"vanessa german: The Rarest Black Woman on the Planet Earth" at Mount Holyoke College, Part 1

german in the Skinner Museum

I'll admit it. The fact that a vanessa german exhibit was on at Mount Holyoke was a factor in my decision to go to my reunion. I am a big fan of her work. If the reunion was a disaster, I figured I could go to the museum and hide out. The exhibit's title was a bit curious, though. Why is german the Rarest Black Woman on the Planet?  (Hint: It's not because she chooses not to capitalize her name.) 

The Joseph Allen Skinner Museum has been part of Mount Holyoke since it was bequeathed to the college in 1946. There are nearly 7,000 objects in the collection, ranging from rare books and a 115 pound meteorite to Native American and Oceanic artifacts and a fossilized dinosaur footprint. It is a gem of a museum but -- and there's always a but -- it contains a number of objects that raise concerns about colonialism. german was given the task of decolonizing and recontextualizing the collection. How, exactly, could that be done? 

german 

In an interview about the project, german said, "Decolonization is really to turn a story, to have the power to turn a story in your own favor." She decided to touch every object in the Skinner collection. By doing so, those objects' stories would be changed. Her own story -- that of a Black, gay, female artist -- would become part of their history. And so german donned a pair of gloves and got to work. 

german envisioned the process as an emancipatory experience for the objects. But, she said, "[Emancipatory experiences]..are not [like] a recipe for roast chicken. We're not just building a building and following a set of plans." It was when she was holding a piece of the Pyramid of Giza that something unexpected happened. The objects became alive. She began hearing the voices of the people who had lived at the time. Children laughing. Women talking. The objects were sharing their stories with her. What had started as a solo project became a communal experience, one that left both the artist and the collection changed forever.  

The exhibit title naming german "The Rarest Black Woman on the Planet Earth" was chosen because she alone has touched every object in the Skinner collection. But after her experience in the musem, the title of the show was amended. It became "The Rarest Black Woman on the Planet Earth Touched and Is Touched." Our stories are all entwined. 

german made a video about her decolonization of the Skinner Museum. She is, after all, a performance artist as well as a visual artist. I can't recommend the video highly enough. It's funny and moving and thought provoking. german is truly a force of nature, and I can't imagine anyone better to have taken on this project. To watch the video, click here. 

Next up: german's "Museum of Emancipatory Objects" at the art museum, an exhibit created in collaboration with Mount Holyoke student curators and the college community.