Huey Copeland's "Touched by the Mother" Book Release

A special book reading and conversation to celebrate Huey Copeland's newest publication at The Land School. We invite you to join us as we welcome art historian Huey Copeland to The Land School to celebrate the release of his newest book, Touched by the Mother. In commemoration of the publication, Copeland will share selected readings from the text before joining Rebuild founder and artist featured in the book, Theaster Gates, for a conversation around the work and its considerations of Black artistic production, visual Black masculinity, and the enduring ways Black maternal histories shape our cultural imagination. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase on-site. Homecourt Collective will serve complimentary seasonal beverages throughout the program. Reserve your spot and join us at The Land School. About Huey Copeland's Touched by a Mother Collecting twenty years of incisive essays, articles, and interviews—including four published here for the first time—by art historian Huey Copeland, this book affirms the extraordinary depth of black men’s cultural production and the diversity of artistic practices that explore visual black masculinity in the United States. Part history, part memoir, part critical manifesto, Touched by the Mother offers a multi-faceted look at American art and discourse of the past fifty years, a personal meditation on navigating the world as a black gay man, and a feminist perspective on the ways transatlantic slavery continues to mark African and African diasporic men. Focusing on how the black maternal shapes black masculinity, Copeland confronts the dynamics that position African-American men—after their mothers—as sites of violence, creativity, and contestation in the cultural imagination. Richly illustrated throughout, Touched by the Mother considers an exciting range of assemblage, painting, performance, photography, sculpture, and video works by more than twenty renowned practitioners, along with interviews featuring Hilton Als, Thelma Golden, Frank B. Wilderson, III, and other influential figures in contemporary art, culture, and criticism. Works by artists including Mark Bradford, Theaster Gates, David Hammons, Barkley L. Hendricks, Arthur Jafa, Glenn Ligon, Kerry James Marshall, Howardena Pindell, Sun Ra, and Lorna Simpson represent modes of making and thinking that are uniquely “touched by the mother,” Copeland argues, moving us toward the promise of black feminist futures. About The Land School The Land School, a new pedagogical platform at the site of the former St. Laurence Elementary School, proposes a radical model of artistic experimentation and archival stewardship, providing space, time, access, collaborative inquiry, process-driven programming, and performance, all led by an intergenerational cohort of artists, archivists, scholars, craftspeople, cultural workers, and creative organizations invested in culture as a service. The Land School's Policies and Protocol: Upon arrival, please enter the building at the entrance on S. Dorchester Ave. Ride sharing is encouraged as parking is limited. Please be sure to not block the entrances and exits of our neighbors. Firearms on the premises are strictly prohibited. No smoking, vaping or incense is permitted inside. No pets are allowed inside. No professional photo/video equipment is allowed unless preapproved by Rebuild. Please be mindful of your neighbors by respecting their personal space and bodily autonomy. No violence - verbal or physical - will be tolerated. Any guest creating an unsafe environment will be removed from the premises immediately, at the discretion of the Rebuild staff. We take the safety of our guests seriously. If any guest is found violating these protocols, they may be escorted off the property immediately and will not be welcome to return. Notice of Photography and Videography By entering The Land School, you acknowledge and consent to being photographed and/or videotaped. Images and recordings may be used for promotional, archival, or other purposes by the organizers. If you do not wish to be photographed or recorded, please notify a staff member upon arrival. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Thank you for reviewing and honoring The Land School's policies and protocol. We look forward to welcoming you!