Kindred Spirits: Intergenerational Forms of Expression, 1966–1999 spans the overlapping tenures of David C. Driskell (1966–1976) and Earl J. Hooks (1968–1999) at Fisk University’s art department. The year 1966, Fisk University’s centennial, marked a pivotal transition following the retirement of Aaron Douglas, founder and chair emeritus of the art department and a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance. David C. Driskell’s appointment as Douglas’s successor ushered in a bold new era of experimentation, pedagogic innovation, progressive exhibitions, and artist-centered programming.
Artistic networks and geographies, in the context of art historicism, give rise to movements or schools of thought that become canonized or framed many times in retrospect. This exhibition examines how mobility, cultural exchange, and sociopolitical climates shaped the artistic expressions and consciousness of the artists whose works are on view, placing them within the context of broader artistic movements and art canons while also exploring their influences and highlighting their unique visual languages and schools of thought. Illuminating the interplay between individual and institutional artistic contributions, this exhibition underscores Fisk University’s role in shaping a global cultural discourse.
Kindred Spirits celebrates the profound interpersonal and artistic relationships between students and faculty, colleagues and peers, and the greater Nashville community. These connections form a lineage of kinship, homage, and mutual respect, mapping the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next.
Featuring more than fifty artworks and archival materials, Kindred Spirits is co-organized by and on display at both the Frist Art Museum and Fisk University. Visit the Carl Van Vechten Gallery at Fisk University to experience the other half of the exhibition in the heart of the artistic network it celebrates.
Gallery Descriptions
Ancestral Spirit
This section explores the enduring influence of African traditions and symbols in artworks that synthesize the formal qualities of African art—its rich symbolism, woven designs, and dynamic forms—with modern techniques. These works celebrate the power of ancestral spirit.
International Passages and Cultural Exchange
This section examines the profound influence of international mobility, cultural exchange, and sociopolitical climates on the artistic expressions and consciousnesses of this group of artists. In 1972, David C. Driskell visited artists Peter Clarke, Sam Middleton, and Walter Henry Williams Jr. in Africa and Europe. These international connections broadened his artistic community and reinforced his commitment to fostering cultural exchange, eventually influencing the development of the Division of Cultural Research at Fisk University.
Schools of Color and Abstract Expressions
This section highlights artists who engaged with artistic movements while developing their own unique visual languages and schools of thought. Their works offer insights into their inspirations and personal journeys, blending tradition with innovative nuance.
Kinship
This section explores the profound interpersonal and artistic relationships between students and faculty, colleagues, and peers in community. It highlights the cultural exchanges that shape creative processes, from guidance from elders to collaboration among fellow artists. These connections form a lineage of mentorship, homage, and mutual respect.
The Frequency of Images
This section is framed by Black feminist theorist Tina Campt’s concept of “the frequency of images,” a term she uses in her book The Black Gaze to “account for the impression images leave on us, their impact and how they move us.” Viewers are invited to engage with this concept to see the frequency of images made by Black communities in this section, which presents the photography of MichaelAtkins, John Simmons, George Walker III, and their mentor Robert A. “Bobby” Sengstacke.
