Mark Bradford’s 150 Portrait Tone, a mural-size composition that contains elements of both abstraction and realism, is based on an idea for a work that the artist conceived after the fatal shooting of Philando Castile by a police officer in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in July 2016. Castile, a nutrition services supervisor at an elementary school, was shot after being pulled over in his car—an incident that was livestreamed on Facebook by Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, who was sitting in the passenger seat next to him.
The painting features excerpts of Reynolds’s dialogue from the video. The title, 150 Portrait Tone, refers to the name and color code of the pink acrylic used throughout the painting. Like the now-obsolete “flesh” crayon in the Crayola 64 box (renamed “peach” in 1962), the color “portrait tone” carries inherent assumptions about who, exactly, is being depicted. In the context of Bradford’s painting, the title presents a sobering commentary on power and representation.
Upcoming Events
Free
The Crazy Superhero Vacation is a production by Ms. Neate’s class at Vena Avenue Elementary. Animation and editing are by Pieter Hardeman of Toy Story Lab. Southland Sings is a creative organization using the arts to unlock creative potential through live opera, musical theatre production, education assemblies, and music composition for all ages.
Free
The Los Angeles Public Library and the Los Angeles County Library cards give you access to many resources, including two amazing online music collections. Freegal features unlimited songs, and Hoopla lets you check out full albums. These two databases have endless amounts of music from the African and African American diaspora to explore, from famous hits to underground sounds. hoopladigital.com/search?q=African+American+music&scope=everything&type=direct&kindId=6 freegalmusic.com
Free
The Grammy Museum offers a variety of public programming so you can enjoy musicians and industry professionals in an intimate environment. Watch past public programs on COLLECTION: live, the official streaming service from the Museum featuring artist interviews, performances, and livestreams.
Free
A conversation and live demonstration surrounding the influence of DJs on Hip-Hop and the Art of Sampling with DJ Khalil and Serato’s Sonny James, moderated by Schyler O’Neal, Grammy Museum Manager of Education and Community Engagement.
Free
In conjunction with the Grammy Museum’s exhibit Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape, the museum was thrilled to host interviews with Tierra Whack, Don Toliver, Common, Pete Rock, and many others.
