In reclaiming some of the fullness of California’s story, Black Gold hopes to do more than educate. It seeks to remind us that history is not simply what happened—it’s what gets remembered.
— Cheryl Haines | Director, FOR-SITE
Black Gold, published to coincide with an exhibition of the same name, brings together recent and newly commissioned artworks by a number of contemporary artists reflecting on the resilience, struggles, and triumphs of African Americans who lived in California during a period spanning from the Gold Rush to the era of Reconstruction following the Civil War. The project highlights a constellation of related issues that are often omitted from California’s historical narratives, including the presence of slavery within this “free” state and the important role that Black citizens played within the booming mining industry, the successes of Black entrepreneurs, and the experiences of the African American Army regiments known as the Buffalo Soldiers.
This book includes an essay by the exhibition’s curator, Cheryl Haines; two artist roundtable discussions moderated by Key Jo Lee and Luke Williams, respectively; new and archival materials addressing California’s hidden history of slavery and anti-Black legislation; and texts detailing the contributions of each of the exhibition’s artists, including Adam Davis, Sir Isaac Julien CBE, Trina M. Robinson, Alison Saar, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Bryan Keith Thomas, and Hank Willis Thomas; as well as extensive documentation of the exhibition itself.
In reclaiming some of the fullness of California’s story, Black Gold hopes to do more than educate. It seeks to remind us that history is not simply what happened—it’s what gets remembered.
— Cheryl Haines | Director, FOR-SITE
Black Gold, published to coincide with an exhibition of the same name, brings together recent and newly commissioned artworks by a number of contemporary artists reflecting on the resilience, struggles, and triumphs of African Americans who lived in California during a period spanning from the Gold Rush to the era of Reconstruction following the Civil War. The project highlights a constellation of related issues that are often omitted from California’s historical narratives, including the presence of slavery within this “free” state and the important role that Black citizens played within the booming mining industry, the successes of Black entrepreneurs, and the experiences of the African American Army regiments known as the Buffalo Soldiers.
This book includes an essay by the exhibition’s curator, Cheryl Haines; two artist roundtable discussions moderated by Key Jo Lee and Luke Williams, respectively; new and archival materials addressing California’s hidden history of slavery and anti-Black legislation; and texts detailing the contributions of each of the exhibition’s artists, including Adam Davis, Sir Isaac Julien CBE, Trina M. Robinson, Alison Saar, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Bryan Keith Thomas, and Hank Willis Thomas; as well as extensive documentation of the exhibition itself.
Image 1 of 1