Re*Membering Mavis Pusey Symposium

Re*Membering Mavis Pusey brings together artists, scholars, and curators to reflect on the life and legacy of Mavis Pusey (1928–2019)—a pioneering abstract artist whose dynamic prints and paintings capture the rhythm of urban change and the resilience of Black modernity.

Taking place during the closing weekend of the first major museum survey of Pusey’s work, the symposium explores questions of visibility, preservation, and remembrance. How can acts of conservation and curation become forms of remembrance and care for artists whose legacies have been obscured? How do we care for the material and historical traces of artists whose voices have been overlooked? How can institutions reframe their roles in sustaining the legacies of Black women artists?

Hosted by the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania with funding support from Terra Foundation for American Art, the symposium will take place across two days. On Friday, December 5th, ICA will host public dialogues featuring notable participants from the field, including O’Neil Lawrence of the National Gallery of Jamaica, conservation specialists from the Getty Research Institute and Williamstown + Atlanta Art Conservation Center, and members of the Studio Museum in Harlem's leadership and curatorial teams. An invitation-only scholars' day will occur on Saturday, December 6th.