Malcolm X
Artist/Maker
Tim Rollins and K.O.S.
(American, b. 1955)
Dateca. 1990
MediumCollage
DimensionsImage/Sheet: 18 1/16 × 14 1/8 in. (45.9 × 35.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of Stan Kim (OC 1990) in memory of Daniel Lee Nichols (OC 1987)
Edition9/100
Object number1996.18
Status
Not on viewIn 1981, Tim Rollins, a young art teacher at Intermediate School 52 in the South Bronx, began developing a syllabus that combined artmaking with reading and writing exercises for students who had been labeled “at risk” by New York’s public school system. Rollins, who was white, formed a coalition of black and Latinx students from the school, who would come to be known as K.O.S, or Kids of Survival. Their practice, centered around a process they termed “jamming,” was a communal response to literary works largely by authors of color. During these sessions, one student at a time would read aloud while the rest of the group sketched. Eventually, this exercise would develop into a practice of drawing directly onto pages from the books they read. Malcolm X was a frequent source of inspiration, and many works, including this one, were created in response to reading his autobiography.
ProvenanceStan Kim, La Jolla, CA; by gift 1996 to Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OHExhibition History
New Acquisitions, 1996-1997
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (February 10, 1998 - March 22, 1998 )
Prints Since 1960
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (August 25, 1998 - November 1, 1998 )
Print Portfolios Since 1960
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (November 6, 1998 - December 20, 1998 )
Modern Art in America: 20th-Century Works on Paper from the Allen Memorial Art Museum
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (November 15, 2003 - September 2, 2004 )
Radically Ordinary: Scenes from Black Life in America Since 1968
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (July 11, 2018 - December 23, 2018 )
Collections
- Modern & Contemporary
The AMAM continually researches its collection and updates its records with new findings.
We welcome additional information and suggestions for improvement. Please email us at AMAMcurator@oberlin.edu.
We welcome additional information and suggestions for improvement. Please email us at AMAMcurator@oberlin.edu.
postmarked July 4, 1958
postmarked February 24, 1957