STILL... Racism in America is a retrospective exhibition of cartoons about racism in America that takes place at the Medialia Gallery in New York origin at the Medialia gallery in New York, where it was mounted in February 2020.
The installation is curated by The Ohio State University and will include original Luther cartoons from the Brumsic Brandon, Jr. collection at The Ohio State University's Brumsic Brandon, Jr. collection Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. STILL is curated by Tara Nakashima Donahue.
The exhibition will coincide with the Celebrating Sparky: Charles Schulz and Peanuts.
The opening reception and programme with Barbara Brandon-Croft and Tara Nakashima Donahue at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum will be held on Saturday 21 May.
Pioneering father and daughter cartoonists Brumsic Brandon, Jr. and Barbara Brandon-Croft chronicled the nation's cultural landscape in their comic strips through the lens of racism
The elder Brandon created Luther in the late 1960s and was later syndicated by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate until 1986, he was also known for his scathing editorial cartoons.
"Where I'm Coming From" is the work of her youngest daughter, the nation's first black female cartoonist in the mainstream press; it debuted in 1989 in the Detroit Free Press. Subsequently, Universal Press Syndicate distributed her provocative piece until 2005. For six decades, their respective pens laid bare the truth: nothing has changed. This retrospective reveals how vividly the spectre of racism in America still remains
Brumsic Brandon, Jr. (1927-2014)
This prolific cartoonist said that his motivation for drawing cartoons with social commentary stemmed from his "experiences of being black in a white, racist society". In the late 1960s, he created the comic strip Luther, which was subsequently nationally syndicated by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate until 1986. Before that, and for some time after, he also produced a large number of insightful editorial cartoons for the black press and other publications. Drawing cartoons with powerful messages was Brandon's vocation. He once wrote: "For better or worse, I was committed".
Barbara Brandon-Croft (1958)
Like father, like son. Barbara, his youngest daughter, discovered that she too could satisfy his desire to expose the ills of American society through her art.where I'm Coming From is the work of Brandon-Croft, the first black female cartoonist in the country to appear in the mainstream press. The comic strip debuted in 1989 in the Detroit Free Press and was subsequently picked up by Universal Press Syndicate and distributed until 2005. Brandon-Croft continues to offer his brand of social commentary on the Internet; he says "out of necessity".
