{"id":6934,"date":"2021-03-09T16:40:33","date_gmt":"2021-03-09T16:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uaaglobal.com\/seeing-it-through-artist-amy-sherald-orchestrates-legacy-of-her-breonna-taylor-portrait\/"},"modified":"2021-03-09T16:40:33","modified_gmt":"2021-03-09T16:40:33","slug":"seeing-it-through-artist-amy-sherald-orchestrates-legacy-of-her-breonna-taylor-portrait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uaaglobal.com\/seeing-it-through-artist-amy-sherald-orchestrates-legacy-of-her-breonna-taylor-portrait\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeing it through: artist Amy Sherald orchestrates legacy of her Breonna Taylor portrait"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last September, Amy Sherald\u2019s portrait of Breonna Taylor appeared on the front cover of a special Vanity Fair<\/em> magazine dedicated to activism. Although commissioned by Vanity Fair <\/em>guest editor Ta-Nehisi Coates, Sherald said she made the portrait for Taylor\u2019s family to keep her \u201calive forever<\/a>.\u201d Now, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture of Washington, DC and the Speed Art Museum of Louisville, Kentucky are jointly acquiring the portrait, thanks to a donation from the Ford Foundation and Heathland Foundation, so that it will be available to the public.<\/p>\n

The portrait was created in honour of Taylor<\/a>, a 26-year-old woman who was shot and killed by police who forced entry into her Louisville home where she was sleeping. Taylor\u2019s name and story went on to become a major thread in the Black Lives Matter protests of last summer and has impacted countless lives. The making of the portrait was a process of reverence and Sherald wanted to see it through completely, opting to oversee its sale by orchestrating a unique partnership between museums.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sherald felt it was crucial that the portrait of Taylor be visible to the public and accessible to the people of Louisville. \u201cI felt like it should live out in the world,\u201d Sherald told<\/a> The New York Times.<\/em> \u201cI started to think about her hometown and how maybe this painting could be a Balm in Gilead for Louisville.\u201d Thus, thanks to the artist\u2019s vision, became the joint acquisition of the work by the DC and Louisville museum.<\/p>\n

Typically, Sherald\u2019s gallery, Hauser & Wirth, would oversee the sale of her work, but this painting was different for the artist. Sherald wanted to have a hand in each step, bringing together the museums. To do so, Sherald reached out to friend and actress Kate Capshaw who, with her husband director Steven Spielberg, has recently launched the Hearthland Foundation. With Capshaw\u2019s help, the Ford Foundation agreed to work with the Hearthland Foundation to support the acquisition. A joint $1.2 million donation made the purchase possible.<\/p>\n

The proceeds from the sale will expand the impact of Taylor\u2019s portrait as Sherald plans to set up a fund seeking to support students entering into higher education with particular interest in social justice. This endeavour will be made with guidance from both foundations.<\/p>\n

Seeing the sale through is the final page of the process Sherald embarked on in this commission. Somewhat surprisingly, Taylor\u2019s portrait is only Sherald\u2019s second ever commission \u2013 the official portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama<\/a> was her first \u2013 and it was the first time the artist\u2019s subject was deceased.<\/p>\n

To create the portrait, Sherald took the time to get to know Taylor posthumously. She spent time with Tamika Palmer, Taylor\u2019s mother, to better understand Taylor\u2019s personality, character, and sense of style. Sherald had the opportunity to watch videos of Taylor, talk to her friends, and see photos of her, which included images taken by artist LaToya Ruby Frazier.<\/p>\n

According to Palmer, Taylor was always put together. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t catch her not together,\u201d she told Sherald, \u201cshe definitely took pride in what she looked like and how she carried herself.\u201d So, Sherald worked with Atlanta-based designer Jasmine Elder of JIBRI to create the turquoise gown Taylor is depicted wearing in the portrait. With the permission of her family, Sherald also included the engagement ring Taylor\u2019s boyfriend Kenneth Walker had bought for her in anticipation of proposing.<\/p>\n

Sherald\u2019s portrait of Taylor is a cathartic experience and personal interpretation of a life that should still be here. Founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and now the secretary for the Smithsonian Lonnie G. Bunch III<\/a> summed up the painting saying<\/a> it \u201ccaptures both the joy and the pain of this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor\u2019s portrait will be included in the Speed Museum\u2019s \u201cPromise, Witness, Remembrance<\/a>\u201d exhibition focused on Taylor that is to open next month. The exhibition is curated by Allison Glenn, an associate director of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas, and will include works by Sam Gilliam, Lorna Simpson, Kerry James Marshall, and Glenn Ligon. The exhibition will travel to the Smithsonian later this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last September, Amy Sherald\u2019s portrait of Breonna Taylor appeared on the front cover of a special Vanity Fair magazine dedicated to activism. Although commissioned by Vanity Fair guest editor Ta-Nehisi Coates, Sherald said she made the portrait for Taylor\u2019s family to keep her \u201calive forever.\u201d Now, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nSeeing it through: artist Amy Sherald orchestrates legacy of her Breonna Taylor portrait - United Arts Agency | UAA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uaaglobal.com\/seeing-it-through-artist-amy-sherald-orchestrates-legacy-of-her-breonna-taylor-portrait\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Seeing it through: artist Amy Sherald orchestrates legacy of her Breonna Taylor portrait - United Arts Agency | UAA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Last September, Amy Sherald\u2019s portrait of Breonna Taylor appeared on the front cover of a special Vanity Fair magazine dedicated to activism. 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