Above: Klara Farkas in Lalibela. Photo by Georgette Balliance.
When I visited The Kampong a few months back, I was pleased to see that along with the beautiful rich, character of the place – the gardens, there was other activity buzzing at the Coconut Grove.
The Kampong director Brian Sidoti and photographer Georgette Ballance at the opening of the exhibit on Thursday, June 6.
When I spoke with director Brian Sidoti, he said they continuing to broaden their reach by expanding their offerings of art exhibitions.
The current exhibition is an exciting one. "A Lens on the Community: Photographs by Klara Farkas and Georgette Ballance" is included in the price of admission for a garden tour.
Klara Farkas was a local Coconut Grove photographer of international acclaim, capturing both the community she called home for more than 70 years as well as sublime places world’s away. From images of Ethiopia to intimate portraits of her South Florida neighbors, Klara’s lens focused on both the character and characters of a place. Her work has been widely exhibited and published, with photographs held in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC.
Georgette Ballance, Klara’s daughter, is part of the Ethiopian exhibit, and her photographs are also in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian.
Left: Berenice Abbott, Photographer, New York City by Klara Farkas. Right: Marian Bell Fairchild, Writer and Collector of tropical Plants by Klara Farkas.
Enjoy images ranging from Ethiopia to intimate portraits of South Florida neighbors, including 10 women of Coconut Grove.
The Kampong, 4013 South Douglas Road Miami. (305) 442-7169
Over at the Wolfsonian, "Silhouettes: Image and Word in the Harlem Renaissance" highlights a number of women artists and writers who were active in the "New Negro" movement, which continues to serve as a beacon of visionary art, culture, and life for Black communities today. Women's contributions, often overlooked at the time, went far deeper than can be presented in the exhibition. Dr. Jeffreen M. Hayes will give a free talk "There Is No Harlem Renaissance without Black Women" on Friday, June 7 beginning at 7 p.m.
The talk offers chance to get the bigger story. Hayes will shed light on figures such as Augusta Savage, Zora Neale Hurston, Selma Burke, Pauline Hopkins, and others whose work carved out a space for women in the surge of African American creativity that happened in the early 20th century. Stay after for a screening of the director's cut of the film, "Searching for Augusta Savage."
The flourishing of literary, visual, and musical arts between the 1920s and ’40s known as the Harlem Renaissance projected a new picture of Black life to the world. "Silhouettes: Image and Word in the Harlem Renaissance" considers the role of art in this movement, paying special attention to collaboration between artists and writers on illustrated books works that reached a broad audience with stories and images that challenged demeaning stereotypes and asserted African Americans’ capacity for self-determination.
The show is curated by Christopher Norwood, founder of Hampton Art Lovers, in consultation with Shawn Christian, professor of English at Florida International University, and Wolfsonian staff.
Wolfsonian-FIU 1001 Washington Ave, Miami Beach
