Portrait of The First Lady

A stunning, visual biography of Michelle Obama that finally puts her phenomenal fame into a cultural and historical context we can now all understand…

There has never been a First Lady like her before. While there have been a slew of Obama celebrity books, none contain the message of Deborah Willis and Emily Bernard’s eye-opening book. With nearly 200 compelling photographs, these two noted scholars capture Michelle Obama’s dramatic transformation from working mother to First Lady, from her first tentative steps on the campaign trail, to her spontaneous hug of the Queen, to her fairytale-like “Date Night” on Broadway. Not since Jacqueline Kennedy has there been a First Lady who has so enchanted America, but in her down-to-earth dealings with all Americans – schoolchildren, military families, and home gardeners alike – and in her diverse fashion taste, from J. Crew to Jason Wu, Michelle Obama is inexplicably all pearls, all business, all mother.

POSING BEAUTY: Deborah Willis ATA's 2010 Featured Artist's Recent Work

Posing Beauty: African American Images from the 1890s to the Present

by Deborah Willis

is the first photographic history of black beauty. It tells a story overlooked by most of America, and promises to transform the way we think about the history of African American visual culture. Deborah Willis, whose much-celebrated Reflections in Black provided the first definitive history of black photographers, has now collected over two hundred photographs in duotone and full color that provide a lasting statement on beauty in the African American community. From posed studio portraits to dandies on parade to elegant debutantes, Willis has constructed a bold narrative of the ever-changing idea of beauty, both female and male, and shows how history books, newspapers, and mainstream magazines deliberately excluded black models until the late 1960s and early 1970s.

EXHIBIT PREVIEW

Here's a sneek peak at some of the other artists who will be showing work in this year's show.

DAVID C. DRISKELL 2009 Featured Artist

Art in the Atrium is proud to present the works of Dr. David C. Driskell as the featured artist of or our 2009 show: "Artistic Vistas." Dr. Driskell will be on hand the night of the opening reception to talk about his work and to make a presentation to the Morris Museum of his “Woman in the Interior” (shown above). Other artist exhibiting in the show will also be present the night of the reception. Catering services provided by Martin Little Catering.

DAVID C. DRISKELL
Artist and Scholar

Born in 1931 into a family of Georgia sharecroppers, David C. Driskell is today a renowned painter and collector of art, as well as one of the leading authorities on the subject of African American art and the black artist in American society. His paintings can be found in major museums and private collections worldwide. His contributions to scholarship in the history of art include many books and more than 40 catalogues for exhibitions he has curated. His essays on the subject of African American art have appeared in major publications throughout the world. In establishing the Driskell Center, the University of Maryland has proudly taken up Driskell’s challenge to “grow the field.”

Prof. Driskell studied at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine and received his undergraduate degree in art at Howard University (1955) and a Masters in Fine Arts degree from Catholic University (1962). He joined the faculty of the Department of Art at the University of Maryland in 1977 and served as its Chair from 1978-1983. He has been a practicing artist since the 1950s and his works are in major museums throughout the world, including the National Gallery of Art, the High Museum of Art, and Yale University Art Gallery.

In 1976, Driskell curated the groundbreaking exhibit “Two Centuries of Black American Art: 1750-1950” which laid the foundation for the field of African American Art History. Since 1977, Prof. Driskell has served as cultural advisor to Camille O. and William H. Cosby and as the curator of the Cosby Collection of Fine Arts. In 2000, in a White House Ceremony, Prof. Driskell received the National Humanities Medal from President Bill Clinton. In 2007, he was elected as a National Academician by the National Academy. © David C. Driskell Center

For more information about the show or to arrange for guided tours please call 973.540.0615. For more information about Art In The Atrium please refer to this blog or visit our web pages at: http://www.teaandwings.com/ATA%20WEBSITE%20PAGES/ATA_BETA.htm .