On Friday March 8th at 6:30 pm, AAAinA hosted Dr. Brittany Webb for a presentation on the life and work of artist John Rhoden (1916-2001). Webb was named the inaugural Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of Twentieth Century Art and the John Rhoden Collection at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in the Fall of 2020. In this role, she is responsible for the stewardship of Rhoden’s legacy and has curated the exhibition Determined to Be: The Sculpture of John Rhoden (on view at PAFA through April 7, 2024). Our program on Rhoden’s practice, life, and artwork lands close to home (literally!) as the artist lived with his wife, artist Richanda Rhoden, in the exact townhouse that our offices and reading room are currently located.

Many of our community members notice and ask about the plaque located on the front of our building. The text on the panel describes the artist couple’s history in our space, which served as their home and studios for several decades. This special event with Dr. Webb merges worlds, timelines, and provided a fascinating look into the artist’s impact on everyday people and art history, from his immediate neighborhood to the international community. We were incredibly lucky to share this event with our AAAinA community and especially with our neighbors in Brooklyn Heights.

Brittany Webb is the Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of Twentieth Century Art and the John Rhoden Collection at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Her most recent exhibition, Determined to Be: The Sculpture of John Rhoden, features 70 sculptures by artist John Rhoden (1916-2001). The exhibition is on view through April 7th and is accompanied by a multi-authored catalog published in 2023 and distributed by the University of Washington Press. Before joining PAFA, Webb was a member of the curatorial staff of the African American Museum in Philadelphia. She holds a Ph.D. from Temple University and a BA from the University of Southern California.

The event is funded in part by the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council, Ruth Foundation, and the Vilcek Foundation.