One of my favorite annual art field trips is the spring AP student trip to Wynwood. This year we were able to have a private viewing of
the Rubell Family Collection. The main exhibition downstairs featured
Purvis Young, (1943-2010), Miami's own original self taught street artist from
Overtown. A contemporary of
Basquiat, Young was always educating himself with public library and radio resources. He painted on any found hard surface and used donated paints from his fans. Finding him on some hard times,
Mera and Don Rubell came to his aid by purchasing hundreds of his paintings. The show is hung thematically so you could see the symbolism and repetition in Young's practice.
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| Young's boat series |
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| Life in the hood...angels at the scene of an accident |
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Upstairs was a colorful eclectic collection of new acquisitions of younger artists. The students really enjoyed the bubblegumish cartoon paintings of
Janiva Ellis, the installation and video by
Trulee Hall, all the work of story by
Simphiwe Ndzube, and the Haitian artist and grandson of Issa, a family friend and famous gallery owner,
Tomm El-Saieh!
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| Students interact with Fertile Blue by Hall |
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| Simphiwe Ndzube |
If I picked just ONE work to take home it would be a Purvis Young Pregnant Woman. Not only is it exquisite and tender in color, but it could stand for the way we all felt when we left... pregnant with possibilities. Great sights and a real educational day! My gratitude goes out to the Rubell Family Collection staff who did a wonderful job of welcoming and showing us around.
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| My favorite Young painting, Pregnant Woman series |
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