Field Notes: The Broad Museum’s “Mickalene Thomas: All About Love” exhibition
Welcome to 'Field Notes,' a NOMMO blog series featuring nationwide exhibition reviews that prioritize Black history, art, and culture. Traditionally, field notes are a researcher's written record of their observations, experiences, and insights while conducting research in the field. They are a vital part of many types of research, mainly qualitative inquiry. Our field notes recenter the African/Diasporic experiences within museum settings to assist in accessibility to those museums and galleries for all.
In September 2024, NOMMO had a great time visiting the impressive Mickaelene Thomas: All About Love exhibition at the Broad Museum. This retrospective featured 90 works by Thomas, spanning 20 years. It offered a close look at the lives of Black people, particularly those who identify as Black women and queer, emphasizing the significance of love in all aspects of each’s experiences.
The exhibition, presented across multiple galleries, delved into the themes explored in Black feminist writer bell hooks' work "All About Love," highlighting the importance of authentic expressions of love in reversing the impacts of domination and achieving liberation.
The attention to detail and the immersive experiences in the exhibition were incredibly captivating. Each room invited visitors to rest on cushioned seats or admire the possibilities in Thomas' mixed media work and photography. It's rare to find an art exhibition dedicated to Black experiences that prominently focuses on leisure while serving as a cultural rest stop for individuals and communities to reflect on themselves. One could spend hours digesting Thomas' work, from the video installations to the glimmering sparkles of her collage work, with each piece building off the power of the last.
This exhibition was a masterclass in curatorial depth, breadth, and intention. It tactfully allowed the viewer—especially those of African descent—to engage, rejuvenate, and contemplate their experience's expansiveness while balancing the challenges and struggles. Every room had patrons of all ages imbibing the scale and level of detail dedicated to each space and piece.
The exhibition covered many themes, including self-love, community, activism, and resilience. There were also hidden references throughout the exhibition, such as books by bell hooks and Octavia Butler’s Kindred, which aimed to inspire further exploration of Afrofuturism and Black speculative fiction. These essential details likely influenced Thomas' and the Broad's curatorial decisions.
Regrettably, this exhibition will close at the Broad at the end of September, but we at NOMMO certainly encourage all visitors to visit it, as it is worth traveling to see it in person. We, as a company, will walk away with a deeper appreciation for Thomas’ work, the Broad’s intentional curation, and the power of conveying love and rest toward the Black experiences in such a dynamic way in a gallery setting.