This week on Open Studio we look at three artists who have used their platform to get political, from actor, singer and activist Harry Belafonte to the controversial painter, Philip Guston. Last week artist and activist Harry Belafonte died at age 96. The singer became central to the civil rights movement, taking the fight for equality into the 21st century. We rember Belafonte this week by way of an interview Jared Bowen had with him in 2016 when Belafonte was in town to talk about race and justice at The Armenian Heritage Park. From there we enter the world of artist Lavaughan Jenkins, who found his calling twice. Not ready for the pressures of early success, he retreated from the art world. After a six year hiatus from painting, Jenkins credits legendary painters Goya and Philip Guston for going back into the studio. He says they came to him in his dreams, prodding him to get back to work. Jared Bowen caught up with Jenkins after he wrapped up an artist residency at the Addison Gallery of American Art, where his work is on view through July. Finally, we look at Philip Guston, the painter who visits Lavaughn Jenkins in his dreams and materializes in his work. To get into the world of Philip Guston, we’re returning to our trip to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. In 2020 four museums, including the MFA, were set to present a Philip Guston retrospective. And then, in one of the biggest controversies to hit the art world, it all imploded. We went to the MFA last year when the show finally launched.
