'Crossroads' is a touring solo exhibition by Melvin Edwards which opened at Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland and travelled to Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, Louisiana and Fisher Museum at the University of Southern California (2019–2020). The exhibition charts Edwards' engagement with Africa and highlights the importance of the continent to the development of American art.
Edwards, who is descended from a West African blacksmith, has been exploring his African roots since the early 1970s. After attending a major arts festival in Lagos, Nigeria in 1977, his work became increasingly connected to African art and culture. Edwards has made ties with many African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe and has had a home in Senegal for nearly 20 years.
'Crossroads' presents 18 works from the artist's celebrated 'Lynch Fragments' series alongside a selection of larger sculpture and the room-size installation 'Agricole'. By exhibiting works from 1980 to the present day, the exhibition documents Edwards' travels within the continent and explores the wider social and cultural history of the period.
'Crossroads' is curated by Christopher Bedford, BMA Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director and Katy Siegel, BMA Senior Programing and Research Curator and Thaw Chair at Stony Brook University.
Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland (29 September 2019–12 January 2020)
Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, Louisiana (8 February–6 July 2020)
Fisher Museum at the University of Southern California (8 September–5 December 2020)
