Artist James Phillips will speak about how he uses color and iconography to engage African American textile aesthetics in his painting and printmaking. His print, Untitled II, is featured in the exhibition Seeing Textiles in Painting, Printing and Papermaking, 1960-Today.

Phillips, who is now an associate professor in the Department of Art at Howard University, was a member of AfriCOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists), a group active in the 1970s that was committed to incorporating African aesthetics, iconography and positive political imagery into African American art. A master colorist, he uses ancestral patterns and designs to illuminate spiritual and political connections in his work.

The talk is held in conjunction with the exhibition Seeing Textiles in Painting, Printing and Papermaking, 1960-Today, which is on view in Mechanical Hall Gallery from February 7 to May 13, 2023. The exhibition explores how modern and contemporary artists take inspiration from textiles.

This in-person event is free and open to the public. It will include a Q&A with Phillips and a brief overview of the exhibition by guest curator Julia Hamer-Light, graduate research assistant for Museums.