22 min listen
The Largely Unknown History of Blackface in Canada
FromHyperallergic
ratings:
Length:
32 minutes
Released:
Aug 7, 2019
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
There's a curious collection of 18th-century porcelain figurines displayed on the second floor of the Gardiner Museum. Set amidst an impressive display of European ceramic table wear and figurines, this small assortment of Harlequin sculptures don dark masks that stand out for contemporary audiences. One of the colorful sculptures is by Wenzel Neu and hails from the Kloster-Veilsdorf Porcelain Factory in Germany, c. 1764–65, and beside it is a sign that asks, "Is Harlequin in blackface?"
In this episode, we talk to Professor Cheryl Thompson, anti-racist educator Rania El Mugammar, and the Gardiner's Chief Curator Sequoia Miller about this figurine that portrays a character from the Commedia dell'Arte that was a precursor to the more violently racialized images of blackface in 19th and 20th-century minstrel shows. We explore the long history of blackface in Canada, and how one museum is adapting to tell the stories that its collection provokes with contemporary audiences.
A special thanks to musician SunSon for providing the music to this special series, which is produced by Hyperallergic in conjunction with the Gardiner Museum. Check out their website sunson.band for more information.
This and more in the current episode of Hyperallergic's Art Movements podcast.
Subscribe to Art Movements on iTunes, or anywhere else you listen to podcasts.
hyperallergic.com
In this episode, we talk to Professor Cheryl Thompson, anti-racist educator Rania El Mugammar, and the Gardiner's Chief Curator Sequoia Miller about this figurine that portrays a character from the Commedia dell'Arte that was a precursor to the more violently racialized images of blackface in 19th and 20th-century minstrel shows. We explore the long history of blackface in Canada, and how one museum is adapting to tell the stories that its collection provokes with contemporary audiences.
A special thanks to musician SunSon for providing the music to this special series, which is produced by Hyperallergic in conjunction with the Gardiner Museum. Check out their website sunson.band for more information.
This and more in the current episode of Hyperallergic's Art Movements podcast.
Subscribe to Art Movements on iTunes, or anywhere else you listen to podcasts.
hyperallergic.com
Released:
Aug 7, 2019
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (96)
Tania Bruguera, Mariam Ghani, Queens International: Our second podcast focuses on New York's borough of Queens, which is becoming a growing hub of artistic activity in the city. We talk to Tania Bruguera about her Immigrant Movement International project in Queens and her experience in Cuba, then we chat with artist Mariam Ghani about her commissioned mural at the Queen Museum, and finally we wander the Queens International biennial with director Laura Raicovich and guest co-curator Lindsey Berfond to discuss the exhibition's themes of accumulation and globality. by Hyperallergic