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Through paintings, sculptures, drawings and more, John Wilson's work foregrounds the human experience and refuses invisibility

American artist John Wilson was not only a master draftsman, printmaker, painter and sculptor active for over seven decades, but he was also a keen observer and social activist. In his representations of Black Americans in particular, he sought to pay homage to the beauty and truths of ordinary Black people in such a way that all viewers, across race and culture, might see themselves reflected. His multidisciplinary works include unflinching representations of racial violence and war, tender family portraits, monumental bronze heads and landmark commissions such as the bust of Martin Luther King, Jr., which stands in the United States Capitol.
The first major retrospective of the artist’s work, Witnessing Humanity sheds light on Wilson’s life and artistic evolution. Reproductions of artworks and photographs accompany critical essays and personal reflections, including analyses by art historians, interviews with Wilson’s peers, remembrances from fellow Black creatives and a full chronology by the late artist’s gallerist. The varied voices which resonate through this catalog illustrate that it is long past time to recognize Wilson’s art―to celebrate his lifelong dedication to depicting what he described as the "reality of being Black in this impossible world."
John Woodrow Wilson (1922–2015) was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Tufts University. He lived in Mexico for five years and became a friend and colleague of artist Elizabeth Catlett. Wilson taught fine art at Boston University from 1964 until 1986.

Flip through hundreds of record sleeve artworks from Folkways, one of the most iconic independent record labels dedicated to global music

The Folkways Records and Service Corporation was founded in 1948 by Moses Asch, who was encouraged by Albert Einstein to document the “sounds of the world.” Between 1949 and 1987, before its acquisition by Smithsonian, the label released more than 2,000 records of jazz, folk, avant-garde, nature sounds, spoken word poetry, speeches and more. The company stood (and still stands) head and shoulders above all other “world music” record labels in its depth of representation and its understanding of the nature of sound itself.
Much of the success of Folkways’ unique yet cohesive identity is owed to Ronald Clyne, the primary designer at the record label. He gave Folkways record covers both an incredibly stylish look and an underlying seriousness of intent and vision. Dedicated to both Folkways itself and its design achievements, this book features hundreds of visually stunning record sleeve artworks from a plethora of voices and sounds, from albums by Duke Ellington, John Cage and Allen Ginsberg to The Music of Equatorial New Guinea, Sea Shanties and Loggers Songs and The Voices of the Civil Rights Movement.

Using the head as a site of investigation, Basquiat's frenetic drawings of faces are at once immediate and contemplative

Between 1981 and 1983, Jean-Michel Basquiat made between 50 and 100 drawings of heads. Working with oil stick on paper, he created a series far removed from his public paintings and collages filled with words and symbols―a more concentrated, private study whose pieces are rarely exhibited and seldom offered for sale. Stripped of external references, they read as intimate meditations on identity, perception and the fragile balance between presence and disappearance.
Bringing this exceptional group together for the first time in decades in an oversize folio, Headstrong sheds new light on a lesser-known aspect of Basquiat's practice. Essays by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Hilton Als and artists including George Condo and Julie Mehretu explore the drawings' formal invention and psychological intensity, showing how Basquiat transformed the head into a vessel for everything he was thinking and feeling―a space where imagination, history and lived experience converge.
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–88) is one of the most successful Black visual artists in history, despite his brief career. He emerged on the New York City arts scene in the late 1970s and quickly skyrocketed to international fame, becoming one of the most important artists of his generation. Basquiat's work and legacy continue to influence popular culture, especially art, music and fashion.

A small-town woman’s journey of self-discovery takes an unexpected detour when she inherits a Brooklyn brownstone—complete with one hot next-door neighbor—in this sexy, emotional contemporary romance.

When you least expect it, love comes knocking…

Holland Davenport is ready to go beyond her small-town existence. Her plan involves moving into an apartment in Charleston—not inheriting a run-down brownstone in Brooklyn from a relative she never knew. Yet in a burst of daring, Holland meets the challenge head-on, moving to New York to learn more about her family and renovate the place. Add to that a gorgeous next-door neighbor who turns out to be a board member at her new job, and she’s definitely out of her depth.

Noble Washington is the successful CEO of a company he spent a decade building. But his carefully ordered life begins to unravel the second he meets fiery social worker Holland—and spends one unforgettable night with a woman who should be off-limits.

There’s a wall and a world of differences lying between them. But the sheltered Southerner and the ambitious native New Yorker feel a pull that just won’t be denied…

From showing up to glowing up, the characters in Afterglow Books are on the path to leading their best lives and finding sizzling romance along the way. Don’t miss any of these other fun titles…

Frenemy Fix-Up by Yahrah St. John

Church Girl by Naima Simone

Out of Office by A.H. Cunningham

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After the Rain is a graphic novel adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor’s short story “On the Road.” The drama takes place in a small Nigerian town during a violent and unexpected storm. A Nigerian-American woman named Chioma answers a knock at her door and is horrified to see a boy with a severe head wound standing at her doorstep. He reaches for her, and his touch burns like fire. Something is very wrong. Haunted and hunted, Chioma must embrace her heritage in order to survive.

John Jennings and David Brame’s graphic novel collaboration uses bold art and colors to powerfully tell this tale of identity and destiny.

CSK Steptoe winner Craig Kofi Farmer's middle grade horror novel follows a boy stuck at a Louisiana plantation during a field trip, only to discover the sinister secrets lurking within ― perfect for fans of THE MIDNIGHT CHILDREN and SMALL SPACES.

Winston has lived most of his life in silence―he has a stutter, and after one too many embarrassing moments at school, he's decided it's safer to keep quiet.

One day, his eighth grade class takes sets off for a field trip, only to become stranded at an old southern plantation when a strange storm hits. There, Winston comes face to face with something terrifying within its walls. It's another Black boy, except this one moves through the world as a spirit. He is an abiku―a child wronged centuries ago by the owners of the house.

As Winston and the Abiku forge an unlikely alliance, the dark history of the plantation unravels― to save his classmates, and the abiku, from an eternity of being trapped in the past, Winston will be forced to face his deepest insecurity head on. Will he find the courage to speak up, and make sure history is not forgotten?

Coretta Scott King John Steptoe award winner Craig Kofi Farmer's latest middle grade novel is a thought-provoking and page-turning tale of a lost boy, a wayward ghost, and the grim legacy of possession in America.

Former Vegas showgirl Martha Chainey is a statuesque WOC with a penchant for martial arts. Done with the spotlight and the forty-pound headdresses, Martha's foregone the usual path of winding up arm candy and has taken up a career as a courier of off-the-books money. Cold, hard cash.

When a former colleague (with a more legit line of work) asks her to discreetly recover 10 million dollars in stolen funds, of course Martha's on the case. The mission takes her all over California and through more than a few mooks...but will her head-slamming sleuth skills be enough to recover the cash?

Cold Hard Cash brings one of crime writer Gary Phillips' heroines, Martha Chainey, from novels to comics, with the creative team of Gary Phillips, Adriana Melo, John Kalisz, and Tom Napolitano. Collects issues #1-5 of Cold Hard Cash, originally released digitally by Comixology Originals, in print from ABLAZE for the first time.

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EVENT DEETS

When: Sunday, April 23, 2023 at 5PM CST

Where: Hogan Brown Gallery (2310 Elgin St, Houston, TX 77004)

How: RSVP ONLY for TICKET or RSVP WITH BOOK to get your copy of THE HOUSE OF EVE!

ABOUT THE BOOK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sadeqa Johnson is the award-winning author of four novels, including Yellow Wife. Her accolades include the National Book Club Award, the Phillis Wheatley Book Award, and the USA Best Book Award for Best Fiction. She is a Kimbilio Fellow, former board member of the James River Writers, and a Tall Poppy Writer. Originally from Philadelphia, she currently lives near Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and three children. To learn more, visit SadeqaJohnson.net.