rjwallace1997

[rjwallace1997]

Lange, D. (1942). One nation indivisible [Photograph]. MoMA. org

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Lange, D. (1936). Migrant mother [Photograph]. MoMA.org

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Dorothea Lange Online Art Exhibit

I viewed the online exhibit by the Museum of Modern Art, entitled “Words and Pictures” by Dorothea Lange.   Lange’s exhibition has been placed online since the COVID-19 pandemic because visitors were not allowed to go to museums.  According to  Meister and Taylor the exhibit captures Lange’s belief that photographs can be fortified by words (Meister and Taylor, 2020, para. 1) Lange’s exhibition in the form of photobooks, government reports, newspapers, magazines, and poems reflect the everyday life of people and their experiences.  

Lange cared a lot about words and pictures and the relationships between the two.  Lange put her subjects’ minds at ease by asking them what they did for a living and telling them about herself.  She wanted her subjects to feel comfortable before taking their photographs.  Lange’s pictures show a lot of empathy as she took pictures of ex-slaves, indigenous people, poor people, and Asian children who were inducted to concentration camps during World War II.  Her pictures were so powerful because it showed people what was happening in the United States during the Great Depression and World War II.   One of Lange’s most famous photographs called “Migrant Mother,” taken in 1936 shows a stressful mother during the Great Depression in California worrying about how she will care for her three children.  During this time, many people were out of work and hungry.  When the public saw Lange’s photograph, they were so moved that many people sent money to help the pea pickers in California.  The photograph proves the power of pictures and the differences that they can make.  In 1942, Lange was sent by the government to document in pictures the placement of Japanese individuals living on the West Coast in concentration camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  Lange’s photograph, entitled “One Nation Indivisible” shows several children reciting the pledge of allegiance to the American flag.  At the front of the picture is an Asian child appearing loyal to the United States, but there is irony in the photograph because Lange is aware that this child will soon be taken to a concentration camp.  Lange wanted to show the injustice of the child’s loyalty to a country that is willing to place innocent citizens in a concentration camp. 

Dorothea Lang’s pictures relate to what has been discussed in the visual communications class because her photographs speak to how people are impacted during difficult times and how art can make a difference.   I empathized with the subjects of Lang’s photographs.  Her pictures show the realities of war and poverty and unfortunate circumstances.  Very little words need to be said when looking at Lang’s photographs.  The pictures create true images of what people were experiencing and she took the pictures in such a way that her subjects maintained their dignity and humanity.

[rjwallace1997]

The Alexandria Black History Museum. (2024). Packaging and promotions. Alexandria, VA, United States

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The Alexandria Black History Museum. (2024). The life of an enslaved child. Alexandria, VA, United States

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Sanabria, S. (1976). Mount Vernon slave quarters. The Alexandria Black History Museum. Alexandria, VA, United States

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“Before the spirits are swept away [Painting Exhibit]. The Alexandria Black History Museum, Alexandria, VA, United States”

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The Alexandria Black History Museum

            I visited The Alexandria Black History Museum in Alexandria, Virginia and learned the museum began as a segregated library for the African American citizens of Alexandria.   Later, the museum became the site of America’s first sit in strike and home to leaders of the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement.  In 1990, the library expanded to preserve the African American history of the residents of Alexandria and was changed into a museum. 

            When first entering The Alexandria Black History Museum, I noticed the museum is divided into three parts.  To the left of the museum, there is an exhibit entitled, “Before the Spirits are Swept Away.”  The exhibit features an art collection of works by Sherry Z. Sanabria whose works reflect individuals who have experienced trauma.  The paintings are shown next to actual photos of buildings that housed people such as victims living in enslaved quarters and concentration camps.  One piece I found particularly interesting was the painting entitled, “The Life of an Enslaved Child,” which shows different activities an enslaved child is allowed to do depending on the height of the child.  The middle section of the museum shows pictures of the steps taken to convert the library into the museum.  To the right of the museum is a collection of artworks by Moss H. Kendrix, an African American public relations business owner.  The Kendrix art collections shows how Kendrix changed the negative stereotypes portrayed of African Americans in advertising campaigns.  Kendrix was the first person to have African Americans advertise products such as Jackie Robinson selling Coca Cola.  The exhibit has examples of products that use African Americans in negative images such as Aunt Jemima on a pancake box by the Pearl Milling Company and an African American male on a box of Uncle Ben’s Rice and Cream of Wheat.

            The designs of the exhibits I saw helped viewers imagine what the artist was trying to convey.  The title of the exhibit “Before the Spirits Are Swept Away” is written in italics font which creates an image of being swept away.  The exhibit is designed to preserve the painful history experienced by African Americans so that people do not forget.  The painting entitled, The Life of an Enslaved Child,” uses bright colors and large fonts to demonstrate children playing, but the images of height in the art piece reminds the viewer that enslaved children were allowed to play for a limited time.  The advertising exhibits shows the large font used by newspapers to recruit slaves and domestic workers.  Pictures and models of Aunt Jemima demonstrated the idea that African Americans were supposed to be servers and cooks. 

            When looking at the different art collections at The Alexandria Black History Museum, I experienced a variety of emotions. I felt sad to see how the childhood was taken away from enslaved African American children who did not realize they were slaves until they reached a height of which they were put to work.  Also, I experienced anger at the paintings of the small rooms where multiple slaves were forced to live.  The advertising exhibit that showed negative stereotypes of African Americans made me feel anger and pride at the same time because it demonstrated how far we have come but we have a long way to go in removing negative stereotypes.

            I visited The Alexandria Black History Museum in Alexandria, Virginia and learned the museum began as a segregated library for the African American citizens of Alexandria.   Later, the museum became the site of America’s first sit in strike and home to leaders of the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement.  In 1990, the library expanded to preserve the African American history of the residents of Alexandria and was changed into a museum. 

            When first entering The Alexandria Black History Museum, I noticed the museum is divided into three parts.  To the left of the museum, there is an exhibit entitled, “Before the Spirits are Swept Away.”  The exhibit features an art collection of works by Sherry Z. Sanabria whose works reflect individuals who have experienced trauma.  The paintings are shown next to actual photos of buildings that housed people such as victims living in enslaved quarters and concentration camps.  One piece I found particularly interesting was the painting entitled, “The Life of an Enslaved Child,” which shows different activities an enslaved child is allowed to do depending on the height of the child.  The middle section of the museum shows pictures of the steps taken to convert the library into the museum.  To the right of the museum is a collection of artworks by Moss H. Kendrix, an African American public relations business owner.  The Kendrix art collections shows how Kendrix changed the negative stereotypes portrayed of African Americans in advertising campaigns.  Kendrix was the first person to have African Americans advertise products such as Jackie Robinson selling Coca Cola.  The exhibit has examples of products that use African Americans in negative images such as Aunt Jemima on a pancake box by the Pearl Milling Company and an African American male on a box of Uncle Ben’s Rice and Cream of Wheat.

            The designs of the exhibits I saw helped viewers imagine what the artist was trying to convey.  The title of the exhibit “Before the Spirits Are Swept Away” is written in italics font which creates an image of being swept away.  The exhibit is designed to preserve the painful history experienced by African Americans so that people do not forget.  The painting entitled, The Life of an Enslaved Child,” uses bright colors and large fonts to demonstrate children playing, but the images of height in the art piece reminds the viewer that enslaved children were allowed to play for a limited time.  The advertising exhibits shows the large font used by newspapers to recruit slaves and domestic workers.  Pictures and models of Aunt Jemima demonstrated the idea that African Americans were supposed to be servers and cooks. 

            When looking at the different art collections at The Alexandria Black History Museum, I experienced a variety of emotions. I felt sad to see how the childhood was taken away from enslaved African American children who did not realize they were slaves until they reached a height of which they were put to work.  Also, I experienced anger at the paintings of the small rooms where multiple slaves were forced to live.  The advertising exhibit that showed negative stereotypes of African Americans made me feel anger and pride at the same time because it demonstrated how far we have come but we have a long way to go in removing negative stereotypes.

[rjwallace1997]

Museum of modern art the Dorothea Lange Exhibit

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Black History Museum in Alexandria, Virginia

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 My family is from New York and I visit the city often.  The typography of the New York City design really captured my eyes.  I appreciate how the design has all the boroughs of New York within the name of the city.   The large font in all capital letters of the words New York City and the smaller font letters of the words United States shows how important New York City is in the grand scheme of the United States. 

[rjwallace1997]

The large bold typography of the image entitled, Why Fonts Matter sends a powerful message by associating the image with the Black Lives Matter movement.  The extra-large size of the word “Why” in the poster describes the importance of choosing a particular font.  Viewers will think twice when trying to decide which font is best because the why is strongly emphasized in this type of typography.

[rjwallace1997]

Nike’s choice of typography in designing its sneaker is creative.  The company was started by an art student and the sneaker boldly advertises this fact. I have been collecting sneakers since I was a teenager. The large graphic letters standout and immediately attracts the attention of viewers.  My dream is to own a company designing and selling sneakers and Nike’s typography is inspirational. 

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Athletic superhero

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Young RJ as a cartoon

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Futuristic shoe design

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Still life