Inspired by the Cleveland Museum of Art’s recent acquisition of Wadsworth Jarrell’s Heritage (1973), a painting of great significance, the exhibition Heritage: Wadsworth and Jae Jarrell examines the work and enduring legacy of multidisciplinary artists Wadsworth and Jae Jarrell.
Featuring 15 works from the mid-1960s to the present, the exhibition is a stunning array of colorful paintings, sculptures, and textiles. The Jarrells’ work engages music, the family, and many cultures from the African continent as cornerstones of pride and communal identity.
Taking the form of an intimate dialogue between husband and wife, the exhibition celebrates these two Cleveland-based artists and illustrates the couple’s keen ability to incite change by “[focusing] on our heritage instead of protesting injustice meted out by mainstream America.”