When people picture art collectors, they might picture exquisite homes decorated with the finest, rarest and most expensive pieces of history. For a group of Black, female art collectors in Chicago, however, the hobby transcends past a price tag.
At the end of February, the Southside Community Art Center, located in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, showcased the stories of 15 Black, female art collectors through 45 pieces of artwork from their personal collections. The new exhibition highlights the intergenerational “memory work” and cultural preservation of Black female art collectors throughout the city. They dubbed the project “Beyond Frames.”
“It’s not so much a technical view of the work, but about this emotional connection and how culture speaks to people through art,” said Rachel Duke, co-curator of the exhibit.
Collectors each chose three pieces of art they felt best represented their identities and journey of being a Black, female collector. From beaded Nigerian headpieces dating back to 2500 BC to artwork from the Black Panther and Black Artwork Movement of the 70s, collectors chose a variety of pieces traversing different aspects of Black history.
Duke and her co-curator Bethany Hill interviewed each collector, learning about how their collecting process and aesthetic interests align with their identity as Black women in Chicago. Oftentimes, both women found themselves in intimate conversations inside the eclectic homes of these collectors, Duke said.
She also said “Beyond Frames” was designed to carry a homely feeling into a museum setting, with living room chairs, a fireplace and a piano decorating the space. Duke and Hill intentionally curated an all-female exhibit to give a unique insight into the art-collecting process of Black women, Duke said.
According to Duke, Black female art collectors often don’t see art collecting as an economic investment in the most rare pieces, but rather, avenues to archive memories.
“They were recounting their childhood, their first encounters with art, what made them want to collect,” Duke said. “Those are perspectives we don’t always get in other exhibitions.”
Art collector Christina Steed collects art for similar reasons. One of the pieces she displayed, “The Don,” is a large painting from Detroit-based artist Quadre Curry. Despite its size, it was less than $1,000. However, the artist’s identity as a queer, Black male artist and a portrayal of what she called a “smart, but very conscious” woman in the painting, resonated with her.
Some of the other pieces she displayed include “Fly Into Egypt,” an oil painting on linen from Shirley Woodson in the 70s and a mixed-media portrait of herself.
Steed’s husband gifted her the piece as a romantic gesture, titling it, “My Heart.” It features a candid photograph of Steed relaxing in a tropical setting looking out into the sea, surrounded by a collage of painted orange lilies.
“I have no makeup on, I’m totally vulnerable and I had just woken up,” Steed said of the photo. “I was like, ‘no, I look good in the other pictures!’ but this is the picture he (her husband) chose, and so it really speaks to me.”
Steed said her art collection also resonates with her beyond personal experiences. One of her favorite parts of collecting art is seeing other art collectors’ pieces, and interpreting them however she sees it while learning about different perspectives, she added.
While she may not create artwork herself, Steed said, the appreciation she has for it reflects the passion she has supporting Black creativity and its cultural preservation in a similar manner.
“Art is the purest form of expression until we become censored,” Steed said. “It’s the way artists go to work in times of strife, in times of oppression, in times of where we’re needing to move the consciousness forward. Folks who appreciate it, may not be artists themselves, but that’s where we come in to support.”
Other artwork in the gallery depicts collages of the collectors from different stages in life. They include black and white family photos and pieces from Black artists they are friends with.
One piece, “Market Queen,” from a West African artist, depicts a woman selling purses and fabrics on the street. Sonia Spencer, the collector of the piece, said her connection to it runs deep.
“It reminded me of myself and how Black women are always trying to make things happen,” reads a quote from her displayed next to the photo. “You see how she loaded it [her wagon] up? She’s hustling, but she’s not sad.”
Visitor Shelby Evans-Thomas echoed a similar sentiment.
“I’ve got three words. Exquisite, exotic and elegant. My three E’s,” Evans-Thomas said of the exhibit. “It’s good to see Black women being put to the forefront, in the spotlight. I sense empowerment.”
While Chicago’s community of Black, female art collectors may seem niche, their influence and contributions to the preservation of Black history remains strong, Steed said.
“This collection of women who value art and want to talk about art and are geeky about it is a presentation we don’t see all the time,” she said. “We’re reaffirming each other in support of Black art, the history of supporting Black art, Black history and the power that Black women can have when we’re together, assembled and organized.”
“Beyond Frames” is currently on display at the Southside Community Art Center, located at 3831 S Michigan Ave, until March 29. Find more information here.
