MoCADA has expanded its digital capabilities
MoCADA has expanded its digital capabilities to give consistent platforms to content creators and cultural curators that have to include the following ongoing exhibitions:
1. Unconquerable by Ndidi Emefiele -A virtual retrospective exhibition that celebrates Black women realized through the unforgettable work of Nigerian artist Ndidi Emefiele.
2. Hidden in Plain Sight by Theda Sandiford - A virtual exhibition and public art installation at MoCADA House at Governors Island that confronts the psychological impact of racial gaslighting.
3. The Living Altar by Soil & Shadow - A virtual multisensory exhibition that offers an 11-part audiovisual homage and tribute to our planet from the voices of 11 activists/artists/organizers/elders from across the US in reflection of COVID's impact on their world.
Brooklyn’s Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) has spearheaded creative efforts to adapt to serving its global community of artists, art enthusiasts, and people across social divides during COVID-19 that have extended beyond its physical walls.
Over the past several months MoCADA has expanded its mission of using the visual and performing arts as a point of departure for exploring new artistic production centered on social justice beyond its physical location in Downtown Brooklyn with a series of innovative exhibitions, community programming, and educational initiatives that have been expressed through a dedicated digital platform, public art spaces, MoCADA House at Governors Island, and the soon to be completed MoCADA Community, Sculpture Park.
“From the beginning of the pandemic until present MoCADA has served as dedicated first responders, offering other critical resources that put community first. We have also created arts appreciation, cultural exploration, and remote learning opportunities online via our website and social media and supported teaching artists with living wages, and working artists with grants and other opportunities to amplify their work over the past 18 months,” shares Amy Andrieux, MoCADA’s Executive Director and Chief Curator who leads programming and development at the institution which features the work of artists from across the African diaspora including Africa, the Caribbean, North America, Europe, and Latin America.
The outdoor extension of MoCADA’s programming has included commissioned, rotating, outdoor, public art installations with partners and arts organizations such as ArtBridge, The Department of Education, and NYC Public Arts including:
1. Headress 21 by Helina Metaferia A mural at 48 Lafayette that was created as part of ArtBridge's program Not a Monolith which provides a platform to Black artists in the public art realm
2.Forever Young by Melvin Nesbitt Jr A streetside exhibition at 80 Hanson that explores growing up Black, and what childhood means for kids in this community
“MoCADA has always challenged the boundaries of traditional museums and over the years we have produced over 60 exhibitions and 500+ public programs in the main gallery, the streets, parks, schools, public housing, and beyond. As a result, MoCADA community programs are a critical tool for engaging and welcoming those who are systematically left out: Black most especially, children and underrepresented residents who come from marginalized communities (people living with disabilities, elders, women, Hispanic/LatinX, LGBTQIAP+, and more),” adds Andrieux.
While many art institutions are re-thinking their reach and collections in a time of accelerated technological change, systematic racism, and COVID-19, MoCADA remains committed to social justice which has always been at the core of their work and ever more focused on increasing opportunities to make the arts and arts education more accessible to those who have been left out and making the world more equitable for Black artists.
In 2022, MoCADA will strengthen its positioning as the center of the Brooklyn arts community, with a move into a new, 50,000 sq ft, state-of-the-art facility located at 10 Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, and will be joined by three other notable cultural organizations that will share the space including Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn Public Library, and 651 Arts.
Upcoming MoCADA exhibitions:
NO I.C.E. by STOP1- A Public art exhibition in partnership with Kickstarter which will highlight immigration issues - MoCADA Sculpture Garden, November
Inside Out by Dennis Osadebe - a virtual and physical installation that includes a playful exploration of time spent sheltering at home in juxtaposition to Playful Rebellion, an interactive game created by the artist which synthesizes the social reckoning of police brutality through the lens of the EndSars movement in Nigeria and Black Lives Matter globally - MoCADA 80 Hanson Place