Prominent African-American Artist to Speak at PMoA

18 Dec. 2008

Radcliffe Bailey, one of most prominent African-American artists working in the South, will be at Polk Museum of Art to talk about his artwork. A Conversation with Radcliffe Bailey will be held on Friday, January 9, at 6:00pm.

CONTACT: Meredith Spresser, Public Relations & Marketing Manager, (863) 688-7743 ext. 235, MSpresser@PolkMuseumofArt.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 12/18/2008

Prominent African-American Artist to Speak at Polk Museum of Art

LAKELAND, FL. – Radcliffe Bailey, one of most prominent African-American artists working in the South, will be at Polk Museum of Art to talk about his artwork. A Conversation with Radcliffe Bailey will be held on Friday, January 9, at 6:00pm.

"This is going to be a very informal discussion," said Todd Behrens, Curator of Art. "We're inviting everyone to come into the gallery where his work is being displayed, and then I'm going to just start asking him questions."

Bailey's work is often based on vintage sepia-tone photographs of African-Americans. He then creates collages around the photographs. The pieces deal with taking broad themes like history, migration, settlement, and tradition and figuring out how each of us is influenced by them.

The talk is held in conjunction with the exhibition Radcliffe Bailey: Between Two Worlds which runs through March 1.

"I spoke with Radcliffe about his work several times as we were preparing for this exhibition," said Behrens, "and he is interesting and brilliant, while being nice and approachable. I think people will really enjoy hearing his explanations of the symbolism he uses and his thoughts behind his artwork."

A Conversation with Radcliffe Bailey is free for Polk Museum of Art members, and $10 for non-members. A small reception with a cash bar will be held after the talk. The exhibition and talk are supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

For more information, call 863-688-7743.

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