Conversations: Kerry James Marshall and John Singleton Copley
- Saturday, December 7, 2024
- 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- East Building Auditorium
Join us for a series of presentations inspired by Conversations: Kerry James Marshall and John Singleton Copley. This special installation brings together three monumental paintings for a thought-provoking dialogue: Copley's 18th-century canvas Watson and the Shark and Marshall's two 20th-century works Great America and Voyager. These all maritime-themed paintings address the violent history of the transatlantic slave trade and the Middle Passage, the forced journey of enslaved people across the Atlantic.
Renowned scholar and curator Bridget R. Cooks and award-winning graphic novelist John Jennings, author of comics including Marvel's Silver Surfer: Ghost Light, begin the symposium by discussing the journey of the Black hero in visual art. Presentations by Nika Elder, Mark Godfrey, and Alysha M. Page share current research on Copley, Marshall, and Black sailors in 18th century, respectively. National Gallery curators Charles Brock and James Meyer will give introductions and gather in the installation for questions after the symposium.
1:00-2:00pm
Keynote Address: Bridget R. Cooks and John Jennings, Voyage of the Black Superhero
New York Times Best Seller, Marvel writer, media studies professor, and graphic artist John Jennings and art historian Bridget R. Cooks will discuss the persistence of the Black superhero in American comics and art. Taking Conversations: Kerry James Marshall and John Singleton Copley as a point of departure, these scholars will address the visibility of Black protagonists on their journeys for survival.
I'm sure the other talks will be interesting, but Jennings is the relevant one to us.
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