Singer and Artist Solange Debuts Free Library of Rare Books by Black Authors, 2021-10-19
Scope and Contents
... Solange (also known by her full name, Solange Knowles), is the younger sister of mega-famous singer Beyoncé. She has earned critical acclaim for her albums A Seat at the Table (2016) and When I Get Home (2019), both of which blend rap, soul and alternative R and B elements with eclectic electronic sounds.
Outside of these releases, Solange has branched into the visual arts, creating digital and performance art that often incorporates her music or lyrics. In 2017, for Tate Modern in London, she created a digital gallery about Black womanhood inspired by the art of Betye Saar. Solange has also performed with casts of Black dancers at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas, which is home to dozens of Donald Judd’s minimalist sculptures.
As Antwaun Sargent reported for Surface magazine last year, Solange draws inspiration from her mother’s impressive collection of Black art, as well as the art she saw as a child growing up in Houston, including the Menil Collection’s famed Rothko Chapel.
In a statement quoted by Variety, Solange says that the community library project “seek[s] to create an archive of stories and works we deem valuable.”
The artist adds, “These works expand imaginations, and it is vital to us to make them accessible to students, and our communities for research and engagement, so that the works are integrated into our collective story and belong and grow with us. I look forward to the Saint Heron library continuously growing and evolving and ... becoming a sacred space for literature and expressions for years to come.”
Dates
- Publication: 2021-10-19
Extent
From the Series: 1 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
From the Series: English
Bibliography
Repository Details
Part of the Rothko Chapel Archives Repository