In honor of Black History Month, the AMoA is highlighting some exceptional African American artists in the museum’s permanent collection. This week, we’re featuring Bruce Davenport, Jr. (American/Louisiana, b. 1972).
Bruce Davenport, Jr. was born in 1972 at Charity Hospital and grew up in the Lafitte Housing Projects in the 6th Ward. With the encouragement of his grandparents who raised him, he began to draw at the age of five as a means to entertain himself and document the world around him. Throughout his schooling, particularly at Joseph S. Clark, he was exposed to and intrigued by the junior high and high school marching band culture – a culture that is integral to New Orleans. Bruce Davenport Jr.’s work has received national attention. He has exhibited at the Dieu Donne Gallery and the As If Gallery in New York and also at the Lambent Foundation in New York. His work was exhibited at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans as part of Prospect 1.5 and at the New Orleans Museum of Art as part of Prospect 2. Bruce Davenport lives and works in the Lower 9th Ward.
In his words, “The marching bands are a passion to me. I love the history and culture… My work serves as an illustrative reminder of an activity that not only encourages creative thought processing but also engages youth with the community and with each other. Using photographic documentation of these bands in action, I recreate their vibrant pageantry… hopefully leaving behind a sacred reminder of a vibrant part of my hometown’s identity.”
Davenport’s work is included in the Saratoga Collection, which will be on view at the Alexandria Museum of Art this November.