Reclaiming Histories: Black Feminisms & Visual Art

Program Overview

This roundtable discussion is centered around 11 artworks by 12 women and gender expansive artists of color: Sydney Cain, Erica Deeman, Adama Delphine Fawundu, Myra Greene, Adia Millett, yétúndé ọlágbajú, Trina Michelle Robinson, Taller SANAA (Shanna Strauss & Jess Sabogal), Eve Sandler, Keisha Scarville, and Olomidara Yaya (Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle). 

The artworks, recently acquired by the San Francisco Civic Art Collection, are now on permanent display at San Francisco International Airport. These works, located adjacent to Alison Saar’s 2021 commission, Flourish, speak to diasporic movement, rootedness, and repair, while discussing the curatorial methodologies that bring these narratives to public space. Informed by Jessica Dallow’s essay, “Reclaiming Histories: Betye and Alison Saar, Feminism, and the Representation of Black Womanhood,” this roundtable discussion will explore how Black feminist artists continue to expand the field of visual culture through reclamation, revision, and resistance.

Dallow notes that Saar’s work performs a “feminist re-inscription of history,” crafting visual vocabularies that both honor and subvert inherited narratives of Black womanhood. This roundtable extends that inquiry by situating contemporary Black women artists within Saar’s lineage, inviting reflection on how material, mythology, and migration converge to shape liberatory aesthetics.

Notably, Alison Saar’s ongoing dialogue with Bay Area audiences—through her works held in the permanent collection of SFMOMA creates a resonant proximity between the Museum’s holdings and this new exhibition of San Francisco Civic Art Collection holdings at SFO. Her sculptures’ physical and conceptual nearness to these institutions provides a rare opportunity to explore how local and international audiences encounter the continuum of her practice across civic and cultural spaces.

Light refreshments will be served.

Directions

For directions to the Aviation Museum visit sfomuseum.org

Parking: International Terminal A Garage

Free parking is available for your visit. Please remember to bring your parking ticket to receive complimentary validation. Note: To ensure your ticket scans correctly, keep it away from cell phones and metal objects.

BART

Visit BART.gov for schedule. The BART station at SFO is in the International Terminal, Departures Level. Exit the Bart station and cross the Main Hall past the airline ticket counters toward Boarding Area A. Just before the security checkpoint entrance at Boarding A, turn to the left and proceed a few steps to the Aviation Museum and Library entrance.

Accessibility Meeting & Event Policy

Per the American Disabilities Act and the Language Access Ordinance, Chinese, Spanish, and/or American Sign Language interpreters will be available upon request. Additionally, every effort will be made to provide a sound enhancement system, meeting materials in alternative formats, and/or a reader. For all requests, please contact Project Manager Arianne G. Davidian at least 48 hours before the event date at 415-310-8012 or via email: arianne.davidian@sfgov.org. Late requests will be honored if possible. The event space is wheelchair accessible.