Black Beethoven Recital in Nine Dominions
Terry Adkins after Ludwig Van Beethoven
April 23-June 4, 2005

The Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) is pleased to present Black Beethoven, Recital in Nine Dominions, Terry Adkins after Ludwig Van Beethoven is an exhibition/recital that addresses in sculpture, prints, video and live performance the question concerning the genealogical and cultural heritage of Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827). The show is based on the pioneering research of Afrocentric historian J.A. Rogers which was privy both to eyewitness accounts of Ludwig van Beethoven's physical appearance as well as to the lesser-known genealogical curiosities of his ancestry. The facts presented by J.A. Rogers are in dispute with the prevailing attitude attributing Beethoven to pure European stock but asserts that he may have had Moorish bloodlines running through his Belgian forefathers. One aspect of "Black Beethoven" intends to balance the historical ledger concerning this question. The prevailing opinion of total denial is rooted in the fear that Beethoven's reputation would somehow be denigrated by the admission that he was probably, at least, a mulatto. The question of Beethoven's ethnic heritage, in the final analysis, pales in comparison to the greater question of what it means to be human. The majority of the "Black Beethoven" recital is dedicated to illuminating the complexities inherent to the interior art and imagination of Ludwig Van Beethoven the man, hero, composer, triumphant creator, and spiritual seeker.

The artist Adkin's writes, "my practice employs freedom of creative imagination within the parameters of thematic foci about individuals whose world-view is similar to my own in the realm of art, politics, sports, literature, music, spiritual pursuits and history. I have used the recital form as a means of paying tribute to these champions, maintaining a living connection to their legacies. Recitals combine sculpture with live-musical/text-oriented events that attempt to recover and reenact the dynamic tenor of the subjects concerned." Some of these influences are Ralph Ellison, Jack Johnson, Solomon Northrup, W.E.B. Du Bois, Leadbelly and Robert Adkins. "The works are also site inspired-staged at locations where the activities of the honored have had historical impact."

Terry Adkins was born in Washington, D.C. and lives in New York City. He currently teaches at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA as an Associate Professor of Fine Arts. He shows at P.P.O.W Gallery, New York, NY. The gallery is located at 555 West 25th St., New York, NY 10001. The website is: www.ppowgallery.com He has received numerous grants and awards from the New York Foundation for the Arts Grant in Sculpture, 1995; the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Sculpture, 1986, Washington, D.C. Along with these numerous awards he is in the Permanent Collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; The Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; He is also in numerous private collections around New York as well as California, New Jersey and Georgia.

This program is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Additional support is provided by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, Bronx Council on the Arts/Cultural Venture Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (and it's Material for the Arts program), Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, the Bronx Delegation of the New York City Council, and US Congressman Jose E. Serrano's WCS-NOAA Lower Bronx River Partnership. BRAC is also a member of The New York State Multi-Arts Centers consortium which receives funds from NYSCA and The J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation. New York Community Trust, The Carnegie Corporation of New York, and The Center provide foundation support for Arts Education with funds from the Annenberg Foundation, and The Helena Rubinstein Foundation. This program is also made possible with funds from the Ford Foundation through the Bronx Council on the Arts.