The exhibition for Mallica “Kapo” Reynolds was funded by one of many celebrities who frequented JAM, singer Roberta Flack. Kapo, short for captain, was a Jamaican Revivalist preacher and a painter. This was JAM's first exhibition catalogue and is a folder containing artworks on separately printed plates.
JAM, I.A.53. MoMA Archives, NY.
The Many Facets of Palmer Hayden features the work of Palmer Hayden, the only non-living artist to ever be shown at JAM. However, his work was so emblematic of the ideas being explored at JAM that the exhibition fit into their roster seamlessly. His work explored the complexities of Black expression and representation and were shown in the gallery as a “re-evaluation,” according to Lowery Stokes Sims in the brochure for the exhibition. The fourteen-page exhibition catalogue continued to sell copies until 1986 when JAM closed.
JAM, I.A.40. MoMA Archives, NY.
Contextures was an entire self-published and self-funded endeavor by JAM. It was not a traditional exhibition catalogue, but rather a blueprint that outlined all the ideas about art and abstraction that were fundamental to JAM’s program. Linda Goode Bryant and Marcy S. Phillips co-authored the publication, and it featured work by Contexturalists Houston Conwill, Susan Fitzsimmons, David Hammons, Wendy Ward Ehlers, Howardena Pindell, and others. While this book was published independently of a singular exhibitions, related JAM exhibitions include The Concept as Art (1977), The Process as Art: In Situ (1978), and Contextures ‘78 at the Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C. (1978), and Remains-The Artist in Environment at the Emily Lowe Gallery at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York (1979).
JAM, II.C.8. MoMA Archives, NY (left). JAM, II.A.248. MoMA archives, NY (right)
The exhibition What I Do for Art and its catalogue continued to explore the structure of the art world by delving into the common dilemma of artists—how to balance art and a livelihood. The catalogue also contains a personal statement from every artist in the show about their personal experiences with their own jobs outside of their artistic practice.
JAM, II.C.3. MoMA Archives, NY.
JAM’s first magazine Black Currant was designed and edited by Janet Olivia Henry. The concept behind the four issues published was to present original artist projects in the same three basic formal and conceptual elements: space, authorship, and language. For example, in issue 2 n.1 twelve artists were given a single square to design throughout the magazine. This presented the viewer with multiple paths for interpretations, to follow the narrative of a singular artist, or within the context of the singular page. In another issue, two artists were paired up to work on a singular piece throughout the pages. The last issue is entirely created by the artists, including full page spreads of artists’ images to encourage self sufficiency in their visual storytelling.
JAM, II.C.13. MoMA Archives, NY
JAM’s second magazine, B Culture, was conceived and edited by musician and music critic Greg Tate and music producer Craig Dennis Street. B Culture was a platform for Black artists across disciplines. The three issues published touch on topics like black cinema,graffiti art, and short stories, and include an interview with Miles Davis, original work from artists like Lorna Simpson, and even neo-noir comic strips.
JAM, II.C.38*. MoMA Archives, NY.
The Business of Being an Artist program was conceptualized in 1978 as a formalized professional development course for artists struggling to navigate the art world. Initially BBA existed as a two-part program including a portfolio review by JAM staff and artists with consideration for potential exhibition at JAM, and a 33-week in person course. This course included scholarships and guest speakers ranging from gallerists, artists, framers, and leaders of cultural institutions. In 1982 JAM wanted to produce a box set of videos to mimic the in-person course under the name ArT.V. Goode Bryant enlisted Dieter Froese as the director, Wade Miller as the production manager, and Cathey Billian as the distribution manager. Only one film was made, but institutions such as the US Army Library Program, the Art Center College of Art in Pasadena, and Rutgers University all purchased a copy. In later years both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the non-profit gallery Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions held screenings for the video as well. BBA eventually would slow its operations in 1983 as a new idea for a more financially viable program emerged.
The Corporation for Art and Television was initially conceived in 1984 to address the need to develop a financially stable model for JAM while still protecting their artists’ creative freedom. This aspect was vital to Goode Bryant and inherent to JAM’s ethos to safeguard its mission from the demands of an ever more commercial art market. The idea for CAT was envisioned as a film and television studio for sound and video, computer animation and photography. Alongside the for-rent studio, CAT would feature think tanks to bring creatives together to discuss “the intersection of art, technology, and popular culture,” according to the CAT business plan found in folder II.B.138. Collaboration and experimentation were historical tenets of all JAM endeavors and CAT was no exception. It also featured a plan for an artist-in-residency program which produced a few performances and exhibitions between 1984 and 1986, as well as a large series of concerts and performances set up for 1988 called CATconcerts. The ultimate goal of CAT was to move away from the typical source of funding in a traditional gallery setting: the production and presentation, or commodification, of art. In a scenario familiar to JAM at this point, CAT was never fully realized due to lack of funding and support from the local government, despite stacks of meticulous business plans and budgets. The idea for CAT came about right in the midst of a “video revolution” of the mid-1980’s according to Newsweek and Time magazine. BBA and CAT are perfect examples of how forward thinking and revolutionary JAM was at the time, and yet was not invested in.
