Portraits Re/Examined: A Dawoud Bey Project

This artist-in-residence project will take place in conjunction with the Contemporary Museum ‘s exhibition Class Pictures, featuring photographs by celebrated American artist Dawoud Bey, who for the past several years has created portraits of young people challenging stereotypes about urban youth. During Bey’s artist-in-residency project, the artist collaborated with 12 teenagers from several Baltimore-area public, private, and home schools in a summer workshop that began with an exploration of how race, class and identity have been addressed in portraiture throughout art history. The Walters’ collection became the basis for discussions about museum practice, its role in society and the role of contemporary art in museums with historical collections. The resulting focus exhibition Portraits Re/Examined: A Dawoud Bey Project, curated by Bey and the teens, features 10 photographic portraits by Bey, juxtaposed with paintings, drawings, and portrait miniatures from the Walters’ collection to create a unique dialogue.

Portraits Re/Examined: A Dawoud Bey Project is presented by the Contemporary Museum in collaboration with the Walters Art Museum. This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional support is provided by Carol and Alan Edelman, Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff, and The Paige Family Foundation.