Bre’Ann White, Deity II, 2015. Inkjet print, 48 x 36 in.
Courtesy of the artist © Bre’Ann White
Toward “Transcendence:” A Symposium on Black Queer Ecstatic Art is a scholarly symposium curated by Dr. Phillip Townsend and organized by Art Galleries at Black Studies.
The symposium expands upon the ideas and themes explored in Transcendence: A Century of Black Queer Ecstasy: 1924-2024. The symposium will be presented in hybrid format– in-person at WCP 2.120 and virtually.
Day One of of the symposium presents keynote speakers by Transcendence-exhibiting artists Lola Flash and Texas Isaiah. Flash and Texas Isaiah will deliver lectures on their artistic practices and intersections with the themes of ecstasy, and partake in conversation moderated by Dr. Phillip Townsend.
Day Two consists of two thematic sessions of scholarly presentations: "Transcending Time and Space" and "Transcending Form.”
We are delighted to welcome scholars Nessette Falu, Laura Gutierréz, Omi Osun Joni L. Jones, Amber Jamilla Musser, Omise’eke Natasha Tinsley, Natalie Willis, and Hershini Young to present lectures and moderated conversations around the depiction of transcendence in modern and contemporary art that centers Blackness and queerness. The scholars’ presentations represent their in-progress writing toward the forthcoming Transcendence catalogue.
Symposium Schedule
Day One:
Thursday February 20, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Keynote Presentations by exhibiting artists Lola Flash and Texas Isaiah
Moderated conversation between the artists and curator Phillip Townsend
Day Two
Friday February 21, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Scholars Nessette Falu, Laura Gutierréz, Omi Osun Joni L. Jones, Amber Jamilla Musser, Omise’eke Natasha Tinsley, Natalie Willis, and Hershini Young present Original research on exhibition themes
Coffee Hour: 11:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m
Session I: “Transcending Time & Place” 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Omise’eke Natasha Tinsley, “Black Queer Futures”
Omi Osun Joni L. Jones, “Spirituality”
Natalie Willis Whylly, “Altered States”
Lunch: 1:00–1:30 p.m.
Session II: “Transcending Form,” 1:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Nessette Falu, “Portraitures”
Hershini Young, “Beyond Figuration”
Amber Jamilla Musser, “Sex and Sensuality”
Laura Gutierréz, “Dance and Movement”
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About the Exhibition
Transcendence: A Century of Black Queer Ecstasy, 1924–2024 is a multi-venue survey exhibition curated by AGBS Curator Dr. Phillip Townsend. Through 59 artworks in a variety of media, the exhibition highlights visual representations of Black queer ecstasy from the last 100 years that surpass its absence from the historical record. Centering Blackness and queerness allows this exhibition to consider the potential of queer perspectives around the paradoxes of pleasure and pain, excess and lack, and autonomy and dependence. As such, the exhibition is organized around seven themes: Portraiture, Beyond Figuration, Dance and Movement, Spirituality, Sex and Sensuality, Black Queer Futures, and Altered States. Together these themes represent the foundations of queer, and especially Black queer, experiences and offer viewers a space to engage with artwork and ephemera that highlight an ecstatically abundant past and advocate for a more inclusive and equitable future.
This symposium is made possible through support from the Terra Foundation for American Art and a grant from The Mellon Foundation’s Affirming Multivocal Humanities initiative, with additional support from the following units at The University of Texas at Austin: College of Liberal Arts, Visual Arts Center, Latino Studies, Barron Ulmer Kidd Centennial Lectureship (Humanities Institute), Department of Sociology, Long Chair Funds (Department of Art and Art History), Department of Anthropology, Department of History, and American Studies.
