Arnold J. Kemp | First Comes Dark Notes

The Department of Art & Art History welcomes back Arnold J. Kemp (b. 1968), a proud alum of our Art Practice MFA program (Class of '05), as our 2024-2025 Virginia Keim Holt and Benjamin M. Holt Visiting Artist. Born in Boston, MA to Caribbean parents, Kemp is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, and educator whose work serves as a reminder of today's socio-political landscape and its reverberations in the Black psyche. Kemp's artistic practice transcends traditional boundaries, manifesting in talks, performances, limited-edition artist’s books, collaborations, and art objects. For him, art production is a powerful catalyst for new thinking about the necessity of creativity in our everyday lives.

Arnold J. Kemp | First Comes Dark Notes

On View: October 1–December 6, 2024

Opening Reception: Thursday, October 3, 4–6pm

Gallery Hours: Monday–Friday, 11am–5pm

Teaching an open studio; the classroom as atelier

This hybrid exhibition/classroom/atelier is part of a multi-year experiment with the goal of creating a more intimate, direct, and transparent teaching experience. Utilizing the Coulter Gallery simultaneously as presentation space, teaching space and active atelier the class is building on a long tradition of educating students within the artist’s studio. This places the pedagogical experience squarely in public view, simultaneously bringing students into transaction with a highly creative practice and inviting the public inside to watch the process unfold over time.

Arnold J. Kemp, the 2024-2025 Holt Visiting Artist at Stanford, has created a rich, complex, and challenging experience. His improvisational actions on canvas seen here as collisions of materiality, textual transformation, and Blackness, fit seamlessly into the transparent space at the Coulter Gallery.

As the quarter progresses, we will be placing student work amongst these paintings, and Arnold will be creating new work in this space as his existing works migrate sequentially into the adjacent Vitrine Gallery. This interaction will not only highlight the students’ growth and creativity but also culminate in a full exhibition of their works, reflecting their learning journey and the collaborative spirit fostered during this unique pedagogical endeavor. Ultimately, this project aims to challenge the traditional art classroom by making the creative process accessible and engaging for both students and the public.

Gabriel Harrison, Curator

Image: Arnold J. Kemp, JJUJUM, 2022, permanent ink, aluminum foil, and etching ink on canvas, 78 x 59 in. Martos Gallery, New York, NY. Photo by Charles Benton

VISITOR INFORMATION: Coulter Art Gallery is located at 355 Roth Way (McMurtry Building) on Stanford campus. The gallery is open Monday–Friday, 11:00am–5:00pm*. Visitor parking is available in designated areas and payment is managed through ParkMobile (free after 4pm, except by the Oval). Alternatively, take the Caltrain to Palo Alto Transit Center and hop on the free Stanford Marguerite Shuttle. This exhibition is open to Stanford affiliates and the general public. Admission is free. 

*Coulter Art Gallery will be closed during Thanksgiving Break, November 25–29.

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