In the Company of Black

• • 3ARTS MATCH SUPPORTED BY THE JOYCE FOUNDATION
  • 114% contributed

In the Company of Black is a photography publication that will bring together images of black people who represent everyday folks. For the past seven years, I have developed a body of work that focuses on portraits of extraordinarily, ordinary people, such as educators, artists, administrators, business owners, teachers, and students. When it comes to black people, America is fascinated with extreme poles: either showing victims of violence, pain, and poverty (black misery) or famous athletes and entertainers, and icons of popular culture (black exceptionalism). This false dichotomy denies black people the individuality and full spectrum of humanity that is so readily offered to the white population in this country. The photographs that I’ve been making ask the question: where are the people who make up the space in between? Here they are, they are important, they must be seen! With this campaign, I am seeking support to publish my first artist monograph, a solo publication that will compile my best work within this series that has been seven years in the making.

About This Project

As a photographer, I use a highly stylized and aesthetized presentation, implementing ideas from cinema and directorial staging. The images I create are in direct contrast to the body of work that examines Black people through a documentary or celebrity lens as subjects for ethnographic studies or fanatic adulation. The women, men, and children of my photographs are ordinary—extraordinarily so—and consequently offer a fuller range of humanity—black or otherwise. These are images of individuals inhabiting their spaces, participating/living out their lives for a moment, for the camera, and by extension the viewer.

This project is, by nature, an ongoing one. There are always more individuals who meet the criteria of underexposed and underrepresented. However, I have reached a juncture where I have produced a collection that faithfully and creatively depicts my subject matter within this conceptual frame work of providing a fuller representation of black lives and people.

There are many phases and components that encompass the career of an artist. Exhibition opportunities are the most obvious phase, but in most respects the exhibition can be transient and ephemeral. The monograph conversely seeks to mark time in an artist’s creative life, as well as a moment of cultural production, and can serve as a cultural artifact in a way. Through this campaign, my completed monograph for In the Company of Black will give everyone—from the photography enthusiast to the scholar—an opportunity to consider my ideas and aspirations as an artist and image maker, compare and contrast my work with my peers, and put my work in the conversation as it relates to discussions concerning, race, class, and art. 

Your support of In the Company of Black will be critical in helping me cover costs related to the design and printing of this publication, while also simultaneously assisting me in achieving a milestone in my creative practice.

Thank yous

Contribute any amount or choose from the levels below.

• $10
  Thank you and personal invitation to the monograph book signing event ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $50
  Above, plus your name acknowledged in the monograph and an invitation to the monograph book signing event ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $100
  8 x 10 print (special 3AP edition), plus your name acknowledged in the monograph and an invitation to the monograph book signing event ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $250
  12 x 15 Signed Print (special 3AP edition), plus your name acknowledged in the monograph and an invitation to the monograph book signing event ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $500
  16 x 20 Signed Print (special 3AP edition), plus your name acknowledged in the monograph and an invitation to the monograph book signing event ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $2000
  Everything at the $500 level, plus a signed copy of the monograph. ($0.00 is tax deductible.)

---

Cecil McDonald Jr.

Cecil McDonald, Jr. (B. 1965, Chicago) is most interested in the intersections of masculinity, familial relations, and black culture's artistic and intellectual pursuits, particularly as this culture intersects with and informs the larger culture. Through photography, video, and dance/performance, he …

View Cecil McDonald Jr.'s profile

• 1 update
• 65 supporters

• Update 1: Book Launch

  Posted on May 01, 2017

   

  I’m thrilled to share with you all that “In the Company of Black” has just been published! Last weekend, we celebrated the launch at Filter Photo and as part of Chicago Humanities Festival, where I was in conversation with Dawoud Bey. This book would not exist without the support of those who gave generously. Thank you for believing in my vision. If you are interested in learning more about the publication, please visit the Candor Arts website at http://www.candorarts.com/goods

   

• Thank you to the following for contributing to 3Arts with the recommendation that we support this project.

  • Barak ade Soleil

  • DAWOUD BEY

  • Janelle Dowell

  • Katherine Jones

  • Tracye Matthews

  • Barry Mayo

  • Amy Mooney

  • Dick Cole

  • Michelle E. L. Merritt

  • Matthew Nighswander

  • Michelle Boone

  • Margaret Wright

  • Amy Wainwright

  • sabina ott

  • Matt Austin

  • Gregory Foster-Rice

  • Bob Thall

  • John Bakker

  • Sarah Baranski

  • Adam Brooks

  • Richard Cahan

  • Maria Gray

  • faheem majeed

  • David Bradley

  • Cynthia Weiss

  • doug mcgoldrick

  • Juan Fernandez

  • Alyssa Sorresso

  • Michelle E. L. Merritt

  • Myra Greene

  • Ryan Thompson

  • Debra Levie

  • John Morrison

  • Melissa Ann Pinney

  • Zoraida Castilblanco

  • Jason Reblando

  • Laura Bauknecht

  • John Ellis

  • Tess Ousley

  • Sharon Harrell

  • Anthony Smith

  • Tempestt Hazel

  • Vince Saunders

  • Kilolo Luckett

  • Joanne Vena

  • JACOB WATSON

  • Cauleen Smith

  • Sarah Beth Woods

  • Lynette Saunders

  • Juan Favela

  • Jill Scott

  • Aimee Reatherford

  • Michael Bracey

  • Anne Harris

  • Juliana Perisin

  • Avery Young

  • Samantha Crook

  • Liz Chilsen

  • Julie Marie Lemon

  • Shelton Matsry

  • Alfonso Smith

  • Wendi Hill

  • Tara Betts

  • Colleen Plumb

  • Corinne Rose

3AP Presenting Partner:

 Additional support provided by: