Curator Bryant Small has included them in this group exhibit because they aligned perfectly with his theme. Each kaleidoscope is a software transformation of my hand-painted glyphs, which are on the pages of a 1957 encyclopedia series. It is a matriarchal society’s language that has no word for war or murder. The quote Bryant chose now strikes me as naïve once I really read and looked at the images chosen for the pages of those encyclopedias released when I was only five years old.

I’m honored to be in the company of these extraordinary artists:

Brian Dettmer, Sarah Faith Matthews, Colette Fu, Samuell Green, Cheryl Gross, Amanda Love, Cheryl R. Riley, Susan Rostow, and Diana Schmertz.

You can choose to acquire your own kaleidoscope or have one shipped directly as a holiday, birthday, or housewarming gift to your recipient using this link.

Please be aware: Place your orders by 12 noon on Monday, November 24 to ensure they are shipped on Tuesday, November 25. Orders placed for Black Friday will begin shipping on Tuesday, December 2.

ARCHIVE
Profiles from the Art World
by Cheryl R. Riley

EBONY JUNE 2007

KARA WALKER

Romance, Race, Slavery, and Sex Influence Celebrated Visual Artist’s Work

My first exposure to art from infancy was through reproductions of European “Masters.” My mother decorated my bedroom walls with reproductions of portraits of children, like Las Meninas by Velázquez and Gainsborough’s Blue Boy. My dad’s idea of “babysitting” me during the summer was dropping me off at the Museum of Fine Arts, where I wandered the galleries, staring at paintings to memorize every detail. He would switch it up by dropping me at the zoo, where I would draw zebras. I engaged in deep conversations with the elephants, who recognized me immediately as having been one myself in a past life. But the zebras were my absolute favorite to draw because I could see how different, yet alike, their stripes were, and they appreciated my acumen and would stand still long enough for me to complete my masterpieces. I was always the go-to for any artwork needed, for example, items for sale in my aunt’s grocery store or picking the uniform pattern for our girls’ club at school.

This beginning to my visual life has blessed me with the ability to recognize exceptional talent immediately when viewing artwork. I put that gift to use by writing articles about some of our superstar contemporary artists, now household names before they were celebrated and acquired by major collectors and museums, allowing them to push their exhibit concepts to the extreme. I was lucky to have platforms available to me, writing articles for magazines like Ebony and Essence, with the mission of exposing those who most exemplify the stories their mediums told about our culture. In my, not humble opinion, Kara Walker was born and will continue to be a brilliant, shining star.

Currently—just to name a few of her exhibitions:

• Fundación Proa, Buenos Aires, Argentina (through November 24, 2025)

• “Fortuna and the Immortality Garden (Machine),” San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (through June 7, 2026)

• “Burning Village,” Institut Valencià d’Art Modern, Spain

• MONUMENTS, The Brick & MOCA, Los Angeles, CA, curated by Hamza Walker, Bennett Simpson & Kara Walker (through May 3, 2026)

I have to brag that, from day one, Kara Walker has never disappointed.

You can read it in the link, pages 104 to 108

CHERYL’S ARTIST PICK OF THE MONTH 

RENEE COX

I can still visualize the first time I viewed a self-portrait photo of Renée Cox about three decades ago. She was a sexy superheroine blasting Black Girl Magic of her own powerful making! I got to know her more as we crossed paths at art events, and I visited her home often in the Hamptons. Decades later, she is even more of the most! Her work keeps evolving, and the times can barely keep up with her.

I took this photo at the September MIX TAPE: VOLUME II celebration she created for the Whitney Museum’s FREE FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE WHITNEY on September 19. IT WAS EVERYTHING! Her strong connection with the Whitney began when she participated in its Independent Study Program in 1992 and then with her inclusion in the groundbreaking “Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary American Art” group exhibit of 1994.

She curated what has to be the most fun night the Whitney has ever hosted! For more images from the party, check out my Instagram @cherylrriley. Hear DJ April Hunt blasting great dance music that had everyone (including me) on their feet. The Ailey Extension conducted a pop dance class (that was enthusiastically participated in) and choreographed to the blasts of DJ Shade. Renée’s son provided fuel to burn with his delicious Tosh Patties.

STUDIO SALE

Birthdays happen every day, and the holiday gift-giving season is just around the corner. Why not surprise your family, friends, colleagues or even yourself, with a truly one-of-a-kind gift?

I often get so immersed in collecting that I end up with more treasures than I’ll ever use. Email or call me to schedule a visit to my studio in Jersey City’s Powerhouse Arts District at a day and time that works for both of us.

You’ll find a curated selection of gems, including sample boards, books (some autographed), works on paper, drawings, unique objects, and sculptural forms, priced from $20–$2,500. Zelle, Venmo, and cash accepted.