creator of emmett till 'open casket' at whitney responds ......sad 2c protest of dana...
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7/9/2019 Creator of Emmett Till 'Open Casket' at Whitney Responds to Backlash
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696 1/7
CreatorofEmmettTill'OpenCasket'atWhitneyRespondstoBacklashNBCBLK
7/9/2019 Creator of Emmett Till 'Open Casket' at Whitney Responds to Backlash
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696 2/7
DanaSchutz's"OpenCasket,"a2016paintinginthe2017WhitneyBiennial MATTHIASKOLB12355BERLIN/Collectionoftheartist
/Updated
ByAnnetteEjiofor,ChandelisR.DusterandAmberPayne
ApaintingofEmmettTillhangingembeddedwiththeprestigiousbodyofworkinWhitneyBiennialhasstirredconversationonculturalappropriation,artisticownershipandBlackbodiesasaspectacle,culminatinginacriticalquestion:DowhiteartistshavetherighttodepictBlackpain?
ThepaintingbyDanaSchutz,entitled,“OpenCasket,”reimaginesthephotoofEmmettTillfollowinghishorrificmurderonAugust28,1955.Inagruesomesimilaritytotheoriginalimage,SchutzpaintsTill’sfaceintheabstract.Thesmudgesofpaintremindthathisfacewasindeedleftdisfigured,unidentifiable.
ThisweekthepaintingsparkedoutrageandprotestamongsomeBlackartists,whocalledforitsremovalanddestructionandphysicallyblockedthepieceinthegalleryspace.
March26,2017,11:00AMEDT March26,2017,11:42AMEDT
7/9/2019 Creator of Emmett Till 'Open Casket' at Whitney Responds to Backlash
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696 3/7
Berlin-basedartistHannahBlackpostedanopenletteronFacebooktotheWhitneyMuseumcuratorsandstaffonTuesday.“ItisnotacceptableforawhitepersontotransmuteBlacksufferingintoprofitandfun,thoughthepracticehasbeennormalizedforalongtime,”Blackwrote.“Contemporaryartisafundamentallywhitesupremacistinstitution.”
Schutzhasrespondedtothebacklashsayingthepaintingis"notarenderingofthephotographbutismoreanengagementwiththeloss."Shealsosaysthepainting"wasneverandisnotforsale."
"Iunderstandtheoutrage.Till’sphotographwasasacredimageoftheCivilRightsmovementandIamawhitewoman.Ididnottakemakingthispaintinglightly,"SchutzsaidinastatementtoNBCBLK."Idon’tobjecttopeoplequestioningtheworkorevenmyrighttomakeit.Therehastobeanopendiscussion."
Related:ChicagoArtistHealsThroughHisCreations
SchutzsaysshemadethepaintinginAugustof2016duringatimewhichshecalls"astateofemergency"thatcameaboutasaresultoffatalofficerinvolvedshootingsofunarmedBlacks.ShebelievestheviolenceTillexperiencedcoincideswithviolenceandbrutalityinnocentBlackmenfacetoday.
"ThephotographofEmmettTillfeltanalogoustothetime,whatwashiddenwasnowrevealed,"Schutzsaid."IwasstruckbyMamieTill’saccountofwitnessinghersonandhergriefandrage.Hergestureofleavingthecasketopenwasaboutvisibility,sharingpainandwitnessing.Iwantedthepaintingtobeintimate,notgrotesquebutIwantedtoshowthebrutality."
Scott Y.@hei_scott
At the Whitney, a protest against Dana Schutz' painting of Emmett Till: "She has nothing to say to the Black community about Black trauma."
951 4:44 PM - Mar 17, 2017
581 people are talking about this
7/9/2019 Creator of Emmett Till 'Open Casket' at Whitney Responds to Backlash
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696 4/7
MamieTillMobleyweepsatherson'sfuneralonSept.6,1955,inChicago.Till,motherofEmmettTill,insistedthatherson'sbodybedisplayedinanopencasketforcingthenationtoseethebrutalitydirectedatblacksintheSouthatthetime. ChicagoSun-TimesviaAP
ArtprofessorDr.LisaWhittington,aBlackartistwhohascreatedtwopaintingsofEmmettTill,saysshedoesn’thaveanissuewithawhiteartisttakingonthedifficultsubjectmatter,butquestionsSchutz’sperspectiveinmakingthepainting.
“Iwouldaskher,whyshedidnotpainttheEmmettTillStoryfromawhitewoman’spointofview?Istherenothingthatasawhitewomanthatshewouldwanttosay?EspeciallyinrecentlyknowingthatthewomanwhoaccusedEmmettTillhasadmittedthatshelied.Whereistheartworkthatrepresentsherlies?”Whittingtonsaid.“ThetwomenwholynchedEmmett?Whereistheartworkaboutthem?Doesshehavenothingtosaythere?”
Whittingtoncontinued,“Asartists—responsibleartists—wearetospeakandtodocumenthistory.Wearetotellaboutlifefromourpointofviewfromwherewestand.”
DanaSchutz'spaintingofEmmettTillisabsolutelybeautiful.Whydoesherracematter?Asifshecouldn'tfeelanothermotherspain...
—Mo.(@ColorMeRedB)March22,2017
ParkerBright,NewYork-basedinterdisciplinaryartist,curator,andco-founderof4EGalleryinChicagoprotestedthedepiction,physicallyblockedthepaintingforeighthoursovertwodays.
“Recentlyinmedia,Blackdeathissensationalizedandhasbeenforyears.It’screatingaspectacleoutofBlackbodies,"Brightcontinued,callingthedepictionaflatteningoutandreducingoftheoriginalphotographto“justanabstractpainting.”
Edrea@dogonvillage
Sad 2C protest of Dana Schutz painting of #EmmettTill. Kudos2 @whitneymuseum exhibit, #civilrights movemnt not Black, its American #TheView
6 11:46 AM - Mar 22, 2017
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7/9/2019 Creator of Emmett Till 'Open Casket' at Whitney Responds to Backlash
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696 5/7
ForBright,Schutz’spaintingisonethatiscomparabletothelikesofalynchmob,reducingtheexperienceto“abunchofwhitepeoplelookingatadeadBlackbody.”
Brightcallstheartist’sre-creationofthemutilatedbodycomparabletothe“violence”exhibitedbyCarolynBryantDonham,thewhitewomanwhoaccusedTillofgrabbingandverballythreateningher.Decadeslater,DonhamhasadmittedthatsheliedandTill'srelativeshavecalledforauthoritiestoreopentheinvestigation.
BarutiKopanoisanassociateprofessoratMorganStateUniversityandauthorof“SoulThieves:TheAppropriationandMisrepresentationofAfricanAmericanPopularCulture.”OnWNYC'sTheTakeaway,KopanodiscussedthecontroversysurroundingthepaintingandSchutz'sresponse.
“AtwhatpointdoBlackpeoplecontrolthestoriesofBlackbodies?,"questionedKopano."Icanappreciatetheartist’sattempttokeepthismemoryalive.Icanappreciatetheartist’sattempttoengageusindialogue–I’mnotsureifsheimaginedthislevelofcontroversy."
KopanoremindsthatsomeimagesofBlackpeopleare"soprecious."The“precious”natureoftheseimagesenableusto"understandwhysomeofuswanttomakesurethatthereissomecontrolofthoseimages."
Related:EmmettTillBookPromptsCousinstoCallforNewInvestigation
DespitepublicoutcryfromBlackartists,theWhitneyBiennialcuratorsarestandingbytheirdecisiontofeaturethework.
NancyandFredPosescuratorsMiaLocksandChristopherY.LewreleasedajointstatementtoNBCBLKstating,“The2017WhitneyBiennialbringstolightmanyfacetsofthehumanexperience,includingconditionsthatarepainfulordifficulttoconfrontsuchasviolence,racism,anddeath.Manyartistsintheexhibitionpushinontheseissues,seekingempatheticconnectionsinanespeciallydivisivetime.”
ThecuratorsdescribeSchutz’spaintingasan“unsettlingimagethatspeakstothelong-standingviolencethathasbeeninflicteduponAfricanAmericans.”
ThoughtheWhitneyMuseumbelievesSchutz’spaintingtobeanimagewith“tremendousemotionalresonance”for“manyAfricanAmericansinparticular,”someBlackartistspointtotheWhitneyandit’scuratorsastheoneswho’vebeenirresponsible.
7/9/2019 Creator of Emmett Till 'Open Casket' at Whitney Responds to Backlash
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696 6/7
“TheproblemisnotnecessarilywithDana.Theproblemiswiththemuseums.IftheWhitneyoranyothercontemporarymuseum(i.e.MuseumofModernArt)wastrulyconcernedaboutracism,theywouldmakeandcurateanauthenticexhibitofBlackartistsandtheirpointofview,”saidWhittington.
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AnnetteEjiofor
ChandelisR.Duster
ChandelisR.DusterisreporterforNBCNews.
AmberPayne
AmberPayneistheeditorofNBCBLK,asectionofNBCNews.comthatwillcoverstoriesby,for,andabouttheblackcommunity.Amberspent10yearsatNBCNightlyNewswithBrianWilliamsshooting,writing,andproducingbreakingnewsandfeaturestories,mostrecentlyservingascoordinatingproducerforHarrySmith.ShehascoveredstoriesthroughouttheUSandUK,EcuadorandpartsofWestAfricaandSouthAfrica. AgraduateoftheUniversityofVirginia,shewasraisedonMarylandbluecrabsbutcallsNewYorkCityhome.
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7/9/2019 Creator of Emmett Till 'Open Casket' at Whitney Responds to Backlash
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/creator-emmett-till-open-casket-whitney-responds-backlash-n736696 7/7
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