The American Federation of Arts (AFA), the leader in traveling exhibitions since its founding in 1909, announces the national tour dates for Willie Birch: Stories to Tell, chronicling the groundbreaking artist’s singular vision of the Black American experience. Birch is a New Orleans–based artist, cultural provocateur, and community organizer who has devoted his artmaking career to storytelling
“Willie Birch’s work does not shy away from the complexities of race, poverty, and systemic inequity, nor does it romanticize struggle,” says Pauline Forlenza, the Director and CEO of the American Federation of Arts. “Birch has created a body of work rooted in the everyday lives, struggles, and joys of the Black community. Whether exploring the quiet dignity of his neighbors or the complex history of African traditions in American culture, Birch’s eye is unwavering and empathetic,” adds Forlenza.
The first leg of the national tour opens May 5 at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles. The exhibition features six decades of work (from the late 1960s to the present) representing Birch’s first career retrospective of this size and scope.
Jose Lima & Bill Spring
Images on behalf of the American Federation of Arts
