Faith Ringgold, George Masa

Episode No. 637 of The Modern Art Notes Podcast features curator Jamillah James and author Brent Martin. 

James has organized "Faith Ringgold: American People," a retrospective of Ringgold's career as an artist and activist, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The exhibition, which presents Ringgold as a key bridge between the Harlem Renaissance and contemporary practice, originated at the New Museum, New York, where it was curated by Massimiliano Gioni and Gary Carrion-Murayari. "Ringgold" is on view in Chicago through February 25. The outstanding catalogue was published by the New Museum and Phaidon. Amazon and Bookshop offer it for about $55-75.

On the occasion of photographer and scholar Angelyn Whitmeyer's launching of the George Masa Photo Database -- an important new website that makes images of Masa's pictures available via a single point-of-access for the first time, this week's show re-airs a 2022 segment with author Brent Martin. Masa was an Asheville, North Carolina-based photographer who had a significant impact on the establishment of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and on determining the Southern route of the Appalachian Trail, the two crown jewels of the eastern United States' natural infrastructure. His work was almost lost and forgotten, in part because the region in which he worked was remote, but also due to his status as a Japanese-American immigrant at a time of intense anti-Japanese bigotry.

Martin came onto the program to discuss his 2022 book "George Masa's Wild Vision," which was published by Hub City Press.  Amazon and Indiebound offer the book for around $25. For images, see Episode No. 567.