The Black Lives Matter movement has been blasted by the political right since protests took to the streets in 2020, and centrists and pundits have scapegoated it for political losses in 2022 and 2024. Even Cambridge’s The Black Response organization has mixed feelings in a show that runs through February – Black History Month – called “The Black Lives Matter Era: A Critical Reflection.”
Curated by the organization’s Stephanie Guirand and designed by Roxanne Jingco, the show uses archival research, oral histories and documents from Cambridge, Boston, Amherst, Worcester and Springfield dating from 2013, after the killing of Trayvon Martin, to look at how the movement reshaped public discourse around race, policing, democracy and Black political life. The team has been working toward the exhibit for nearly three years. When the Democracy Center closed in Harvard Square in July 2024, members rescued BLM organizing materials left behind in the basement, Guirand said.
“Trump being reelected and public killings by law enforcement and the reincarceration of migrant families, all of these things are sort of recycling,” Guirand said in a phone interview Jan. 28. “These debates are starting up again. At the same time, people have expressed real disappointment and anger – lots of different thoughts – about the BLM movement. It seems like the perfect time to make this public.”
The show has opening and closing programs from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Feb. 24, respectively, and the second event looks especially potent: an Oxford-style debate on whether “The Black Lives Matter Movement was successful.” (Registration is required.) The style includes teams and is more freewheeling than the Lincoln-Douglas approach.
“We lived through the movement and had some positive experiences where we met other people and shared camaraderie – but we also have a lot of harm,” Guirand said. The debaters should be able to take either side just as the exhibit tells both sides, including “the failure of the structure, the lack of infrastructure for the organization and the chapters and people taking money, the interpersonal issues – all of that sort of weaves throughout the different elements of the exhibition.”
“I’ve come to a position on it,” Guirand said, “but it requires me to make some concessions.”
“The Black Response presents … The Black Lives Matter Era: A Critical Reflection,” Feb. 3-Feb. 28 at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday, 2 to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (857) 998-2063
Also in galleries
“Decision ’25: Let the People Decide (Again),” 12 prospective exhibits assembled and presented so visitors can vote for favorites. Through Feb. 14 at the Katherine Small Gallery, 108 Beacon St., Ward 2, Somerville. Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; other days by appointment. (617) 576-0584
“Many Paths,” painting, photography and mixed media by 16 artists. through Feb. 22 at Brickbottom Artists, 1 Fitchburg St., Inner Belt, Somerville. Friday to Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. (617) 776-3410
“Goldin+Senneby: Flare-Up,” recent works exploring illness and ecology. Through March 15 at the List Visual Arts Center, 20 Ames St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 7 p.m. (617) 253-4680
“Crafting the Mind,” contemporary fiber art from 20 creators that speaks to the early history of crafts as a therapeutic practice at McLean Hospital, New England’s first psychiatric hospital. Through March 28 at the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, in the Spring Hill neighborhood. Thursdays, 2 to 7 p.m.; Fridays 2 to 5 p.m.; Saturdays noon to 5 p.m. $8. (617) 666-9810
“Vestiges,” solo exhibition by Lynne Kortenhaus using found objects and printmaking techniques such as monotype, etching and collage. Through May 1 at CambridgeSeven’s Paul Dietrich Gallery, on the third floor at 20 University Road inside The Charles Hotel, Harvard Square, Cambridge. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (617) 492-7000
“Critical Printing,” little-known prints designed to generate experimental thinking through May 10 at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (617) 495-9400
“Renaissance, Race and Representation,” works focused on the Harlem Renaissance. Through June 6 at the Alain Locke Gallery of African & African American Art, 102 Mount Auburn St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (617) 496-5777
“Welcome to Cosmologyscape,” contributed dreams are translated into digital quilt squares using symbolic systems informed by Lakȟóta philosophy, Afrofuturism and Black quilting traditions; and multidisciplinary artworks, including mosaics, textiles, digital animation, furniture and sound using computational methods “to design spaces of rest and collective imagination” by Alisha B Wormsley and Kite. Feb. 26-June 26 at the Wagner Gallery, on the second floor at 485 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Wednesdays, noon to 5 p.m. and by appointment.
“Lighten Up! On Biology and Time,” 15 artists with 18 immersive artworks, installations and experiential environments. Through August at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Daily, 10 to 5 p.m. $20. (617) 253-5927
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