Arts & Culture

Colored Frames

By Jennifer Robinson / Web Producer

Published April 2, 2018 at 11:02 AM PDT

A piece by artist Benny Andrews. During the film, Andrews recalls his inspiration for protest as a desire to show the world the wide breadth of his work, his paintings depicted people, beyond color lines, yet often his representations of blacks rarely were shown. He was able to instigate a movement that demanded and achieved more, if not better, representations of blackness in New York museums.

Airs Tuesday, April 3, 2018 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV

“Colored Frames” reflects on the last 50 years in African-American art by exploring the influences, inspirations and experiences of black artists.

Beginning at the height of the Civil Rights Era and leading up to the present, it provides a truthful, unflinching look at often-ignored artists and their progeny.

Impressionistic video collages showcase the wide variety, both thematically and stylistically, of contemporary pieces of black artists working in the genres of illustration, abstraction and surrealism, among others.

Become a KPBS sponsor

Colored Frames - Trailer

“Colored Frames” also chronicles the black artist's struggle for visibility and acceptance in mainstream art society as well as their experiences challenging assumptions about what constitutes "blackness," even within their own community.

The importance of the film is underscored by the recent death of legendary artist Benny Andrews, to whom the film is dedicated.

Andrews, who makes his final appearance in the film, remarks “I hope that [people] see art as more than being a picture.”

Benny Andrews - In His Own Words

“Colored Frames” is an embodiment of that ideal, setting a deeply compelling, yet celebratory historical context to the beauty of the art showcased in the film.

Featurette - What Can Art Do?

“A lot of the best reactions to the film comes from the visual display of the art,” says Director Lerone D. Wilson. “We were deliberate about capturing the film in HD, which was clearly worth it based on the ‘Ooh’s’ and ‘Aah’s’ we hear at each showing.” Ugbode added “There is room in the celebration of black history for new interpretations. This film tells the important, timeless story of the ongoing struggle for civil rights in a completely new way, which keeps the subject matter fresh while also exposing it to a new audience.”

Become a KPBS sponsor