#DindgaMcCannon
Dancers.

Born and raised in New York City, African-American artist Dindga McCannon’s portrait honors fellow artist Akweke Singho, who is seen here richly adorned with African jewelry and brightly colored African textiles, with the title “Empress” to suggest her important place in the Black Arts Movement. In the 1970s, Singho, McCannon, and Faith Ringgold founded the “Where We At” (WWA) collective, an Afrocentric organization that questioned the marginalization of Black women artists. Singho is depicted as a dark-skinned woman seated in a large purple and teal chair. She is dressed in a vibrant yellow dress adorned with small, patterned flowers plus matching yellow shoes. She wears multiple bracelets on her wrists and a substantial necklace. Her pose is relaxed, with her arms raised behind her head. Her expression is calm and focused away from us. Her features are simplified, characteristic of a folk art style. The background is composed of distinct color blocks: a red section behind the woman, and a green-toned area showing potted plants on a windowsill. The plants include lilies and other leafy greens. The color palette is bright, bold, and saturated hues that some in the era dubbed "cool-ade" colors to make artwork appealing and accessible. McCannon became known later for her art quilts, but here, we see her interest in textiles and mixing mediums early in her career with the careful placement of fabric floral appliqués on the yellow dress. “Where We At” achieved their goal of increasing exposure for black women artists. In 1971, along with other women's art groups, they confronted the director of the Brooklyn Museum, who allowed them to arrange a panel event to address the question of whether museums were relevant to women. Today, this portrait is in the permanent collection of that very same museum. McCannon was really intent on creating a sense of community through her art. She said that she wanted to "show black faces … to reflect what was going on [in her] life."

“Empress Akweke” by Dindga McCannon (American) - Acrylic on canvas / 1975 - Brooklyn Museum (New York) #WomenInArt #ArtText #WomanArtist #WomensArt #BlackArtist #art #FemaleArtist #AfricanAmericanArt #DindgaMcCannon #BrooklynMuseum #NYCart #AcrylicArt #AfricanAmericanArtist #WomenArtists #BlackArts

#DindgaMcCannon

Dancers.