Johnson: Ken Johnson contends that Now Dig This intends to craft a sense of solidarity and thus alienates much of its audience.

Raiford: The BPP attempted to self-fashion a national perception through the instrumental use of photography, but was largely construed as a militant group of violent vigilantes by the American media and government.

Jones: Now Dig This represented the culmination of the Los Angeles art scene as an exhibition of contemporary art with the intention of uprooting ‘institutional discrimination, white repression, and racism.’ (Now Dig This, 15)

Throughout these readings, I am struck by the dialogue that images provoke. Leigh Raiford’s complex history of the Black Panther Party analyzes the ways in which the group self-fashioned iconic imagery of their missions, and in turn, engaged in a national artistic, media and political dialogue. The images countered the public conception of the BPP as a militant, violent and dangerous group and now represent the iconic imagery of the historical past.

In a very similar fashion, the reception of Now Dig This created a public and tumultuous discourse regarding the role of  “social solidarity” within art and exhibition. (“Forged from the Fires,” 2) Now Dig This, as Kellie Jones articulates, aimed to “tame institutional discrimination, white repression, and racism.” (Now Dig This, 15) This project, however, was loudly countered by Ken Johnson, who freely undermined the appropriation of assemblages by black artists and argued that the promotion of solidarity throughout the body of works fundamentally excludes much of its audience. By claiming that the postmodern art world is “allergic to overt assertions of any kind,” Johnson claims that the only approach to discussing the weighty issues of racism and institutional exclusion of black artists is in the complication of prejudice and stereotype. (“Forged from the Fires,” 3) In an increasingly frustrating manner, Johnson highlights this effective approach by claiming “you don’t have to be black to feel that.” (“Forged from the Fires,” 3) Problematic and endlessly frustrating, this NYT article embodies the notion of artistic dialogue and represents a scathing counter to the works.

Readings:

Kellie Jones, “Now Dig This: An Introduction,” Now Dig This: Art and Black Los Angeles 1960-1980, (Munich: Delmonico Prestal, 2-12) pp. 15-27. On view at MoMA: PS1.

Ken Johnson, “Forged From the Fires of the 1960s,” New York Times (October 25, 2012)

Leigh Raiford, Imprisoned in a Luminous Glare.