Spotlight: “Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation”—Exploring an Exhibition with Liz Munsell

Liz Munsell, Lorraine and Alan Bressler Curator of Contemporary Art and co-curator of “Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hop-Hop Generation,” discusses changes to the exhibition for a socially distant environment, presenting content digitally since the planned opening was postponed, and how the exhibition and related programs are especially important during the current time of civil unrest for social justice.

What was the process of choosing and locating the various works in “Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation”?

There have been several monographic shows on Jean-Michel Basquiat in the last few years, so we knew from the start that we wanted to contribute something entirely new to scholarship on this incredible artist’s oeuvre. What we didn’t know before embarking on our research journey was that Basquiat’s ties to other young artists of color had been so integral to his work and life. Post-graffiti is a hugely important movement to contemporary American art, yet it had been written out of art history. After realizing he had painted portraits of many of the artists involved in the post-graffiti movement that swept the art world in the mid-’80s, we shifted our focus to a group show with 12 of these artists, all of whom were part of the same circle of friends. So we started by trying to locate the portraits—and there are many more that we could have included than the ten that are in the show. Unfortunately most museums did not have the vision to collect Basquiat in his time, so the works are largely in private hands. Some of the works in the show had been in past exhibitions, so they could be traced via fellow curators’ and other art world friends’ generosity in connecting me to their owners, but others have not been on view for years. We were not in the business of showing whatever Basquiat we could find—these are very specific works that tell a story about this artist that has never before been told.

Have the design and contents of the exhibition changed due to the delay of the opening?

We are currently working through the floor plan and exhibition checklist, and we have been in ongoing conversations about what socially distanced exhibition design looks like. We are of course facing the reality of an extremely reduced capacity—around 125 square feet per visitor—in order to keep our visitors and staff safe, which is our top priority. We’re also hoping to remove some walls to create a more open floor plan and are thinking about migrating some audio and video content online, so people can experience it on their personal devices rather than through shared headphones or via small monitors that they would have to either gather around or wait their turn for. Our senior designer Chelsea Garunay, our senior graphic designer Nick Pioggia, and I are aiming to eliminate what we’re calling “pinch points” from our design. We are also working with Adam Tessier, Barbara and Theodore Alfond Director of Interpretation; and Hannah Goodwin, manager of Accessibility, on the experience of the text in the space to ensure that visitors of all abilities and levels of access to technology can experience the narrative of the show.

Since so much content related to “Writing the Future” has been presented online and through social media, were there any specific opportunities or limitations you discovered while using the various platforms?

Well, I got to be the guinea pig for the MFA’s first Instagram live, our Insta Late Nites, which happened in early April at a time when the entire world was just realizing that they also wanted to party on Instagram on Friday nights. The MFA had the same trouble that major music producers had with the platform due to high volume. But beyond those initial technical issues, sheltering in place has been a huge opportunity and excuse to connect with, and Insta-interview, a major artist like Lupe Fiasco, who is out in LA and otherwise would have never been brought into the fold. The opportunity to interview Futura and reach audiences across the world is an all-time life high for me. We hope to do the same with other artists in the show in the coming months, and personally I hope that even when we get back into our beloved brick and mortar that we continue to broadcast beyond our walls. We have a long way to go with our digital platforms—most museums do—but perhaps the pandemic will create the necessary push for ongoing exploration into this key arena for 21st-century audience development.

For the planned April opening, you engaged several partnerships with various communities in the city. With a potential opening in the midst of protests against racial injustice, how is the exhibition going to address current events?

Right now there is a mural going up by our artist-in-residence, Rob “Problak” Gibbs, a quarter of a mile from my home in Nubian Square, one part of “The Mural Project,” which is inspired by “Writing the Future.” It’s a three-story-high portrait of a beautiful young Black girl who is blowing bubbles into the wind. Her sneakers have wings, and she is surrounded by her inspirations. I’ve been visiting Problak painting almost every day with my one-year-old daughter and talking to him about what the work will mean to both our daughters (his is just two years old). There is no doubt in my mind that this mural and “Writing the Future” will provide inspiration to all the young children of color out there who deserve to see artists who look like them in our Museum. I’ve insisted on that for ten years, and now, as a mother, it means even more to me. This moment of upheaval is so difficult and so necessary to ensure a better future for our kids, for all of us. And until then, we will continue to say through this show and in every way we can, Black Lives Matter.