Paul Von Blum has gone to great lengths to fight for a cause that he believes in. After joining the Civil Rights Movement more than 40 years ago during his undergraduate years at San Diego State University, Von Blum’s passion for African American civil rights has taken him to the front of picket lines,sit-ins, and the historic March on Washington in 1963 at which Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech.
After a sit-in protest in opposition to Bank of America’s policy toward the hiring of African Americans, Von Blum was arrested at the age of 21 in the main lobby of the institution’s downtown San Diego branch.
“I’m proud of that arrest,” Von Blum said.
Von Blum, now a senior lecturer of both African American studies and communication studies at UCLA, has since left the days of his radical activism behind. Now he has chosen to combine his experiences in the civil rights movement and his 20-year interest in writing about African American art by becoming one of three co-curators for the California African American Museum’s new exhibition, “Places of Validation, Art & Progression.”
The exhibition is part of The J. Paul Getty Foundation’s multiple art institution event, “Pacific Standard Time,” and showcases more than 180 art works including sculptures, letters, photographs and video-documented murals from 90 artists inspired by the underrepresented but active African American art scene in Los Angeles from the 1940s to the 1980s.
“I don’t think I can do what I’m doing as a cultural historian without that personal background in the civil rights movement,” Von Blum said. “That was vital to everything I’ve done as an academic. In fact, what I’m doing as the co-curator of “˜Places of Validation’ is an extension of my work as an academic at UCLA.”
According to Von Blum, “Places of Validation, Art & Progression” aims to explore the history of the African American struggles and attitudes that resulted from being excluded from the mainstream art community in Los Angeles. The validation element of the exhibit stems from supporters of African American art who provided venues and viewing opportunities for black artwork to be seen.
The works in the exhibition span from figurative to political. Mark Steven Greenfield, co-curator and artist featured within the exhibit, explained the meaning behind the exhibition’s iconic piece, “The Door (Admissions Office)” by the prolific civil rights activist and African American artist David Hammons. The piece features a wood frame door with a window in the center of it. The words “admissions office” and a body print of Hammons appear on the window.
“In a way, it metaphorically talks about the whole idea of being excluded from the mainstream art world,” Greenfield said.
Executive Director of the California African American Museum and UCLA alumna Charmaine Jefferson said that some of the pieces within the exhibition were retrieved from one of the historically black-owned Golden State Mutual Life Insurance buildings in downtown Los Angeles. This building formerly held the largest collection of African American art of any corporation.
“We have the opportunity … to show some of the artwork that still remains and has not been sold in the dissolution of the company,” Jefferson said. “Most people don’t realize that California held the largest collection of African American art.”
Although his days of picket-line protesting and mass marches may be over, Von Blum said he is content with his civil rights accomplishments within his work for the exhibition.
“This is one of the major steps to getting these extraordinary creative women and men into the level of recognition that I think they probably deserve,” Von Blum said. “This is one step of many.”