African American Museum in Philadelphia Object

Bronze Belted Two Star, 2011
Christopher Carter
25 x 35 inches
Bronze, hinges & acrylic

During my visit to the African American Museum in Philadelphia, I chose this art piece by Christopher Carter.  This is an object that is an artist's interpretation of events in history.  It is made out of bronze, hinges, and acrylic.  According to the education director at the museum, the objects the artist uses are found in historic places, and have meanings relevant to social, political, and personal narratives.  All of the objects in this exhibition are supposed to be sculptures of flags, and this piece has a clear representation of a flag.  This object would be important to anyone who is interested in art, and how the meaning of objects can deliver a meaning through artistic interpretation. 

This object is on display because it directly relates to the museum's mission and deals with the history of African Americans from the start of this country.  This might also be why it was acquired.  Another reason might be the aesthetic quality of the piece.  The colors, and composition are simply beautiful, and would attract many visitors' eyes.  From my interpretation, most of the works on display in this exhibit are very emotion filled and convey the struggles of African Americans throughout history.  This  object in particular does not seem to convey these struggles in such a clear way, but if I knew the context and history of the materials used in this piece it would be easier to attribute meaning to it. 

In a room full of "flags" this object clearly represents that theme, while other objects are constructed of other elements such as rope and wood, that give the exhibition a ship-like subject.  Because the other pieces on display look like items from ships, this could be representing the history of ships and African Americans in the slave trade.  Thinking of that, this object should be thought about more in depth within the context of the other objects.  The label on this object only gives the title, size, and medium that this piece is made out of.  Unfortunately, I could not find the audio portion of this exhibition and therefore I cannot relate contextual information to this piece.  The lack of information provided to the viewer could be an intentional choice from the museum or the artist.  In the gallery there are sheets of paper that prompt visitors in thinking about the works and attributing personal understanding to them.  

Some visitors might not be inclined to look further into the meaning of the art, but the museum does provide further resources for people to get a better understanding.  Also, I think understanding the artist and his methods in creating works would further a person's understanding on the subject.  Here is a link to learn more about Christopher Carter's work.  It might also be good to understand sculpture and how artists choose objects to create work from.  Visitors who need more factual information might not be interested in this work, as well people who do not like art might find it difficult to interpret or understand.  

It might be interesting to learn how historians would interpret Carter's work, because there would be a lot of information that could be associated with these objects, maybe even some that the artist had not intended.  I think that it would be interesting to learn how others are interpreting Carter's work as well. It would be interesting to have visitors write about what they think and explore through his work.  This could be done by placing a writing station in the gallery, or even next to different pieces.  It was a very interesting exhibition to explore and talk about interpretation.