Museum of the African Diaspora andUC Berkeley Art and Design Center present an evening of art, film and discussion on Thursday, May 14th.

The evening begins at 6pm at the Museum of the African Diaspora (685 Mission Street at Third) with a screening of the film Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child.  Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat's own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man.

Join us after the film screening for discussion of the work and legacy of Jean-Michel Basquiat. A panel of Bay Area artists and scholars -- Jennifer Gonzalez and Lewis Watts, moderated by Jordana Moore Saggese (author of the forthcoming Reading Basquiat: Exploring Ambivalence in American Art) -- will discuss the artist's impact on American art practice, his relationship to the always shifting discourses of blackness, and his precarious position as an artist whose celebrity has threatened to overshadow any critical attention. Special pre-release copies of Reading Basquiat will be on sale at the event!

This program is presented in conjunction with Third Thursdays in Yerba Buena: Art, Drink & Be Merry

Free Admission: Click here to reserve a seat for the film and panel discussion.