SFMOMA Presents Virtual Discussion ‘The Impact and Influence of Charles Gaines’

On Thursday, May 27 at 5 pm PDT, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) presents “The Impact and Influence of Charles Gaines,” a virtual discussion between School of Art faculty Sam Durant (Art MFA 91), Director of the Yale Center for British Art Courtney J. Martin, Director of Pérez Art Museum Franklin Sirmans, and SFMOMA Curator of Contemporary Art Eungie Joo. Artist and CalArts School of Art faculty Charles Gaines will also be in attendance. 

The panelists will discuss Gaines’ conceptual work and influence, as well as the current SFMOMA New Work: Charles Gaines exhibition running through Sept. 12. The new works, which include drawings, video art, and a musical composition, emerged from Gaines’ research on the Dred Scott Decision of 1857, a landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court stating that “Black people were not U.S. citizens and therefore could not sue for their right to freedom.” The decision is believed by many to have “left an indelible stain” on the nation’s foundation by authorizing racism. View a preview of the exhibition on SFMOMA’s website.

A leading practitioner of conceptualism and longtime educator, Gaines is known for works that distinctly adhere to structure and rule-based systems. He was inducted into the National Academy of Design’s (NAD) 2020 class of National Academicians, and was named the recipient of the 2019 Edward MacDowell Medal in the Arts.

In August 2020, philanthropist Eileen Harris Norton honored the artist with a $5 million gift to create the Charles Gaines Faculty Chair, through which Black and other underrepresented School of Art faculty are supported in “research, creative activities and curriculum innovation.” Following the endowment, he established the Charles Gaines Fellowship to provide critical scholarship for Black MFA candidates in the School of Art.