Jayson Musson: His History of Art
The Fabric Workshop and Museum
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Jayson Musson, Exhibit of Abstract Art, 2014, Salon 94, New York, NY. Photo courtesy of the artist and Salon 94, New York.
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Jayson Musson, 2015. Photo by Jonathan Gardenhire.
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Jayson Musson, Demon All Day, 2017, Salon 94 Freemans, New York, NY. Photo courtesy of the artist and Salon 94, New York.
Black artist Jayson Musson will interrogate how our present-day cultural consciousness is constrained by a narrow understanding of art history. Musson rose to prominence in 2010 with Art Thoughtz, a series of 20 video-based performances in which he assumed the role of Hennessy Youngman to satirize the art world’s biases through wit and research. During a two-year residency at The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM), Musson will develop a new comedic persona to scrutinize art pedagogy and the role of art institutions in fostering limited points of view and imbalances of power. Drawing on the museum’s expertise for costume design, Musson will develop six video pieces and related film sets, along with gallery installations of the sets and a publication modeled after canonical art history texts. FWM curator Karen Patterson will serve as project manager.
The total grant amount represents project funding plus an additional 20% in unrestricted general operating support.