Ebony G. Patterson “…when they grow up…”

The Studio Museum in Harlem

[Image: Ebony G. Patterson ". . . they were just boys (. . . when they grow up . . .)" (2016) Beads, appliques, fabric, glitter, other embellishments, ribbons and glue on digital print on hand-cut matte photo paper with hand embellished toy guns, 88 × 116

This event has ended.

The Studio Museum’s Project Space will feature a new site-specific, mixed-media installation by Ebony G. Patterson on the subject of violence committed against young people of color (including deadly police actions) and the fears that focus on these same young people, who in the eyes of too many people appear as threats rather than victims. In the artist’s words, “These children are often described as adults. Their blackness overrules the presumption of innocence.”

… when they grow up … will present images of black youth in hand-embellished, large-scale, photo-based wall works, juxtaposed with a variety of elements associated with childhood and race. The installation will be designed so that visitors will negotiate the space as if experiencing it from a child’s height. “I am hoping to create a moment of beauty, ‘sainthood,’ and humanity,” Patterson states, “and to call into question the stereotypes that are projected about black youth.

… when they grow up … is the artist’s first solo exhibition at the Studio Museum. Her work was previously included in the group exhibition Caribbean: Crossroads of the World (2012). Patterson currently divides her time between Kingston, Jamaica and Lexington, Kentucky.

Ebony G. Patterson: … when they grow up … is organized by Lauren Haynes, Associate Curator, Permanent Collection.