Virtual “Conversations at MOCA”
The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami has made it a commitment to make contemporary art accessible! As part of their series, “Conversations at MOCA,” they have announced a virtual experience with two Miami Herald Pulitzer Prize winners – photojournalist Carl Juste and columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr. The two will be discussing “I am a Man,” Juste’s newly installed public artwork on the MOCA Plaza.
In 2008, while working on a newspaper story with Pitts, Juste captured the image of Memphis sanitation worker Elmore Nickelberry and his son, Terence, with a placard that read, “I Am A Man.” Carried during the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike in 1968, these signs became emblematic of the Black community’s struggles in the United States. Commenting on his portrait of the elder Nickelberry, Juste has said, “I just wanted to capture that dignity that was often deprived him.”
Carl Juste has been a photojournalist for the Miami Herald since 1991. Juste was born into a politically active family in Haiti. After being forced to leave their homeland in 1965 for political reasons, his family eventually settled in Miami’s Haitian community. In addition to photography work for the Miami Herald, Juste cofounded Iris PhotoCollective (IPC). IPC’s members are photojournalists of color who document people of color’s relationship to the world. In 2019, Juste opened the IPC ArtSpace in Little Haiti. He is currently producing a book and exhibit titled, “Havana, Haiti: Two Cultures, One Community,” which consists of photographs and text that explore the bonds between Cuba and Haiti.
Leonard Pitts was born and raised in Southern California. He was awarded a degree in English from the University of Southern California at the age of 19, having entered school at 15 on a special honors program. Since 1995, he and his wife have lived in Bowie, Md., a suburb of Washington, D.C. Pitts’ work has made him an in-demand lecturer. He maintains a rigorous speaking schedule that has taken him to colleges, civic groups and professional associations all over the country. He has also taught at a number of institutions of higher learning, including Hampton University, Ohio University, the University of Maryland, and Virginia Commonwealth University. In the fall of 2011, he was a visiting professor at Princeton, teaching a course in writing about race.
Donnamarie Baptiste will serve as moderator of the conversation. Baptiste is a producer, programmer and curator of art and culture who has worked with art fairs, galleries, artists, arts organizations and brands to produce exhibitions, site-responsive events, and experiences that connect audiences nationally and internationally. She has held roles with Photo Miami International Art Fair, Art Basel, Creative Time and The Armory Show. Baptiste is experienced in working with artists of multiple genres including Theaster Gates, Xu Zhen, Robert Longo, The Roots, Wangechi Mutu, Jason and Alicia Mora, and Ebony Bones. She also has worked with brands such as Lexus, Armani, Veuve Clicquot, BMW, LVMH, Cartier, Mercedes-Benz and American Express. Born in Trinidad and Tobago to musician parents, Baptiste has spent most of her life between Florida, New York City and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She studied Humanities in the Caribbean and later moved to Miami and New York City. Currently, she is back in Miami providing arts and culture management consulting to national and international clients while supporting the local art community as a board member of Oolite Arts.
Join the fun Wednesday, July 8 at 7 p.m.The panel will be free and open to the public via the Zoom video conferencing platform.To reserve a spot, please click here.
