Artists Talk with LVA: June 20, 2024

On June 28 The Speed Museum will open Louisville's Black Avant-Garde: William M. Duffy, a solo retrospective of Duffy's work. Duffy and Speed Curator fari nzinga will join us in the studio to talk about this important exhibit. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

LOUISVILLE'S BLACK AVANT-GARDE: WILLIAM M. DUFFY

June 28 through September 29 at The Speed Museum

William M. Duffy is a lifelong resident of Louisville, KY. After graduating from high school in 1971, he enrolled in the Louisville School of Art in Anchorage, KY to pursue his interest in drawing and painting. Upon graduating with a B.F.A. in Painting in 1976, 

Duffy has always shared his talents by teaching, and over the past 40+ years he has taught all ages from every social and economic background. In February 1997, he received an official commendation from the Board of Education for "sharing his outstanding artistic gifts with students and staff in the Jefferson County Public Schools". In 2018, Duffy was one of the first artists to be awarded Imagine Greater Louisville 2020 grants. One for his "Portraits of Pride" project, working with the West End School students on paper collages. The other, he received for his "In My Community" project, working with the New Albany, Indiana Griffin Community Center children on paper collages.

Duffy was the recipient of the Louisville Visual Art 2022 Legacy Award.

Dr. far nzinga is Curator of African and Native American Collections at the Speed Museum. She was most recently a visiting professor and scholar in residence at the Bell Hooks Center at Berea College. She brings experience as a curator, educator, and cofounder of the Color BLOC, an information-sharing network for emerging artists and arts professionals/workers of color. nzinga has been tasked with reinterpreting the displays of the Native American and African art collections, bringing them in line with DEAI initiatives and expanding connections to the Museum’s collections, exhibitions, and programs. She has previously held positions at the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, and Kalamazoo College, and received her Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from Duke University.

The recording begins during Dr. nzinga’s remarks in response to the 1st question, which was how The Speed came to develop the Louisville Black Avant-Garde series of exhibitions.

Artebella On The Radio: September 30

Esther Callahan is the 2021 Great Meadows Critic-in-Residence. We had a blast talking to her this week halfway through her residency. You won't want to miss this interview so tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM or stream on Artxfm.com Thursday at 10 am.

Esther Callahan is an African American independent curator, arts organizer, and feminist scholar with roots in Minnesota. Over the past 20+ years in the Twin Cities, she has created and co-created various platforms for cultural production rooted in interrogating the impact of racial and gender equity. She is the former Co-Director of the Emerging Curators Institute, a Minnesota-based nonprofit designed to build the individual practices of emerging curators from diverse backgrounds. In 2018-2019 she was Curatorial Fellow at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (Mia), where she co-founded the Curatorial Advisory Committee—embracing all departments in Mia, including facilities, accounting, and visitor information—which has been adopted at Mia and other museums to help inform Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion practice in curatorial work. 

And LVA is excited to announce that Esther has agreed to conduct the next entry in our Artist Resource Series in October. Look for the date and how to register to be announced SOON!