Correspondence: The Installation

Presented by BFA Visual and Critical Studies

August 4 - September 10, 2021

An exhibition by artist and activist Sophia Dawson

Portrait of Jalil Muntaqim, by Sophia Dawson.

Credit: Sophia Dawson

SVA Flatiron Project Space

133/141 West 21st Street, ground floor, New York, NY 10011

SVA BFA Visual & Critical Studies is pleased to present “Correspondence: The Installation” on view from Wednesday, August 4 – Friday, September 10, in the SVA Flatiron Project Space, 133/141 West 21st Street, ground floor.

Born from the acclaimed art series “To Be Free,” artist, activist and faculty member Sophia Dawson’s (BFA 2010 Fine Arts) Correspondence (Maria Editions, 2021) is a collection of letters and ephemera from incarcerated members of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Movement. The “To Be Free” series explores, through portraiture, the stories of the 20+ remaining U.S.-held political prisoners who were jailed for their activism in the black liberation movements of the 1960s and 1970s. The project utilizes art to call attention to their continued imprisonment and to advocate for their freedom.

The book Correspondence sheds light on Dawson’s journey that inspired her large-scale portraits, videos, sound pieces and performances. In 2010, Dawson started working on the “To Be Free” project. It captures, through art, the life stories and experiences of political activists imprisoned in the 1960s. In her work, she attempts to humanize social justice issues through personal stories, raise each political prisoner’s profile in the mainstream, inspire, educate, inform and direct audiences to support political prisoners’ release in the United States. Since the project began in 2010, 11 political prisoners have been released, including the seven remaining members of the MOVE 9.

Featured activists include Sundiata Acoli, Zolo Azania, Herman Bell, Veronza Bowers, Grailing Kojo Brown, Romaine “Chip” Fitzgerald, David Gilbert, Robert Seth Hayes, Mumia Abu Jamal, Mohamman G. Koti, Mondo We Langa, Ruchell Magee, Abdullah Majid, Thomas Manning, MOVE 9 (Debbie Sims Africa, Eddie Africa, Janet Holloway Africa, Janine Phillips Africa and Michael Davis Africa), Virgin Island Five (Warren Ballentine [Abdul Azeez] and Meral [Malik] Smith), Jalil Muntaqim, Sekou Odinga, Ed Poindexter, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, Russell Maroon Shoats, Reverend Joy Powell, Kamau Sadiki, Maliki Latine Shakur and Kenny Zulu Whitmore.

Curated in conjunction with The Bishop Gallery, “Correspondence: The Installation” will feature select works from the “To Be Free” series that directly inspire the first volume of Sophia Dawson’s groundbreaking book Correspondence. The multi-medium installation will also feature an original film created and produced by Sophia Dawson.

Read more about Dawson’s book Correspondence in our feature story from earlier this year.

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About Sophia Dawson

Sophia Dawson is a Brooklyn-based visual artist who has dedicated her life’s work to ministry (service.) Her multidisciplinary practice includes portraiture, performance, public art and video. She uses her platform and influence as an artist to expose the narratives and experiences of people who individually and collectively face injustice. Through her artwork, she humanizes social justice issues to prevent such experiences from being repeated in the future.

Ms. Dawson holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the School of Visual Arts and a master’s degree in visual arts administration from New York University. Her work has been exhibited in Rush Arts Gallery, the Bronx Museum for the Arts, Nathan Cummings Foundation, MFA Boston and The Bishop Gallery. She is an alumnus of the Whitney Museum's Independent Study program, University Settlement’s Performance Project Residency program, the Bronx Museum of Art’s first residency program and The Bishop Gallery Artist Residency Program.

She has been commissioned to create public art projects and interventions by Amnesty International and the Vera Institute of Justice. She facilitates art workshops at Rikers Island through I AM WET PAINT, a creative organization that also serves court-involved youth, and is also a participant in the Rikers Island Faith in Re-entry program where she mentors young adults while they are behind bars and after their release. Inspiration for her artistic practice include mothers who have lost their children to police brutality, the Exonerated 5 and political prisoners from the Black Liberation movement—many of whom are still incarcerated within the United States. She works closely with the individuals represented in her work through handwritten letter correspondence to prison institutions, visits and participating in fundraising events and advocacy efforts for each individual.
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About The Bishop Gallery

The Bishop Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, NY. Launched in 2012, The Bishop is an offspring of the Lamont Bishop Gallery, started in 2009, in Washington D.C. The gallery’s founders Erwin John and Stevenson Dunn, Jr., were born and raised in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. After the duo’s first location was dubbed by The Washington Post as exhibiting “the most divisive work...[and making it]…their forte.” They decided a gallery at their home base was imperative for the ever-changing borough, with a yearning to make art more accessible to the community that helped shape them.

Since its inception, The Bishop Gallery has produced over 150 exhibitions and has worked with over 300 established and emerging artists located throughout Brooklyn, the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia. Curating shows with a wide range of artists such as abstract expressionist Ed Clark, neo-expressionist Jean-Michel Basquiat, street artists Richard Hambleton, Al Diaz, renowned painter Sam Adoquei, acclaimed Illustrator Maria Dominguez and Professor Nannette Carter. The gallery has also curated ground-breaking exhibitions with photographers like Barron Claiborne, Ernie Paniccioli, Brittany Sensabaugh, Anuar Patjane and Victoria "Sneakshot" Ford. The gallery is also known for their commitment to cultivating the next generation of emerging artists such as Juan Carlos Pinto, Sophia Dawson, Ronald Draper, Quiana Parks, Justine Gilzene, Alexandre Keto, Reggie Khumalo, Bianca Romero and Zeph Farmby.

In 2020, The Bishop Gallery looked to provide much-needed resources and additional support to artists affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, The Bishop Gallery Artist Residency Program was created aimed at helping artists of color and women. The Bishop Gallery continues its journey to bring world-class art and artists to the community in a way that is illuminating, entertaining and, most importantly, accessible.