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“The Black Artist” exhibition curated by Neiman Mocombe ’26 launches in H-L

October 11, 2024

Isa Cruz
TEXTUAL TRIBUTE: Neiman Mocombe’s multimedia curation explores the tenacity and dedication of Black accomplishments, from orators to artists.

Last Friday, the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library (H-L) kicked off this year’s student-curated BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) Collection: an exhibition by Neiman Mocombe ’26 titled “The Black Artist.” Nestled in the cozy enclave facing the circulation desk, the multimedia exhibit showcases the endeavors and tenacity of Black artists on an international scale, especially highlighting books and other materials newly acquired by the library.

The BIPOC Collection, a student-led exhibition which has been running in H-L for the last several years, aims to provide an opportunity for students to interact closely with the library and add new materials to the library’s collections. In creating this year’s collection, Mocombe worked closely with Associate Librarian for Research, Instruction and Outreach Erin Valentino and Humanities and Media Librarian Carmen Greenlee. Valentino mentioned that working with student curators has been an exciting experience.

“Every student who walks through the doors of H-L has collections inside them. And they have their own interests, their own passions, and some of them are connected to their classes, and some are not,” Valentino said. “The [current library] collection is related to the curriculum, and the implication for me of that is that it’s largely faculty-driven, so having student curators is something new. It expands our library in ways that we never imagined.”

Mocombe’s personal interest in coffee table books—which initially introduced him to Valentino—played a key part in his path to curating the exhibition. During his sophomore year, Mocombe requested that the library purchase coffee table books for their collection. When some of the books were not approved—specifically, those that lacked an obvious connection to an academic subject—Mocombe made an appointment with Valentino.

In that meeting, while talking about his love for coffee table books, Valentino said that Mocombe took her out of her “librarian rut”—which she defined as her focus on only academic-related books.

“[Mocombe] told me the story about how his mother would put coffee table books all around their house, and that it was like a break or a respite or just something pleasurable to do to turn the pages of these beautiful books and look at pictures. And I was really captivated by it, because … he caused me to think of [the library collection] in a different way,” Valentino said.

While Mocombe’s exhibit includes this original set of “coffee table books,” there are a multitude of other materials as well. Currently, the collection is composed of 30 books from the library archives and 30 others that Mocombe acquired himself—many of which were purchased in bookstores around New York City.

“[It had] to be about a Black person or by a Black author. That was a must. Then preference went to larger books, books with beautiful covers,” Mocombe said.

The exhibition begins with the eye-catching cover of “A Tribute to Muhammad Ali: Greatest of All Time.” While the name “The Black Artist” may specifically bring to mind painters and sculptors, the definition of an artist that Mocombe used in curating the collection was much broader, ranging from abolitionists to Nicki Minaj to Black cowboys.

“As an art history major, one thing that I’ve learned time and time again is that you can’t constrict art in any of its forms,” Mocombe said. “So in that sense, I wanted to look at orators and educators and athletes who inspired everyone.”

Mocombe’s exhibition is designed to appreciate and celebrate the Black artists he features, highlighting their persistence.

“I would just say, very broadly, that [they are] very inspirational. I’ve always considered myself to be a creative person, but I’m also a very easily frustrated person. So to see those people persevere so much is very admirable to me.” Mocombe said.

The next step for this exhibition will be the addition of other multimedia materials, such as films, websites or ebooks, which Mocombe hopes will enhance outreach and accessibility. The addition of multimedia materials will attempt to present the library as a broader place of learning.

“It’s to show people that [the library] isn’t just static books on shelves,” Greenlee explained. “It’s not about the books, it’s about information.”

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