In celebration of the fall exhibition Mickalene Thomas: All About Love, the first major international tour focused on the work of pioneering artist Mickalene Thomas, Philadelphia’s Barnes Foundation will present an engaging slate of programs inspired by the artist and her work. All About Love at the Barnes is curated by Renée Mussai, independent curator, scholar, and writer; the exhibition is on view in the Roberts Gallery from October 20, 2024, through January 12, 2025.
Mickalene Thomas: All About Love is sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal. Additional support is provided by Agnes Gund, Denise Littlefield Sobel, the Edna W. Andrade Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation, Emily and Michael Cavanagh, Ralph Citino and Lawrence Taylor, Marianne N. Dean, Arthur M. Kaplan and R. Duane Perry, Sarah Morthland, Ogilvie Family Foundation, Dalila Wilson-Scott and S. Christopher Scott, Josephine and Sam Switzenbaum, Brenda A. and Larry D. Thompson, an anonymous donor, and other generous individuals.
“This fall, we are delighted to present an exciting, diverse array of programs inspired by All About Love—from film to dance and music—that reflect and honor Mickalene Thomas’s own dynamic and multidisciplinary artistic practice,” says James Claiborne, deputy director for community engagement at the Barnes. “Together with our longstanding programming partners like BlackStar Projects and Mural Arts Philadelphia, we invite the Philadelphia community and beyond to dive even deeper into the remarkable work of Mickalene Thomas and join us in celebrating and lifting up many amazing talents in the city and in neighboring Camden, Mickalene’s hometown.”
From October 2024 through January 2025, the Barnes will present a variety of All About Love–inspired talks, tours, film screenings, performances, and special programs, kicking off with Curators in Conversation on opening day, Sunday, October 20, featuring exhibition curator Renée Mussai in conversation with Mickalene Thomas. Programming continues with a three-part film series, curated by BlackStar Film Festival founder Maori Karmael Holmes, presenting feature-length and short films exploring themes of kinship, femininity, and desire; entrəpē/, a collaborative music and visual art project between Mickalene Thomas and Grammy Award–winning jazz musician Terri Lyne Carrington; special PECO Free First Sunday Family Days, featuring dance performances by the Philadelphia Jazz Tap Ensemble, honoring great women in jazz, Philly’s beloved dance troupe PHILADANCO, and the Getting Better Everyday Step Team, hailing from Thomas’s hometown of Camden, New Jersey; and a Barnes class titled Mickalene Thomas, Visual Pleasure and Activism, taught by Renée Mussai.
Honoring Thomas’s longstanding commitment to uplifting the voices and talents of fellow artists of color, the Barnes’s monthly First Friday program will also spotlight several BIPOC artists and musicians from the Philadelphia region this fall, including performances by saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, Yolanda Wisher & The Afroeaters, and singer-songwriter Black Buttafly. The Barnes’s popular Young Professionals Night on Friday, November 15, will also be inspired by All About Love and include access to the exhibition and collection.