My visit to Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power at the Tate Modern Museum in London can be summed up with one word: “Exciting”. Seeing all the modern masters in a show together in a foreign country was wonderful. In addition, many of the artists were in attendance at the opening reception. That made the visit even better with the opportunity to hear first hand the artists’ personal thoughts and comments on their work.

My compliments to the Tate Modern and their curatorial staff for putting together this great show. In the words of Thelma Golden, “It is sure to be a profoundly valuable resource… for decades to come.” We are blessed by the fact the the show will come to our American museums: Crystal Bridges and the Brooklyn Museum in 2018.

Aaron Galleries was represented by the Cliff Joseph painting, The Blackboard. It was a thrill to see it prominently displayed at the Tate Modern.

Patrick Albano.

I am an intern at Aaron Galleries in Glenview, IL. I attend The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and there was some excitement for me recently. Last Sunday, Aaron Galleries hosted my first gallery show opening reception! I displayed my black musician portrait series and a ceramic sculpture series. There was a great turn out and my work has been displayed in the gallery throughout this week. One thing that I have learned during my art education so far is that it is difficult to articulate my art. I’ve talked to fellow artists about this and they all agree. It’s especially hard to talk about your work in a gallery setting, like last Sunday, because you never know how people are going to react to what you say. It is easier to type out an artist statement and speaking in the moment is another story. I think that all artists should practice talking about their work and getting their message out to people, and I will keep practicing as well.

~Sarah Leuchtner