The Madison art community continues to reel in the aftermath of a series of incidents involving black women artists at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. In March of 2022, a white employee of the Overture Center verbally accosted and refused entry to artist Lilada Gee and museum events director Anik Dupaty as Gee was working on her installation. Subsequently, Gee’s unfinished work was vandalized when museum staff left the work unattended. In solidarity with Gee, half of the artists in the Wisconsin Triennial have withdrawn their works from MMOCA’s exhibit. Under the banner, “Forward Truth,” protesting artists published an open letter claiming that Gee’s experience is symptomatic of a deep-seated and longstanding institutional racism. On Tuesday, September 20, the Madison Arts Commission and Seein is Believin, LLC will host a panel discussion entitled Black Women Artists Speak. The panel is the brainchild of Madison Arts Commission Grant Committee Chair, and former Madison Poet Laureate, Fabu Phillis-Carter. Fabu and theater artist, owner of Creator’s Cottage and CEO of Ironer’s Press Ministries, Catrina Sparkman joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on September 19, 2022.
