exhibition > The Recovery Plan: Alle porte coi sassi

THE EXHIBITION

“The Recovery Plan: Alle porte coi sassi” (The Recovery Plan: At the doors with stones) is an exhibition focused on the recovery of underrepresented and under-narrated fragments of Black history in Italy, both as an invitation towards social healing and as a critique on the exclusion of Black history within Italian culture. It draws its title from a Florentine saying that refers to a late arrival or an imminent change on the horizon. The saying dates to a period when Florence had closed itself within its walls in response to volatile military advances by neighboring cities. Since many Florentines of the period worked in the countryside, outside the city walls, each evening those late to return would throw stones at the gates to be let back into the city.

The project employs this metaphor as a parallel to the experience of people of African descent in Italy, now shaping what constitutes Italianness in contrast with the dominant monoculture.

The transformation of the spaces at Morgan State University into a cultural center dedicated to Black Italian history provides an opportunity for a dialogue across Black diaspora, that challenges common misperceptions of Italian culture.

The project brings together three research platforms of the Florence based center: The Recovery Plan. The first part is constituted by the works of three Italian artists of African descent: Kelly Costigliolo, Adji Dieye, and Christian Offman. The second segment, on display at the James E. Lewis Museum of Art, is the “Library-on-Loan”, encompassing books and publications on the experience of African descendants primarily collected from the Bologna based publication “Africa e Mediterraneo”. Finally, the last segment of the project, on display in the atrium of Martin D. Jenkins Hall, is part of the IV volume of “Black Archive Alliance”.

THE WORKS

The works presented by the three young artists encourage us to reconsider what constitutes art within the Italian cultural identity.  The multimedia works and installations immerse the viewer and emphasize their role as a bridge between past and present. The artists provide critical insight regarding the shortcomings of preservation and control of archiving practices. Finally, the ambiguity requires active viewer participation in the re-narration of intertwined histories in relation to contemporary Italian society.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH FLORENCE

Black History Month Florence (BHMF) is a cross-institutional network engaged in the promotion and production of research and content dedicated to Blackness in the Italian context. BHMF was launched in 2016 and is coordinated and organized by the Associazione Culturale BHMF.

THE RECOVERY PLAN – THE CENTER

The Recovery Plan, in Florence, Italy, is a cultural hub and facilitator of research dedicated to people and cultures of African descent in Italy. It is co-promoted by BMHF and fosters transnational exchange employing research, art, and documents as a mean to explore the history and contemporary legacy of what constitutes being Black in a global context.

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution providing instruction to a multiethnic, multiracial, and multinational student body. As one of the nation's most diverse Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the largest in Maryland, Morgan seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened to as many as possible.

JAMES E. LEWIS MUSEUM OF ART (JELMA)

The James E. Lewis Museum of Art (JELMA) is the cultural extension of Morgan State University's Fine Arts academic program. Developed to enhance the scholastic experience of the University's student population and the ethnically diverse community’s exposure to works of art, JELMA provides opportunities to experience exhibitions, programs, and lectures.