Exhibition Research: 'Patrick Kelly, The Journey' by Derrick Adams

 Derrick Adams is a NY based artist who made artworks based off his archival research of influential African-American fashion designer Patrick Kelly.

The exhibition was held in the NY Public Library's Countee Cullen Library Branch. The artworks were shown on the walls of the library so that the public can enjoy the pieces and be inspired by the archive's collection and the work of African-American creatives.

The project was funded by the Studio Museum Harlem in partnerships with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

In the centre of exhibition is Adam’s ‘Mood Board’ series which are large collages that respond to Kelly's legacy as a " formalist who imbued social context and humour into his creations.”

“These abstract collages incorporate Kelly’s vintage clothing patterns, as well as his iconic fabrics, colors and shapes: bold and colorful geometric forms, contours of the female body, and buttons and other embellishments. The works exalt Kelly’s formal excellence while demonstrating Adams’s ongoing interest in deconstructing, fragmenting and manipulating structure and surface.”

I thought Adam's project was particularly useful for the research of FOH due to the use of collage to display and make reference to already existing work. Additionally, Adam's use of the archive to create a new body of work that embraces the past makes a direct comparison to the intentions of FOH. 

The way in which Adam has constructed the 'Mood Board' series makes for a useful research source to inspire how we might present the work created in the workshops of FOH.




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