On View
Not on viewObject number2019.10
1827 (1526 NASDAQ: FAANG), no. 5
Artist
Maya Stovall
(American, 1982)
Date2019
Mediumglass, archives, buttercream neon, electronic wiring, and FAANG fonts
DimensionsObject: 4 1/4 in. × 11 3/4 in. × 3 in. (10.8 × 29.8 × 7.6 cm)
Credit LineElisabeth Claire Lahti Fund
Label TextA part of her “neon” series, 1526 (NASDAQ: FAANG), no. 5, artist and anthropologist Maya Stovall draws upon over 490 years of African-American historical archives to illuminate history. These works question traditional narratives about the history of the United States and assert the importance of recognizing both historical and contemporary African American, voices, contributions, and experiences, calling attention to black history and agency through the conspicuousness of neon lighting. When installed at the museum, the artist invites viewers to take a postcard bearing the year of the piece (in this case, 1827) that includes additional information or to scan a QR code for further exploration. Each postcard includes a quote from a primary or secondary source focused on the appropriate year.
In this case the backside of the card reads:
“Women United States Slavery survivors and their descendants initiate feminist theory and feminist practice (hooks 1981). In this text, a woman using the pseudonym, Matilda, writes an abolitionist journal:
Messrs. Editors,
‘Tis true the time has been, when to darn a stock, and cook a pudding well, was considered the end and aim of a woman’s being. But those were days when ignorance blinded men’s eyes (Matilda 1827, Freedom’s Journal, August 10, 1827).”
The allusion to black feminist icon bell hooks on this card is reflective of the anti-establishment, revisionist spirit of Stovall’s endeavor. She stated in an interview that the project was inspired by her feeling that, “Here in the United States, unfortunately, our collective brains have been glued to such hegemony that we actually teach schoolchildren… the lie that we have a country built on democracy, freedom and liberalism. This great big lie that must be upended if we are ever to move forward.”There are no works to discover for this record.