“Joe Minter Is Here”
In other parts of the world, Joe Minter might be a national treasure.
But like many Black artists of his generation in the South, his work has gone largely unrecognized in his hometown, even while being shown at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney, and The National Gallery.
Still, thousands travel to see his home’s sprawling art installation, where he has transformed metal and found objects into sculptures chronicling 400 years of the Black experience in America. Despite his hopes that future generations will continue to visit, environmental factors are slowly degrading the artwork.
Since 2020, 1504 has been connecting with other long-time advocates of Mr. Minter to help organize local and national efforts around long-term sustainability and stewardship of this important piece of American cultural heritage.
SELECT WORKS
Visioning Charrette
In partnership with Auburn University, 1504 hosted a workshop with Joe Minter and a renowned group of curators, scholars, architects, and conservators, including longtime contemporary Lonnie Holley. Strategic planning outcomes included pursuing site assessment funding from the Mellon Foundation and transferring the most endangered pieces of free-standing art into a nearby warehouse to be inventoried and documented.
Public Art Installation
For the first time ever, Joe Minter had an art exhibition in the community where he lives, providing broader access and awareness for a new generation. Inside a historic steel foundry across the street from where MLK wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” the warehouse hosted a free month-long community exhibit titled “Joe Minter Is Here,” produced by 1504 and featuring programs with Dr. Imani Perry, facilitated listening sessions around the future development of Titusville, and moderated panels with curators from the High Museum of Art, Birmingham Museum of Art, Tuskegee University, and the Kohler Art Center. To view the visitor guide with essays and art photography, click here.
Documentary Film
Part of ongoing documentation, this project aims to put Joe Minter in context with broader art and cultural conversations and features conversations with artists, historians, and curators from around the country. The current excerpt was installed in the “Joe Minter Is Here” exhibition.
GALLERY
Artwork was placed in a double spiral labyrinth to honor the contemplative journey of visiting Minter's art environment.
1504 programmed the opening night event, featuring Alabama's poet laureate, Ashley M. Jones, and Dr. Imani Perry, 2023 MacArthur Fellow, Birmingham native, and narrative advisor of the project.
A rare performance in Birmingham featuring Lonnie Holley's band with guest accompaniment by Joe Minter himself.
1504 had each piece photographed by Cary Norton to be printed in a free visitor guide.
Minter has never had a formal studio but instead paints in the open air of his driveway at home. Using mostly plywood boards and brushes he picked up at Dollar General, Minter carries forward his universal narrative and divine message in vivid color.
Multimedia elements were installed throughout the installation, including audio commentary from Minter as well as a short film projected onto an exposed concrete wall.
Visitors wrote hundreds of letters to Joe Minter, which were delivered in his mailbox inside the exhibit space.
Joe Minter sharing his intention for the future of his artwork at one of the planning workshop sessions.
In conversation
One of the things that's most incredibly special about his work is him, and I say that because going to African Village in Birmingham is one of the most incredible life and art experiences I've ever had.
— Rujeko Hockley, Associate Curator, Whitney Museum of American Art