Harlem Fashion Show, 1963 by Leonard Freed
On loan from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Posing Beauty explores the contested ways in which African and African American beauty have been represented in historical and contemporary contexts in a diverse range of media. Posing Beauty is divided into three thematic sections. The first theme, Constructing a Pose, considers the interplay between the historical and the contemporary, between self-representation and imposed representation, and the relationship between subject and photographer. The second theme, Body and Image, questions the ways in which our contemporary understanding of beauty has been constructed and framed through the body. The last section, Modeling Beauty and Beauty Contests, invites a deeper reading of beauty, its impact on mass culture and individuals and how the display of beauty affects the ways in which we see and interpret the world and ourselves. Artists in the exhibition include: Eve Arnold, Anthony Barboza, Sheila Pree Bright, Renee Cox, Bruce Davidson, Leonard Freed, Lee Friedlander, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Alex Harsley, Jessica Ingram, Lauren Kelley, Russell Lee, Builder Levy, Elaine Mayes, Jeffrey Scales, Jamel Shabazz, Stephen Shames, Mickaline Thomas, Carrie Mae Weems, Carla Williams, Garry Winogrand and Ernest Withers, among others.
Self Portrait by Grace Leonard, Crossmolina National School, Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland
Complementing the Everhart Museum’s Winter exhibit, Posing Beauty, area students were invited to create artworks inspired by their own perceptions of identity and beauty for Student Art at the Everhart: Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder. For the first time, the Everhart Museum is partnering with Scranton’s Sister City Ballina, Ireland and the Ballina Arts Centre to showcase student work illustrating how contemporary Irish youth see themselves and their cultural identities. Through these collaborative efforts, the Everhart nurtures creativity and showcases artistic excellence in the community.