Unity Week includes Create the Dream, an exhibition and silent auction of paintings, photography, prints, and fiber arts that benefit Bea Gaddy Foundation. Participating artists include Silja Lahtinen’86, Paul Mintz ’53, Kevin Ryan ’80, and MICA photography faculty Colette Veasey-Cullors ’96.
A highlight of the week is a 3:30 p.m. talk on Friday, Jan. 23 by New York-based photographer and mixed media artist Renee Cox, who uses her own image and body to celebrate black womanhood and criticize a society she often views as racist and sexist. You might remember that Cox made headlines back in 2001, when her photograph, Yo Mama’s Last Supper, was exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The artwork was a remake of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper with a nude Cox sitting in for Jesus Christ, surrounded by all black disciples, except for Judas who was white. Rudolph Guiliani, who was New York City mayor at the time, called for the forming of a commission to set decency standards to keep such works from being shown in any New York museum that received public funds.
Renee Cox ‘Housewife’
