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September 4 - December 19, 2015Gallery A

Hours:Tues-Thursday, Saturday 10am - 6pm,

Friday 12pm - 8pm

The Performance Review: Endia Beal

Endia Beal is acutely aware of the under-representation of minority stories in contemporary art circles; it is even more unusual to find stories of black women working within the structures of corporate America. In her exhibition, Beal brings the struggles of African-American women in the corporate world to the viewer’s attention.

In her series, Can I Touch It?, of portraits of mostly baby boomer white women done up in “black” hairstyles, Beal made a deal with her subjects: if they agreed to have their hair done in styles of her choosing, she would pay for it. In return, the women would let her take their portrait in a traditional corporate style. The portraits question conformity within the corporate space. Almost every woman has toiled before the mirror, trying desperately to look “professional,” but what does professional really mean if you must completely alter yourself? The artist says that the project is “all about taking a risk to be oneself in the corporate space.” What if this was their regular hairstyle? Would it alter society’s perception of what is considered professional or the norm?

The series, Am I What You’re Looking For?, captures young minority women poised between the worlds of identity and conformity. Many of the women in this series are college

students who have not started their careers. They have heard of the obstacles that women of color face in traditional corporate America. Ironically, these young, educated, minority women are in their authentic environments where they should feel comfortable. Yet, like many individuals confronted with the illusion of acceptance, they ask, “Am I What You’re Looking For?”

Kiara, 2013

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As part of the installation in the Turchin Center, visitors are given the opportunity to make their own “corporate selfies” in front of the backdrop Beal used for Am I What You’re Looking For? We hope that all our visitors will ask themselves a few questions while taking pictures: How does it feel to be in an unfamiliar environment? What if I am the only person of this color or this gender here, how would that make me feel?

In her recent video, 9 to 5, Beal relates an experience that is personal, yet universal to many women of color working within corporate confines: “My vision is to document the lives of the invisible. The invisible are those whose voices are drowned by society’s attempts to maintain normalcy through figurative castration of marginalized groups. As a minority, I too share the mark of the unknown. My artistic journey lends itself to unorthodox circumstances where I ask questions like, “What’s really going on here?”” Endia Beal is a North Carolina based artist, educator and activist known for her photographic narratives and video testimonies that examine the personal, yet contemporary stories of marginalized communities and individuals. One of four women to participate in ArtTable (a program designed to promote women in the visual arts), Beal was part of the curatorial team for the Andy Warhol exhibit at George Washington University. Using this platform to advocate for minority opportunities in the arts, Beal devised creative marketing strategies to “redefine the way minority communities interact with art.” Continuing this practice today, Beal currently serves as the Interim Director of Diggs Gallery at Winston-Salem State University. Diggs Gallery offers: “one of the largest exhibition spaces dedicated to the arts of Africa and the African Diaspora in North Carolina. Exhibitions, publications and programs address a broad range of artistic expression, with special concentration on African-American and regional art.”

Mary Anne Redding in conversation with Endia Beal

Related Exhibition EventsOct

14thTurchin Center Lecture SeriesJoin us in the Turchin Center lecture hall for an in-depth discussion about the exhibition with artist and curator Endia Beal.

Christine, 2013 Charlotte, 2013 Ann, 2013

September 4 - December 19, 2015Gallery A

Hours:Tues-Thursday, Saturday 10am - 6pm,

Friday 12pm - 8pm

The Performance Review: Endia Beal

TCVA.org

Can I Touch It?

Videos

Am I What You’re Looking For?Sabrina and Katrina, 2015Pigment print Edition 1/5$1, 470

Aja, 2015 Pigment print Edition 1/5$1, 470

Martinique, 2015 Pigment printEdition 1/5$1, 470

Jazmyne, 2015 Pigment print Edition 1/5$1, 470

Jessica, 2015 Pigment printEdition1/5$1, 470

Alexus, 2015 Pigment print Edition 1/5$1, 470

Ellen, 2013 Pigment print Edition 1/5$1,050

Christina, 2013 Pigment print Edition 1/5$1,050

Ann, 2013 Pigment print Edition1 /5$1,050

Christine, 2013 Pigment print Edition 1/5$1,050

Kiara, 2013 Pigment print Edition 3/5$1, 470

Dontia, 2015 Pigment print Edition 1/5$1, 470

Jasmine, 2015 Pigment printEdition 1/5$1, 470

Ashley, 2015 Pigment print Edition 1/5$1, 470

Jayla, 2015 Pigment printEdition 1/5 $1, 470

Lynn, 2013 Pigment printEdition 1/5$1,050

Beth, 2013 Pigment printEdition1/5$1,050

Charlotte, 2013 Pigment print Edition 3/5$1,330

If you are interested in purchasing work from the exhibition please visit the Reception Desk

9 to 5, 20143 min. video Edition 1/3NFS

Office Scene, 20133 min. 31 sec. video Edition 1/3NFS