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The painting, Michelle LaVaughn Obama, is on display at the BMA. Photo by Leon Laing.

I first admired Amy Sherald’s work at Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys. The exhibit, featuring various artists, took place at the Brooklyn Museum last year. Giants included Sherald’s Deliverance, two colossal paintings of men on motorcycles.

Fast forward to this fall, and American Sublime, Sherald’s solo exhibit, appears at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA). I had the pleasure of attending the exhibit’s press tour led by Director Asma Naeem on Oct. 29.

Sherald, 52, originally planned to hold the exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. But she selected BMA instead to avoid censorship from the current presidential administration. Her ties to Baltimore include graduating from the Maryland Institute College of Art. About half of the paintings in American Sublime feature faces of Baltimore-based sitters. Continue reading ‘Amy Sherald: American Sublime’

Tayyib Smith, pictured in the middle, curated the exhibit. Photo by Leon Laing.

My third and final art stop in Philly on Oct. 9 was The Source of Self Regard at InLiquid Gallery. The exhibit, curated by Tayyib Smith, is named after writings from Toni Morrison, one of my favorite writers. The exhibit runs from until Nov. 29.

Works by Mavis Pusey. Photo by Leon Laing.

My second stop in Philly on Oct. 9 was Mavis Pusey: Mobil Images. The work done by the Jamaican-born Pusey is on display through Dec. 7 at the Institute of Contemporary Art.

Calder Gardens. Photo by Leon Laing

Last month, I visited three art venues in Philadelphia.

To take advantage of the mild and sunny afternoon, I stopped at Calder Gardens first. The facility, which opened on Sept. 21, isn’t a museum. It’s an art institution dedicated to Alexander Calder (1898-1976). Herzog & de Meuron designed the 18,000-square foot building.

The cultural space blurs the line between art, architecture, nature and programming. In other words, visitors can marvel at the attractions outside as well as inside. Continue reading ‘Calder Gardens’

Charlamagne tha God. Photo by Leon Laing.

About a month ago, I watched one of my favorite documentaries on Netflix again. 13^th explores the 13^th Amendment, criminalization of blacks and the U.S. prison boom.

On the heels of watching 13^th, our blog covered the third annual United Justice Coalition Summit, an event about criminal justice reform. Hosted by Roc Nation and the UJC, the summit took place at The Shed in New York City on May 30.

This year’s participants included Charlamagne tha God, Angela Rye, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Ari Melber, Barry Scheck, Laura Coates, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and more. Over 1,300 people attended. Continue reading ‘Third UJC Summit tackles reform, Trump and more’

Gwen Walz speaks at AFSCME Council 13 in Harrisburg, Pa. Photo by Leon Laing.

On Oct. 15, Gwen Walz campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Tim Walz at AFSCME Council 13 in Harrisburg, Pa. Two weeks before Gwen’s visit, her husband campaigned at Harrisburg International Airport. Continue reading ‘Another Walz in Hbg.’

Gov. Tim Walz. Photo by Leon Laing

On Oct. 2, Gov. Tim Walz spoke to his supporters at Harrisburg International Airport in Harrisburg. Initially, Vice President Kamala Harris planned on visiting Central Pennsylvania , too, but she assessed the hurricane damage in Georgia instead. Continue reading ‘Walz at HIA’

Photo of Leon Laing by Anwar Curtis.

On March 9, my friend Anwar Curtis and I drove to Brooklyn to observe hip-hop. But instead of attending a concert, we visited two exhibits. Continue reading ‘Swizz and Alicia share art’

On March 9, I photographed 226 St. James Place in Brooklyn. Biggie grew up at this residence, which is now a national landmark. Photo by Leon Laing.

DJ Smitty, based in Harrisburg, Pa., opened for several legendary rappers. The Notorious B.I.G. was no exception. On March 9, the day of Biggie’s passing, we commemorate one of the greatest rappers of all time. To me, Biggie was also a family friend. Here’s Smitty’s story. Continue reading ‘DJ Smitty reflects on Biggie’

My current reading material. Photo by Leon Laing.

My current reading material. “The Book of Hov” and “Titles Ruin Everything.”

One documents Jay-Z’s illustrious career, and the other is a stream of consciousness by Drake. These rap giants have collaborated on songs. And my son, friend and I listened to Drizzy’s new album on our way to see The Book of Hov exhibit because it dropped the same day of our trip. Continue reading ‘My current reading material’