Just Above Midtown
Encyclopedia
Just Above Midtown was a non-profit artists space in New York City
from 1974–1988. It was founded and opened in November 1974 by filmmaker Linda Goode Bryant
. JAM was the first gallery space to regularly exhibit the work of African-American and other artists of color in a major art district.
, Latino
and Asian
communities.
JAM was known for its year-round interdisciplinary art program of exhibitions and performances. Its innovative programming of work by new and emerging artists also included The Business of Being an Artist – the first in series of workshops that began to surface throughout America in the late 1970s that provided artists with access and information on the art market, its interworkings and its impact on their work and livelihood. JAM was also unique in its outreach to the public with activities which included a weekly series “Brunch with JAM” where the public for a small fee received lunch and a lecture from curators, gallery dealers, collectors and critics on their work and its impact on art and artists.
The public was also able to observe artists while they developed site-specific exhibitions and performances for formal presentation.
JAM also published “Contextures” (1977) written by Linda Goode Bryant
and Marcy Philips. “Contextures” was the first written account to document and place the work of African-American abstract artists
within the continuum of American abstract art
.
Artists exhibited, presented and/or supported by JAM include visual artists David Hammons
, Fred Wilson
, Senga Nengudi, Howardena Pindell, Houston Conwill, and Maren Hassinger. Performance and dance artists including Lorraine O'Grady
, Fred Holland, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Yoshiko Chuma, and Elizabeth Streb. Musicians including Butch Morris
, Oliver Lake
, M-Base
(Steve Coleman
, Gerry Allen, Cassandra Wilson
, Graham Haynes
, et al.) and the first days of the Black Rock Coalition
.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from 1974–1988. It was founded and opened in November 1974 by filmmaker Linda Goode Bryant
Linda Goode Bryant
Linda Goode Bryant is an American documentary filmmaker.Goode Bryant received her B.A. at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia and a Masters Degree in Business from Columbia University in New York City. She co-produced and directed Flag Wars , a cinéma vérité Emmy Award-nominated documentary...
. JAM was the first gallery space to regularly exhibit the work of African-American and other artists of color in a major art district.
History
Prior to JAM’s opening, works by artists of color were almost exclusively exhibited in community centers and cultural institutions in African-American, Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
and Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
communities.
JAM was known for its year-round interdisciplinary art program of exhibitions and performances. Its innovative programming of work by new and emerging artists also included The Business of Being an Artist – the first in series of workshops that began to surface throughout America in the late 1970s that provided artists with access and information on the art market, its interworkings and its impact on their work and livelihood. JAM was also unique in its outreach to the public with activities which included a weekly series “Brunch with JAM” where the public for a small fee received lunch and a lecture from curators, gallery dealers, collectors and critics on their work and its impact on art and artists.
The public was also able to observe artists while they developed site-specific exhibitions and performances for formal presentation.
JAM also published “Contextures” (1977) written by Linda Goode Bryant
Linda Goode Bryant
Linda Goode Bryant is an American documentary filmmaker.Goode Bryant received her B.A. at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia and a Masters Degree in Business from Columbia University in New York City. She co-produced and directed Flag Wars , a cinéma vérité Emmy Award-nominated documentary...
and Marcy Philips. “Contextures” was the first written account to document and place the work of African-American abstract artists
African American art
African American art is a broad term describing the visual arts of the American black community . Influenced by various cultural traditions, including those of Africa, Europe and the Americas, traditional African American art forms include the range of plastic arts, from basket weaving, pottery,...
within the continuum of American abstract art
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
.
Artists exhibited, presented and/or supported by JAM include visual artists David Hammons
David Hammons
David Hammons is an African-American artist mostly known for his works in and around New York City during the 1970s and 1980s.Much of his work, including Spade with Chains , reflects his commitment to the civil rights and Black Power movements...
, Fred Wilson
Fred Wilson (artist)
Conceptual artist Fred Wilson describes himself as of "African, Native American, European and Amerindian" descent. Wilson received a MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant in 1999 and the Larry Aldrich Foundation Award in 2003. Wilson represented the United States at the Biennial Cairo in 1992 and the...
, Senga Nengudi, Howardena Pindell, Houston Conwill, and Maren Hassinger. Performance and dance artists including Lorraine O'Grady
Lorraine O'Grady
Lorraine O'Grady is an American conceptual artist, who has worked in the areas of performance art and photo and video installation. Her work locates universal and timeless values in such topical issues as diaspora, hybridity, and black female subjectivity...
, Fred Holland, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Yoshiko Chuma, and Elizabeth Streb. Musicians including Butch Morris
Butch Morris
Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris is an American jazz cornetist, composer and conductor.-Biography:Before his musical career, Morris served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War....
, Oliver Lake
Oliver Lake
Oliver Lake is an American jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer and poet. He is known mainly on alto saxophone but also performs on soprano saxophone and flute....
, M-Base
M-Base
The term "M-Base" is used in several ways. In the 1980s, a loose collective of young African-American musicians including Steve Coleman, Graham Haynes, Cassandra Wilson, Geri Allen, Robin Eubanks, and Greg Osby emerged in Brooklyn with a new sound and specific ideas about creative expression...
(Steve Coleman
Steve Coleman
Steve Coleman, born , is an African American saxophone player, spontaneous composer, composer and band leader. His music and concepts have been a heavy influence on contemporary jazz.-Chicago:...
, Gerry Allen, Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. Described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating country, blues and folk music into her...
, Graham Haynes
Graham Haynes
Graham Haynes is an American cornetist, trumpeter and composer, the son of jazz drummer Roy Haynes....
, et al.) and the first days of the Black Rock Coalition
Black Rock Coalition
The Black Rock Coalition is a New York-based artists' collective and non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the creative freedom and works of black musicians....
.