Pairings: The Obama Portraits (Virtual)

Pair your favorite drink with a lively and informative 45-minute conversation on the official Obama Portraits of President Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley and former First Lady Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama by Amy Sherald. These portraits belong in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s collection of U.S. presidential portraits and are currently on tour across various American museums through May 2022, including: The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago—June 18, 2021–Aug. 15, 2021; Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York—Aug. 27, 2021–Oct. 24, 2021; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles—Nov. 7, 2021–Jan. 2, 2022; High Museum of Art, Atlanta—Jan. 14, 2022–March 13, 2022; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston—March 27, 2022–May 30, 2022.

Kehinde Wiley (b. 1977, Los Angeles; lives/works: New York City) is an artist best known for representing contemporary Black and brown men and women within the genre of portrait paintings. Wiley’s stained-glass triptych Go recently opened to the public in Moynihan Train Hall in New York City.

Amy Sherald (b. 1973, Columbus, GA; lives/works: New York City) creates complex portraits of Black Americans that complicate notions of race and representation.

Two educators, Angela Garcia and Maya Jeffereis, will guide participants in looking closely at these two works of art and dive deep into conversation. Come open to sharing your responses to the works, learning something you perhaps didn’t know, and meaningfully connecting with others.

Angela Garcia is an independent art historian and educator with 20 years of experience creating and leading engaging experiences and conversations with art.  She has lectured and facilitated conversations  at The Museum of Modern Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, El Museo del Barrio, Morris Jumel Mansion among other academic, and cultural institutions.

Maya Jeffereis is a Brooklyn-based artist, educator, and museum consultant with 15 years of experience working in the arts. She believes art offers us the opportunity to deeply know ourselves, to think critically about the world around us, and to meaningfully connect with others. Maya has taught at The Museum of Modern Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Shed, and Hunter College, among other institutions.

Where: Zoom (link provided upon registration)

*Note: Registration closes 15 minutes prior to the start of the program so please register early!