This maxim reflects the bond between writer Tom Dent and his library at Amistad.
Now Dig This! The Opening of the Senga Nengudi Papers
Felicia D. Render
No items found.
The Senga Nengudi papers are finally preserved and available to researchers globally! The papers, preserved with funding assistance from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), are one of the 16 collections representing African American women leaders in a variety of fields, and are part of the IMLS grant project, “A Range of Experiences: Documenting African American Women’s History and Achievements.” Senga Nengudi is a visual and performance artist, arts educator and Black avant-garde artist from the 1960s and 1970s Los Angeles and New York City.
The Senga Nengudi papers chronicle the integral role of an African American woman artist whose life’s work demands a cultural response. Her performance pieces reference the body and the fundamental components of identity as it relates to gender and race. There’s a connecting thread throughout all of her work: her performances, also known as activations, are interactive and survey many facets of human nature, conceptualizing time, space, movement, commonplace materials and natural landscapes.
Within the papers are exhibition and performance files of Nengudi’s creative art, which touch on themes such as labor politics, body image and technology, among other topics. Exhibition and performance files cover individual or group exhibitions and performances, and contain correspondence, loan agreements, artists contracts, performance notes and installation instructions, along with flyers, gallery floor plans, copyright license permissions and ephemera. Nengudi’s current artwork invites viewers, through multimedia installations, to be interpreters and co-participants while exploring her exhibitions and performances.
The papers provide a perspective to view Nengudi’s work as highly influenced by African and Japanese cultures, as well as avant-garde art. Photographs and materials within the papers document these cultural influences and are represented in the Masked Taping and Ceremony for Freeway Fets files. Materials from these performances reflect elements of African dance, heritage and rituals. Items within the collection also cover forms of Japanese Kabuki theater, among influences from other cultures.
Of interest are the Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles 1960-1980 files (2011-2014). Included within the files are correspondence, a loan agreement and receipt, press release, artists residency program agreement, calendar and other ephemera. Now Dig This!, organized by the Hammer Museum and curated by Kellie Jones, was a comprehensive exhibition that examined the incredibly vital legacy of African American visual artists in Los Angeles. The exhibit chronicled and celebrated the multicultural history of the city.
Nengudi’s most noted performance piece, R.S.V.P., derived its name from the French phrase “répondez s’il vous plaît,” meaning “please respond.” The performance is activated by energized dancers and performers, and movement with pantyhose and other commonplace objects, used as a holder of power. The R.S.V.P. files within the papers include correspondence, loan agreements signed by Nengudi with various galleries and museums, installation instructions and ephemera. Of interest is a file containing the total nylon mesh series and covering a list of art pieces. Also, there are photocopies of the artworks that were included as part of the exhibition.
The Senga Nengudi papers are extremely rich on the subjects of art, history, Black studies and the Black avant-garde artistic genre. Themes found in the materials of this collection encompass the unique contributions of African American artists and contemporary African art. Her papers offer a broad perspective aimed at providing awareness of a woman within the arts field and highlight a fascinating life of a Black woman visual and performance artist.
Access the Senga Nengudi papers here.
To access a previous blog post about Senga Nengudi, click here.
Note: Audiovisual materials within the Senga Nengudi papers will be accessible soon.
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [MH-245560-OMS-20]. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this blog post do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
If you would like to support the funding of ARC’s Women’s Project, please donate via Amistad’s Network for Good.
Images from Amistad’s website, newsletters and blogs cannot be reproduced without permission.
Explore More Articles
Kathe Hambrick is the Founder and former Executive Director of the River Road African American Museum (RRAAM), established in 1994 as Louisiana’s first African American Museum. She is a past President of the national Association of African American Museums (AAAM). She served as the Chief Curator and Director of Interpretation for the West Baton Rouge Museum for four years. Hambrick was born in New Orleans and spent half her life in California where she received an undergraduate degree in English and a minor in African American Studies from California State University Long Beach.
Hambrick is a Public Historian with a passion for collecting, preserving and interpreting history for diverse audiences. Her thirty-one-year career as a museum professional includes expertise in program development, interpretative planning, curation, grant writing, fundraising, and board governance. She led the effort to preserve three slave cemeteries and six historic buildings in Ascension Parish.
She is considered an expert on the history and culture of African Americans in communities along the Mississippi River. Kathe Hambrick’s interviews include local, national, and international media, the BBC Learning Channel, CBS Morning News, National Public Radio, and the New York Times. The consulting firm, 2PRESERVE was established by Hambrick in 2021 to provide cultural resources and guidance to corporations, museums, cultural centers, government agencies, and faith-based organizations.
Throughout her 31-year career, Kathe has curated over one hundred exhibits, including The Rural Roots of Jazz, African Influences on Louisiana Cuisine, Creole Du Monde, and The Square Collection which featured original art by Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Richmond Barthé, and Tina Allen. Her most recent exhibit is the GU272 of Ascension: The Jesuit and Episcopal Connection to Slavery.
Kathe is the author and co-author of several books:
Kathe Hambrick is the Founder and former Executive Director of the River Road African American Museum (RRAAM), established in 1994 as Louisiana’s first African American Museum. She is a past President of the national Association of African American Museums (AAAM). She served as the Chief Curator and Director of Interpretation for the West Baton Rouge Museum for four years. Hambrick was born in New Orleans and spent half her life in California where she received an undergraduate degree in English and a minor in African American Studies from California State University Long Beach.
Hambrick is a Public Historian with a passion for collecting, preserving and interpreting history for diverse audiences. Her thirty-one-year career as a museum professional includes expertise in program development, interpretative planning, curation, grant writing, fundraising, and board governance. She led the effort to preserve three slave cemeteries and six historic buildings in Ascension Parish.
She is considered an expert on the history and culture of African Americans in communities along the Mississippi River. Kathe Hambrick’s interviews include local, national, and international media, the BBC Learning Channel, CBS Morning News, National Public Radio, and the New York Times. The consulting firm, 2PRESERVE was established by Hambrick in 2021 to provide cultural resources and guidance to corporations, museums, cultural centers, government agencies, and faith-based organizations.
Throughout her 31-year career, Kathe has curated over one hundred exhibits, including The Rural Roots of Jazz, African Influences on Louisiana Cuisine, Creole Du Monde, and The Square Collection which featured original art by Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Richmond Barthé, and Tina Allen. Her most recent exhibit is the GU272 of Ascension: The Jesuit and Episcopal Connection to Slavery.
Kathe is the author and co-author of several books:
Kathe Hambrick is the Founder and former Executive Director of the River Road African American Museum (RRAAM), established in 1994 as Louisiana’s first African American Museum. She is a past President of the national Association of African American Museums (AAAM). She served as the Chief Curator and Director of Interpretation for the West Baton Rouge Museum for four years. Hambrick was born in New Orleans and spent half her life in California where she received an undergraduate degree in English and a minor in African American Studies from California State University Long Beach.
Hambrick is a Public Historian with a passion for collecting, preserving and interpreting history for diverse audiences. Her thirty-one-year career as a museum professional includes expertise in program development, interpretative planning, curation, grant writing, fundraising, and board governance. She led the effort to preserve three slave cemeteries and six historic buildings in Ascension Parish.
She is considered an expert on the history and culture of African Americans in communities along the Mississippi River. Kathe Hambrick’s interviews include local, national, and international media, the BBC Learning Channel, CBS Morning News, National Public Radio, and the New York Times. The consulting firm, 2PRESERVE was established by Hambrick in 2021 to provide cultural resources and guidance to corporations, museums, cultural centers, government agencies, and faith-based organizations.
Throughout her 31-year career, Kathe has curated over one hundred exhibits, including The Rural Roots of Jazz, African Influences on Louisiana Cuisine, Creole Du Monde, and The Square Collection which featured original art by Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Richmond Barthé, and Tina Allen. Her most recent exhibit is the GU272 of Ascension: The Jesuit and Episcopal Connection to Slavery.
Kathe is the author and co-author of several books: