Co-featured in the exhibition are works from the Shadowball series by the late Morgan Monceaux . The series depicts in portrait and print the colorful legacy of the Negro Leagues. It chronicles a broader history of baseball, while reflecting on the ongoing struggle for justice and equal rights in America.
A visionary artist and history buff, Monceaux was inspired by the narratives of artists, leaders and cultural icons. He would define hidden corners of history and research the subject. A sampling of his series of mixed media portraits includes topics such as international royalty (The Royals), African American opera legends (Divas), the shared history of African Americans and Native Americans in the West (My Heroes, My People), and Jazz greats (Jazz).
Fischer and Monceaux engage subject matter that is compelling and often astonishing. The viewer will recognize recurring themes of marginalization and scorn within a context where broader notions of supremacy are typically evidenced or forever implied. The exhibition depicts anecdotal tales of lives that have punctuated the annals of history in ways that magnify the broader context of the American experience.
Michelle Talibah, Curator