Jeff Donaldson Dig

This fall the Akron Art Museum will host an exhibition of work by AfriCOBRA artist Jeff Donaldson. In order to design programs and interpretive materials that best serve its visitors,  the museum is currently seeking feedback from the community. Please consider sharing this survey with friends, peers and family members.

In addition, the museum is hosting a community meeting about the exhibition on Thursday July 19 at 6:00 PM. All are welcome to attend and  share ideas. We value your feedback and look forward to hearing from you.

About the Exhibition
In 1968, artist Jeff Donaldson co-founded the African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists (AfriCOBRA). In response to political and social unrest in an arts world that privileged white artists and audiences, AfriCOBRA sought to create a new kind of art that was not only politically engaged but reflected contemporary Black culture and appealed specifically to a Black audience.

Jeff Donaldson: Dig, the artist’s first museum retrospective, sheds light on Donaldson’s contribution to art history by exploring his four-decade career. Spanning the artist’s activist roots in Chicago to his influence on future generations as a professor at Howard University and Vice President of the Barnes Foundation, this major exhibition presents new scholarship and features works never before seen in public.

Interested in learning more about AfriCOBRA? Check out this video link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqfEnfW_ijs

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Jeff Donaldson, Simba, 1973

Jeff Donaldson, <em>Simba,</em> 1973

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* 1. I’ve heard of the AfriCOBRA movement or the artist Jeff Donaldson

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* 2. I want to learn about the artist and artwork in the exhibition this way:

  This is the main way I want to learn Not the main way I want to learn but helpful to me Not the way I want to learn but may be helpful to someone I know Not interested
Reading labels
Watching videos
Experimenting with hands-on activities
Looking at an exhibition catalog
Examining historical materials and papers, posters and advertising the artist collected

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* 3. I am interested in learning more about these aspects of the exhibition:

  Very interested in this Somewhat interested in this Not interested in this 
The artwork’s connections to the Civil Rights movement and US History
The artist’s biography
The AfriCOBRA art movement
How the work relates to music and other art forms
How the work was made
How the work connects to the artist’s African heritage
How the work connects to Akron or Northeast Ohio

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* 4. These additions to the gallery would help me learn more about the themes in the show:

  Very interested in this Somewhat interested in this Not interested in this
A reading area with exhibition catalog and art-related books
A reading area with books by African-American authors
A reading area with books about the Civil Rights movement
A list of African-American owned businesses in Akron
An area where visitors can contribute their responses, thoughts, and ideas
A timeline that links historic events and the artist’s life
A list of local resources and community groups that address diversity, equity and inclusion issues
An area where I can try the artist's techniques/materials

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* 5. I am interested in these educational programs:

  Very interested in this Somewhat interested in this Not interested, but I know someone might be Not interested in this
A talk by an AfriCOBRA artist
A  lecture by a curator from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture
A panel on local African-American history and issues
A film related to a theme or idea in the exhibition

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* 6. I’d like to attend these related educational programs:

  Very interested in this Somewhat interested in this Not interested but I know someone who might be Not interested in this
A gallery performance by a dancer, singer or musician interpreting the work
An art-making workshop
A fashion show
A cocktail party with music, art activities and time to explore the galleries
A book club discussion of an Afrofuturist work of literature

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* 7. I would attend this exhibition with: 

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* 8. I think this group, organization or person would be interested in learning more about the exhibition and assisting in marketing, programming or other aspects of the exhibition.

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* 9. I want to attend the community meeting on Thursday July 19 at 6:00 PM.

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* 10. I'm happy to share my contact information to hear more about the exhibition and related programs. 

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