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Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal...

February 8 – July 13, 2020

Hank Willis Thomas, Strike
Hank Willis Thomas, Strike, 2018, stainless stell with mirrored finish, 33 x 33 x 9 in. The Dean Collection

Combining familiar images from sports and advertising with histories of art and politics, conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas examines popular culture, and how art can raise awareness in the ongoing struggle for social justice and civil rights. Featuring 90+ artworks including photographs, sculptures, mixed media, and his well-known Branded series, Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal… is the first comprehensive survey of this acclaimed and award-winning artist’s career.

Thomas’s work is in the collections of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, among others. He has been an instructor in the MFA program at Yale University and the Maryland Institute College of Art and is a 2018 Guggenheim Fellowship award winner.

“The most revolutionary thing a person can do is be open to change.” – Hank Willis Thomas

“Hank Willis Thomas is making some of the most urgent, timely art in the US.” – The Art Newspaper

“[Thomas has] expanded into other mediums while honing his near superhero-strength skills as a master aesthete and storyteller.” – Observer

Virtual Exhibition Tour

Take a virtual tour through Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal…, the first comprehensive survey of the acclaimed and award-winning artist’s career, led by Crystal Bridges Associate Curator, Contemporary Art Allison Glenn.

Explore the exhibition

Learn about Hank Willis Thomas in our blog

#CBfromHome Activity: South Bend Quilt Squares
pieces of recycled paper, magazines, and fabric layed out like a quilt

#CBfromHome Activity: South Bend Quilt Squares

Activities & Education Exhibitions

Activity: South Bend Quilt Squares Gather pieces of recycled paper, magazines, and fabric from around your house.  Think of colors you would like to have in your quilt. Cut…

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Recap: For Freedoms Community Conversations
Grid of people portraits

Recap: For Freedoms Community Conversations

At the Museum People & Community

In honor of our visiting temporary exhibition, Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal… and the ongoing efforts of For Freedoms, Thomas’s collaborative that encourages space-making for art and civic…

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Land and Labor in The Cotton Bowl by Hank Willis Thomas
Hank Willis Thomas, The Cotton Bowl

Land and Labor in The Cotton Bowl by Hank Willis Thomas

Exhibitions
In a 2016 interview, Hank Willis Thomas states, “…So the work is about the past and the present coming face to face both in land and labor, and so this…
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An Interview with Hank Willis Thomas, Part II
Hank Willis Thomas

An Interview with Hank Willis Thomas, Part II

Exhibitions
  [Cover photo: Artist Hank Willis Thomas at the Portland Art Museum. Courtesy of the Portland Art Museum, Oregon.]  
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An Interview with Hank Willis Thomas, Part I
Hank Willis Thomas

An Interview with Hank Willis Thomas, Part I

Exhibitions
  AG: While we’re talking about contemporary art and culture, why do you think it’s important to pay attention to contemporary art, or art that is being created today? HWT:…
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Who is Hank Willis Thomas?
Hank Willis Thomas All Things Being Equal exhibition

Who is Hank Willis Thomas?

Exhibitions
  There is so much more to discover in this immersive exhibition, but above all, Thomas encourages us to question everything, explore the gallery with an open mind, and participate…
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Sponsored By

Henry Luce Foundation logo

Phillips, Esther Silver-Parker, Deborah Wright, Arkansas Humanities Council, Walmart AAOC, and Kate & Greg Schaffer

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This exhibition is organized by the Portland Art Museum, Oregon.

Credits

Hank Willis Thomas, Crossroads, 2012, Chromogenic print, plexiglas, and Lumisty film. Private Collection. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. © Hank Willis Thomas

Hank Willis Thomas, Guernica, 2016, Mixed media including sport jerseys. Private Collection. © Hank Willis Thomas. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Hank Willis Thomas, I Am. Amen., 2009, Liquitex on canvas. Installation view. Collection of Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University. © Hank Willis Thomas. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Hank Willis Thomas, Raise Up, 2014, Bronze. Private Collection. © Hank Willis Thomas. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Hank Willis Thomas, The Cotton Bowl, from the series Strange Fruit, 2011, Digital c-print. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, W. Hawkins Ferry Fund. © Hank Willis Thomas. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Digital Ad Images

Hank Willis Thomas, The Cotton Bowl, from the series Strange Fruit, 2011, Digital c-print. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, W. Hawkins Ferry Fund. © Hank Willis Thomas. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Hank Willis Thomas, Strike, 2018, Stainless steel with mirrored finish. Private Collection. © Hank Willis Thomas. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Hank Willis Thomas, Raise Up, 2014, Bronze. Private Collection. © Hank Willis Thomas. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Hank Willis Thomas, Promise, 2016, Fiberglass and chameleon auto paint. Private Collection. © Hank Willis Thomas. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Hank Willis Thomas, I Am. Amen., 2009, Liquitex on canvas. Installation view. Collection of Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University. © Hank Willis Thomas. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Hank Willis Thomas, Guernica, 2016, Mixed media including sport jerseys. Private Collection. © Hank Willis Thomas. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Hank Willis Thomas, Branded Head, from the series B®anded, 2003, Chromogenic print. Private Collection. © Hank Willis Thomas. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Hank Willis Thomas, Absolut No Return, 2008, Lambda c-print on metallic paper. © Hank Willis Thomas. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.